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of the States, Ecclefiaftical and Civil, to his Father and Lord, that he was guilty of all that was found in the Writings related above.

The Audience being ended, and the Czarewitz carried back, his Majefty caused an Ordinance to be iffued out to the Archbishops and Secular States, which he had figned with his own Hand, and was as follows:

A DECLARATION to the most facred Metropolitans, Archbishops, Bishops, and others of the Clergy.

You

OU have lately heard an ample Deduction of the astonishing Crimes my Son is guilty of, and has committed against us his Father and Lord.

Tho', according to all Laws Divine and Civil, and efpecially thofe of Ruffia, which exclude all Jurifdiction between a Father and a Son, even amongst private Perfons, we have a fufficient and abfolute Power to judge our Son for his Crimes, according to our Pleasure, without demanding Advice of any one; yet as Men are ufually lefs difcerning in their own Affairs than in those of others, and as even the most fkilful Physicians don't run the Hazard of prefcribing to themfelves, but call in the Affiftance of others when they are indifpofed; fo we, having the Fear of God before our Eyes, and being afraid to offend, in like Manner lay our Cafe before you, and demand a Remedy of you; for we fhould be apprehenfive of an eternal Death, if not knowing perhaps the Nature of our Disease, we fhould take upon us to heal ourfelves; and the more, as I have fworn by

the

the Judgment of God, and have promised my Son Pardon by Writing, and fince by Word of Mouth, in cafe he would tell me the Truth.

Tho' our Son has broke through his Promife, and concealed Matters of the utmost Importance, touching his Defigns of Rebellion againft us his Lord and Father; yet, that we may keep ftrictly clofe to our Obligations, and tho' the Affair falls under the Civil and not the Spiritual Jurifdicton, and we have this Day laid it before the Secular Judges by an exprefs Declaration for an impartial Hearing, yet we are defirous to receive all poffible Inftruction concerning this Affair.

REMEMBERING that Paffage in the Word of God, where he exhorts all Perfons to require the Opinion of the Priests upon the like Occafions, to learn what is the Will of Heaven, as it is written in the feventeenth Chapter of Exodus; We defire of you the Archbishops, and the whole State of the Clergy, as Teachers of the Word of God, that you would not pronounce Judgment upon this Affair till after you have examined it, and that you would give us hereupon a juft Information from the Holy Scripture, and what Punishment my Son's horrid Crime, which resembles the Sin of Abfalom, has deferv'd by the Divine Laws, in Conformity to the like Examples and Precepts of Holy Scripture; and that you would give it us by Writing, figned under the Hand of each of you; that being fufficiently inftructed in this. Affair, we may lay no Burthen upon our Conscience.

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Thus we put our Confidence in you, as Guardians of the Divine Laws, according to your Dignity, as faithful Paftors of the Flock of Chrift, and Lovers of your Country; and we conjure you, by the Judgment of God and your own facred Character, to proceed herein without any Fear or Diffimulation.

A DECLARATION to our faithful and beloved
Minifters, Senators, and States Military and
Civil.

You

OU have lately heard a very ample Deduction of the aftonishing Crimes my Son is guilty of, which he has committed against us, his Lord and Father.

Tho', by all Laws Divine and Civil, and efpecially thofe of Ruffia, which exclude all Jurifdiction between a Father and Son, even among private Perfons, we have a fufficient and abfolute Power to judge our Son for his Crimes according to our Pleasure, without demanding the Advice of any one; yet, as Men are ufually lefs difcerning in their own Affairs. than in those of others, and as even the most fkilful Physicians do not run the Hazard of prefcribing to themselves, but call in the Affiftance of others when they are indifpofed; fo we, having the Fear of God before our Eyes, and being afraid to burthen our Confcience with any Sin, do for this Reafon lay our Cafe before you, and demand a Remedy of you; for we fhould be apprehenfive of an eternal Death, if, not knowing perhaps the Nature of our Disease, we should take upon us to heal ourfelves; and the more, as I have fworn by the

Judg

Judgment of God, and have promised my Son
Pardon by Writing, and fince confirmed it by
Word of Mouth, in cafe he should tell me the
Truth.

Tho' our Son has broke through his Promife, and concealed Matters of the utmost Importance, touching his Defigns of Rebellion against us, his Lord and Father; yet, that we may keep ftrictly close to our Obligations, I beg of you to confider of the Affair, to examine it seriously and with Attention, and fee what it is that he has deferved, without flattering me, or apprehending, that if he deferves no more than flight Punishment in your Judgment, it will be difagreeable to me; for I fwear to you by the Great God, and by his Judgments, that you have nothing abfolutely to fear upon this Head.

Neither let the Confideration of your being to pass a Judgment upon the Son of your Prince have any Effect with you; but do Juftice without Refpect of Perfons, and destroy not your Souls and mine, that our Confcience may not reproach us at the terrible Day of Judgment, nor our Country be injured.

On the Sixteenth of June, Peter Tolstoi, Privy Counsellor, declared, by Order of his Czarian Majefty, to the Minifters, the Senate, and the States Military and Civil, That as he had put into their Hands the Trial of his Son Alexis Petrowitz, that they might pronounce Judgment upon it, he willed and required that it fhould be done in the ordinary Form, and with all due Examination; for which Reason his Majefty authorized and gave them the Power

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to examine the Czarewitz Alexis Petrowitz, if they found it convenient, upon any Point whatfoever, to make him appear before them, and put fuch Queftions to him as fhould be neceffary.

Upon this exprefs Order of his Czarian Majefty, the Minifters, the Senate, and the States who were present and affembled, having heard the preceding Pieces read, convened to interrogate the Czarewitz upon the following Points.

INTERROGATORIES laid before the Czarewitz
ALEXIS PETROWITZ.

E declared concerning Bleyer's Letter, that the Copy of it was inclofed in a Letter of Schonborn's, but that there was no Letter inclofed in Schonborn's of the Twenty-fourth of April.

This cannot poffibly be, because Count Schonborn declares under his own Hand, that he fends him a Copy of what was written from Moscow; fo that it is impoffible the Count should have forgot to inclose it in his Letter. It appears alfo, that he fent it on Purpose to make the Czarewitz acquainted with the News.

This is alfo agreeable to Afrofini's Declaration, that the Czarewitz had fpoke to her of the Rebellion in the Neighbourhood of Moscow, which, he faid, he was informed of by Letters. From whence it appears, that he must have had Letters of this Nature, whoever it was that fent them.

It was probable alfo, that when Bleyer fent this News, he made mention of fome Perfons at the fame Time; and that the Czarewitz in all