des ouvriers, ni la mortalité même, qui fit périr of-the workmen, nor the mortality even, which made to-perish of the workmen, nor even the mortality, which carried off deux cent mille hommes dans ces commence La ville fut fondée parmi les obstacles que la nature, The city was founded among the obstacles which the nature, The city was founded amid the obstacles which nature, le génie des peuples, et une guerre malheureuse the genius of-the the character of the y apportoient. there + brought. opposed to it. mille sept cents thousand seven hundreds war peoples, and a unhappy war Pétersbourg étoit déjà une ville en cinq, et son port étoit rempli seventeen hundred and five, and her port was filled L'empereur y attiroit les étrangers de vaisseaux. of vessels. The with vessels. The emperor there attracted the strangers emperor attracted foreigners thither par des bienfaits, distribuant des terres aux uns, by of-the benefits, distributing of-the lands to-the ones, land to some, by his munificence, distributing donnant des maisons aux autres, et encourageant giving of-the houses to-the others, and encouraging giving houses to others, and encouraging tous les arts qui venoient adoucir ce climat sau all the arts which all the arts which † came to-soften this climate could sa mitigate the rudeness of the vage. Sur-tout, il avoit rendu Pétersbourg inac Suédois, qui battoient souvent ses troupes par-tout by-all his troops on all Swedish, who + beat often his troops generals, who ailleurs, endommager to-damage Elle étoit tranquille au She + was tranquil in the milieu de la guerre qui l'environnoit. middle of the war which her † environed. midst of the surrounding war. tranquil to-the Le Czar, en se créant ainsi de nouveaux The Czar, in to-himself creating thus of new new états, tendoit toujours la main au Roi Auguste, states, stretched-out always the hand to-the King Augustus, dominions, he continued his offers of friendship to Augustus, qui perdoit les siens: il lui persuada par le général who † lost the his: he to-him persuaded was losing his : he who Patkul, sent by the general General passé depuis peu au service de Moscovie, passed since little to-the service of Muscovy, Patkul, who had recently entered the Russian service, Patkul, et and alors ambassadeur du Czar en Saxe, ambassador of-the Czar in Saxony, ambassador from the Czar to Saxony, to then and who was then de venir à Grodno, conférer encore une fois of to-come to Grodnow, to-confer again a time persuade him to come to Grodnow, to confer a second time avec lui sur l'état malheureux de ses affaires. Le with him upon the state unhappy of his affairs. with him upon the disastrous state of his affairs. The Roi Auguste y vint avec quelques troupes, accomKing Augustus there came with de l'Oder avoit rendu illustre dans le Nord, et of the Oder of the Oder + had rendered illustrious in the North, and had rendered illustrious in the North, and Le Czar hope. The Czar hope. The Czar en qui il mettoit sa dernière espérance. last y arriva faisant marcher après lui une armée de there arrived making after him an army arrived there with an army of seventy thousand to-march of gustus détrôné, ne plus t feared not craignoit more gustus, since his dethronement, was no longer restrained by his fear d'irriter les Polonois, en abandonnant leur pays in abandoning their country their country of irritating the Poles, by abandoning aux troupes Moscovites. Il fut résolu que l'armée He was resolved that the army It was determined that the Czar's le Roi de Suède à chaque pas. Ce the King of Sweden at each step. It arrest the progress of the King of Sweden at every step. It fut dans le temps de cette entrevue, que le Roi interview, that the King interview, that was in the time Auguste renouvela l'ordre de seigneurs Polonois, lords Polish Polish, plus avides d'avantages more greedy of advantages lords, who were more greedy of solid advan réels que d'un vain honneur, qui devient ridicule real than of a vain tages than of an empty honour, which becomes ridiculous honour, which becomes ridiculous quand on le tient d'un prince qui when one him holds of a prince who when it is received from a prince who nom. not is king than of is king only in finit d'une La conférence des deux rois conference of-the two kings finished of a name. The conference of the two kings terminated in an manière extraordinaire. Le Czar partit soudaine manner extraordinary. extraordinary manner. sudden The Czar departed The ment, et laissa ses troupes à son allié, pour courir ly, and left ed, éteindre his troops to his ally, for to-run leaving his troops to his ally, and hastened lui-même une rebellion dont il étoit to put down, in person, menacé à Astracan. menaced at Astrachan. threatened at Astrachan. À peine étoit-il parti, Hardly † was he departed, Scarcely had he quitted Grodnow, que le Roi Auguste ordonna que Patkul fût arrêté than the King Augustus ordered that Patkul might-be arrested Augustus ordered Patkul to be arrested when at Dresden. à Dresde. Toute l'Europe fut surprise qu'il osât, All the Europe was surprised that he might-dare, at Dresden. All Europe was surprised that he dared, contre le droit des gens, et en apparence contre against the right of-the peoples, and in appearance against contrary to the rights of nations, and apparently to ses intérêts, mettre en prison l'ambassadeur du interests, to-put in prison the ambassador of-the his own interest, to imprison the ambassador of the his seul prince qui le protégeoit. sole prince who him + protected. only prince who befriended him. VOL. I. 2 L Voici le noeud secret de cet événement, selon See-here the knot event, according-to was, according to ce qu'un fils du Roi Auguste m'a fait l'honneur that which a son of-the King Augustus to-me has done the honour of King Augustus did me the honour what de a me of to-me son dire: to-say: to tell me, as follows: avoir soutenu les to-have sustained the the having defended patrie, avoit été général du Roi Auguste; mais native-country, † had been general of-the King Augustus ; but Livonia, had been a general of Augustus, but son esprit altier et vif s'accommodant mal des his spirit lofty and lively himself accommodating ill of-the his haughty and hasty temper, ill brooking the hauteurs du général Flemming, favori du roi, heights of-the general Flemming, favourite of-the king, arrogance of General Flemming, the favourite of the king, who plus impérieux et plus vif que lui, il avoit more imperious and more lively than he, he had was yet more imperious and more violent than himself, he had Czar, dont il étoit alors of-the Czar, of-whom he + was then was then un esprit pénétrant; il avoit démêlé que les vues a spirit penetrating; he + had disentangled that the views a man of penetration, and had discovered that the views de Flemming et du chancelier de Saxe étoient de of Flemming and of-the chancellor of Saxony + were of of Flemming and of the chancellor of Saxony were to proposer la paix au Roi de Suède à quelque prix to-propose the peace to-the King of Sweden at offer peace to the King of Sweden on any some price terms: |