As Russia entered the nineteenth century, the hearts of earnest men must
have sunk within them. For Paul I, Catharine's son and successor, was
infinitely more despotic than Catharine, and infinitely less restrained
by public opinion. He had been born with savage instincts, and educated
into ferocity. Tyranny was written on his features in his childhood. If
he remained in Russia his mother sneered and showed hatred of him; if he
journeyed in Western Europe crowds gathered about his coach to jeer at
his ugliness. Most of those who have seen Gillray's caricature of him,
issued in the height of English spite at Paul's homage to Bonaparte,
have thought it hideously overdrawn; but those who have seen the
portrait of Paul in the Cadet-Corps of St. Petersburg know well that
Gillray did not exaggerate Paul's ugliness, for he could not.
And Paul's face was but a mirror of his character. Tyranny was wrought
into his every fibre. He demanded an oriental homage. As his carriage
whirled by, it was held the duty of all others in carriages to stop,
descend into the mud, and bow themselves.
Pages:
756
757
758
759
760
761
762
763
764
765
766
767
768
769
770
771
772
773
774
775
776
777
778
779
780