The History of Peter the Great, Emperor of Russia · Voltaire
'PETER.'
Mottley gives us the following, as the czar's epitaph: Here lieth, All that could die of a man immortal, PETER ALEXIOWITZ: It is almost superfluous to add, _Great Emperor of Russia!_ A title, Which, instead of adding to his glory, Became glorious by his wearing it. Let antiquity be dumb, Nor boast her Alexander, or her Cæsar. How easy was victory To leaders who were followed by heroes! And whose soldiers felt a noble disdain At being thought less vigilant than their generals! But he, Who in this place first knew rest, Found subjects base and inactive, Unwarlike, unlearned, untractable; Neither covetous of fame, nor fearless of danger; Creatures with the names of men, But with qualities rather brutal than rational! Yet, even these He polished from their native ruggedness; And, breaking out like a new sun, To illuminate the minds of a people, Dispelled their night of hereditary darkness; And, by force of his invincible influence, Taught them to conquer Even the conquerors of Germany. Other princes have commanded victorious armies; This commander created them. Blush, O Art! at a hero who owed thee nothing Exult, O Nature! for thine was this prodigy.
'I know little or nothing of the emperor,' replied the soldier, 'for I never saw him but at a distance; but he caused my father's head to be cut off some time ago, for being concerned in a former rebellion, and it is the duty of a son to revenge the death of his father, by that of the person who took away his life. If then the emperor is really so good and merciful as you have represented him, counsel him, for his own safety not to pardon me; for were he to restore me my liberty, the first use I should make of it would be, to engage in some new attempt against his life, nor should I ever rest till I had accomplished my design; therefore the securest method he can take, will be to order my head to be struck off immediately, without which his own life is not in safety.' The czar in vain used all the arguments he could think of, to set before this desperado the folly and injustice of such sentiments; he still persisted in what he had declared, and Peter departed, greatly chagrined at the bad success of his visit, and gave orders for the execution of this man and the rest of his accomplices. Transcriber's notes: The following is a list of changes made to the original. The first line is the original line, the second the corrected one.
Text from Project Gutenberg, public domain in the United States.