N.M. Karamzin Historical eulogy to Catherine II

Catherine II the Great, (1729–1796), empress

Every Russian in the depths of his soul does not like a single foreigner.

Men in their twenties make love more passionately, but in their thirties they make love much better.

Fear can kill crime, but it also kills virtue. Who does not dare to think, dares only to grovel.

The first rule is to make people think they want it themselves. (On the art of government)

I get robbed just like everyone else, but this good sign and shows that there is something to steal.

There is no cure for stupidity yet. Reason and common sense are not like smallpox: they cannot be vaccinated.

A very bad policy is that which remakes by laws what ought to be changed by customs.

Laws that do not preserve measure in good are the reason that from here immeasurable evil is born.

There is nothing more dangerous than wanting to make regulations for everything.

When making a law, put yourself in the place of the one who must obey it.

The people are by nature restless, ungrateful and full of scammers and people who, under the pretext of zeal, are only looking for how to turn everything that suits them to their advantage.

Thoughts caused by the very course of events are born at once in more than one head.

It also happens that people claim something that they really do not know, just to find out if they guessed correctly.

Whoever says what he wants will hear what he does not want.

I sew alone, and everyone flogs.

The human race is generally inclined towards injustice.

Who sings does not think evil.

Courtesy is based on not having a bad opinion of yourself or your neighbor.

I seem to be becoming like the Shah of Bahama, who always ended his reasoning with the words: "It's not my fault if you don't understand me, I understand myself very well."

Cursing words offend the mouth from which they issue as much as the ears into which they enter.

Be gentle, philanthropic, available, compassionate, and generous; let your greatness not prevent you from condescending to small people good-naturedly and putting yourself in their position, so that this kindness never diminishes either your power or their respect.

Listen to everything that deserves attention in any way; let everyone see that you think and feel the way you should think and feel. Act in such a way that good people love you, evil people are afraid and everyone respects you.

Honor your parents at every age.

There is nothing perfect in the world.

It is fitting for a man to have patience in his labors and sufferings, but magnanimity towards human guilt and faults.

Every parent should refrain in front of his children not only from deeds, but also from words that tend to injustice and violence, such as: scolding, swearing, fighting, all cruelty and similar actions, and not allowing those who surround his children giving them such bad examples.

Every child is born unlearned. It is the duty of parents to teach their children.

It is much better to prevent crimes than to punish them.

Double-mindedness is alien to great people: they despise all baseness.

The child shows gratitude to parents with humility and respect.

There is a position for a good housewife: to be quiet, modest, constant, cautious; to God zealous, to father-in-law and mother-in-law respectful; treat your husband lovingly and decently, teach small children to justice and love for one's neighbor; in front of relatives and in-laws to be courteous, to listen to kind speeches willingly, to shun lies and slyness; not to be idle, but diligent in every product and thrifty in expenses.

It should ... arouse in them (youth) a desire for diligence and that they should be afraid of idleness, as the source of all evil and error.

Study people, try to use them without entrusting yourself to them indiscriminately; look for true dignity, even if it be at the end of the world: for the most part it is modest and (hidden somewhere) in the distance. Valor does not climb out of the crowd, is not greedy, does not fuss and allows you to forget about yourself.

A skillful shooter, not hitting the target, does not lay blame on the bow or arrow, but requires an account from himself in the prophet: however, for this he does not lose his good spirits and hunting.

Books are mirrors, although they do not speak, they declare every fault and vice.

Who is envious or desires this and that, he will not wait for fun.

Whoever has fun and cannot have fun, he is sick, or gives himself up to his thoughts into oppression.

Whoever has not learned in his youth, old age is boring.

Whoever is accustomed to work, work is made easier for him.

Whoever is satisfied with his condition, to live happily.

Sloth is a bad teacher.

Lying is the most harmful of all vices.

It is better to study all the time than to remain ignorant.

It is better to acquit ten guilty than to accuse one innocent.

Love for the fatherland, shame and fear of reproach are taming means and able to restrain many crimes.

People are often the cause of their own happiness and unhappiness.

Petty rules and pathetic refinements should not have access to your heart.

There is no shame in admitting to a person in your mistake.

Never let flatterers besiege you: let us feel that you love neither praise nor baseness.

Show confidence only to those who have the courage to cross you on occasion and who prefer your good name to your grace.

The rules of education are the first foundations that prepare us to be citizens.

Idleness is the mother of boredom and many vices.

Having overcome any kind of labor, a person feels pleasure.

Winners are not judged.

Talking with the ignorant is sometimes more instructive than talking with the learned.

An intelligent person can always find an exercise.

A reasonable person is not ashamed to study even in perfect years, which he did not finish studying in his youth.

The most reliable, but also the most difficult means of making people the best is to bring education to perfection.

By doing a favor to your neighbor, you will do yourself a favor.

Do good in order to do good, and not for the sake of gaining praise or gratitude. Good deeds bring rewards of their own.

To endure something in the heart that another could not endure is the experience of a firm soul, but to do that good that another could not do is a laudable deed.

Conscience is an inner, closed luminary, which illuminates only the person himself, and speaks to him in a quiet voice without a sound; gently touching the soul, brings it to life, and following a person everywhere, does not give him mercy in any case.

Labor is overcome by labor.

Teaching adorns a person in happiness, but serves as a refuge in misfortune.

Keep in yourself those great spiritual qualities that make up the distinctive identity of an honest person, a great person and a hero. Beware of any artificiality. May the contagion of vulgarity not darken your ancient taste for honor and valor.

A person with a mediocre mind, if he puts in the work, can be skillful.

A person with a good heart tries to turn every thing and deed into good; a person with a bad heart tries to find evil in good. It doesn't take much sense to discredit something. If you see the vices of your neighbor, do not show him your condemnation.

Fellow citizens! I dare to talk about Catherine - and the greatness of the subject amazes me. I barely uttered Her name, and it seems to me that all the countless peoples of the Russian kingdoms are ready to heed my words: for everyone adored the Great One. And those who, hiding in the darkness of distance - under the shadow of the snowy Caucasus or behind the eternal ice of desert Siberia - never saw the image of the Immortal, and they felt the saving effect of Her reign; and for those she was an invisible but beneficent Deity. Wherever the sun shone in the regions of Russia, Her wisdom shone everywhere.

Happy Speakers, able to decorate and exalt the deeds of their Heroes! Or you, who with the gift of eloquence resurrect the dark deeds of antiquity! Your share is enviable. They will not say that you have humiliated your object. Who is to judge you strictly? But I must portray the Monarchine, who with her greatness surprised the universe; I must praise the first Heroine of our time, and in the presence of those for whom Her glory was happiness. She is still alive in their heart; She also does good to them in death! My features must seem weak ... But woe to him who, imagining Catherine, can think about the benefits of his insignificant pride! Gratitude, diligence is my glory. And I lived under Her scepter! And I was happy with Her reign! And I will talk about her! Truth is stronger than imagination; feeling is more striking than eloquence - and your heart, O Russians, will exalt the action of my weak talent.

The mirror of the ages, History, presents us with the wonderful play of the mysterious Fate: a manifold, majestic spectacle! What amazing changes! What emergencies! But what most captivates the attention of a wise viewer? The manifestation of great souls, the demigods of humanity, whom the incomprehensible Deity uses as an instrument of His important actions. These favorites of Heaven, scattered in the spaces of time, are like suns, dragging planetary systems behind them: they decide the fate of mankind, determine its path; By an inexplicable force, millions of people are attracted to some purpose pleasing to Providence; create and destroy kingdoms; form epochs, of which all others are only a consequence; they, so to speak, form a chain in the immensity of centuries, they give a hand to one another, and their life is the history of peoples.

Fellow citizens! Not only in the shadow of ancient distant times, not only among the sandy seas of Africa, on the fields of Marathon, under the eagles of sovereign Rome, we see such chosen and great mortals! Oh glory to Russia! Under the heavens of the dear fatherland, on his throne, in his crown and purple, Peter and Catherine shone. They were our- and the love of the Most High sealed them with Its seal! They each other, on the majestic theater of their actions, give a hand! .. Thus, Catherine appeared on the throne to revive, exalt the creation of Peter; in Her hand the withered rod of the Immortal blossomed again, and His sacred Shadow rested in the fields of eternity; for, without any superstition, we can think that a great soul, even after separation from the world, is concerned with the fate of its deeds. Catherine the Second, in the strength of her creative spirit and in the active wisdom of her reign, was the direct successor of Great Peter; the space separating Them disappears in History. And two minds, two characters, so different from each other, subsequently constitute an amazing harmony for the happiness of the Russian people! To approve the glory of the courageous, bold, formidable Peter, Catherine should reign forty years after Him; to prepare the glory of the meek, philanthropic, enlightened Catherine, Peter was to reign: so strong gusts of beneficent wind excite the spring atmosphere in order to disperse the cold remnants of winter vapors and prepare Nature for the warm wind of Zephyrs!

The wonderful Providence of the Most High, incomprehensible to mortals! Who would think of looking at one of the modest Princely Courts of Germany, in the quiet family of the Anhalt-Zerst House - who would think of looking there for the reasons for our prosperity and the glory of the Russian people? What kind of Ulysses could recognize this new Pyrrha in Her first tender youth? What wise Astrologer, seeing the morning dawn of this majesty, would have predicted in Catherine the rise of a radiant luminary for northern Europe and Asia? It seemed that fate had determined her to be the virtuous wife of some happy German Prince. The modest moral virtues of the gentle sex were the only object of her parents in Her upbringing. Often, in the midst of the glory of Her reign, in sincere outpourings of friendship (which only great Monarchs can enjoy on the throne), She spoke with an angelic smile to the most worthy of her subjects: "I was brought up for family life; Providence revealed to me the science of reigning" ... Providence! So, of course: His immediate gifts produce everything extraordinary in the world. The first education determines the fate of some ordinary souls; the great ones, breaking, so to speak, his bonds, freely indulge in inner striving, like Socrates heed the secret Genius, seek their place on the globe and form themselves for it. One spark, and the life-giving fire of Prometheus blazes; one great thought, and a great mind, screaming, soars like an eagle under the clouds!

Catherine was known in Germany for Her beauty, intelligence and modest courtesy when Elizabeth called Her to adorn the Russian Court. You, who had the happiness of seeing Her then blooming youth, you still speak with delight about the first living feelings of surprise aroused in your heart by Her angelic appearance, a rare combination of divine charms! I saw the radiant west of this luminary, and nothing more majestic seemed to my eyes. She was born for autocracy. Meekness, pleasantness of mind, the innate art of captivating the souls of people with a single word, with a single glance, produced the universal love of the Court for Her. He was a school for Catherine, who had the benefit of noticing his magical play, not yet on the throne. Then Her penetrating gaze opened weak sides of the human heart, the dangers of Kings and the cunning methods used by cunning to seduce them: a discovery important for science to reign! Then She read in kind hearts all the secret desires of the true sons of the fatherland; the quiet voice of the Patriots reached Her tender ears... They spoke with delight about Peter the Great and His great intentions. Catherine wanted to know this demigod of the Russians, and all His deeds, all His laws, together with the most ancient annals of our state, were the subject of Her liveliest curiosity. This is not enough: the most glorious foreign Authors and Philosophers, like beneficent Geniuses, daily adorned Her mind with new jewels of thoughts; in their creations * She looked for the rules of a wise Politics, and often, lean with a sacred hand on immortal pages the spirit of the laws, uncovered in Her mind the ideas of national happiness, foreseeing that She Herself would be the creator of it for the vastest Empire in the world! ramen, preparing to undertake heroic deeds ... Ah! The feat of the wise King is the most pleasant in the world!

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* The mother of Catherine, knowing Her love for reading books, refused her library in her will with these words: “To my dear Empress Daughter Ekaterina Alekseevna, I give all my library, both local and Dorenburg, collected by me on purpose for Her Highness; for I know Her great desire for reading. May the Almighty help Her to adorn herself with the fruits of it, and may the Empress, my dear Daughter, acquire all the virtues necessary for Her high rank! Through which our parental instructions, previously given to Her Highness, are fulfilled.

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And Catherine is on the throne!.. This unforgettable day for Russia is already depicted on the immortal marble of History: I hold back the impulse of my heart to describe its greatness... Beauty in the form of a warlike Pallas!.. Around the brilliant ranks of Heroes; the flame of zeal in their breasts!.. Before Her is the sacred horror and Genius of Russia!.. Leaning on Courage. The Goddess marches - and Glory, rattling a trumpet in the clouds, lowers a laurel wreath on Her head! ..

With Catherine sat on the throne meek wisdom, divine love for glory (the source of all great deeds), tireless activity, knowledge of the human heart, knowledge of the age, a zealous desire to complete what Peter started, to enlighten the people, to form Russia, to establish her happiness on the pillars of unshakable, to agree on everything part of the government, and buy immortality by the deeds of the Mother of the Fatherland. This vow was uttered by the Monarchine in the depths of her soul, and the heavenly Heart-seeker gave her the strength to fulfill it.

Fellow citizens! Catherine is immortal by Her victories, wise laws and beneficent institutions: our eyes follow her on these three paths of glory.

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Part one

How often Poetry, Eloquence, and imaginary Philosophy rumble against the love of glory of conquerors! How often they are reproached with the innumerable victims of this formidable passion! But the true Philosopher distinguishes, judges and does not always condemn. A charming dream of universal harmony and brotherhood, so dear to tender souls! Why were you always a dream? The rule of peoples and sovereigns is not the rule of private people; the welfare of the latter requires that the former think more about external security, and there is security - power! Weak people tremble; strong, under the auspices of greatness, freely enjoys political existence. This truth gives rise to rules for Monarchs. Disappear the memory of the bloodthirsty Attils, who wanted to win only for the glory of victories! But bloom the name of the Heroes who defeated the enemies of the fatherland and captured its prosperity with victories! Peter and Catherine wanted acquisitions, but only for the benefit of Russia, for its power and external security, without which any internal good is unreliable. The monarch knew that the Ottoman Empire, by its law and the spirit of government, was a dangerous enemy of Russia; that all alliances, all friendly treaties with her would only be a brief truce, and that the only way to establish the peace of our state is to weaken this natural and eternal enemy of Christians, she knew and did. But Europe saw that Catherine, being always ready for war, because of her special love for justice, never herself tore the world apart; when the sword, drawn for defense, shone in her hand, then - woe to the reckless enemies!

As soon as the Monarchine managed to put the internal government of the state into better order, the already impudent Mustafa insulted the greatness of Russia; declared himself an ally of the Polish rebels; demanded that our army leave Stanislav to them as a sacrifice; and finally, despising the sacred right of peoples, he imprisoned the one who at his Court was the image of Catherine!

Already her warriors crushed the Ottomans; already on the banks of the Dniester our victorious banners fluttered ... but Catherine's gaze was still looking for a Commander worthy of Her power of attorney and great intentions. She did not want an ordinary war; she did not want to sacrifice people by chance: she wanted to prescribe the law of Fate by the action of an excellent mind. I searched and found - Rumyantsev! This great man distinguished himself gloriously during the Prussian war; took Kohlberg; marveled at the cunning of the skillful Friedrich, but often guessed his secret plans; fought with him and saw several times the flight of his host.

The talent of great souls is to recognize the great in other people; and Catherine, by electing Rumyantsev, hastened the fall of the Turkish Empire.

The hero, having taken command, changed all military orders; rejected all the faint-hearted cautions, similar to timidity, and introduced into our armies by foreign commanders. "Not slingshots, but fire and sword are your protection,"- he said to the Russian legions, and the inspiration of heroism revived them. Let's go - and from that time on, every blow of the Russians was a defeat for the Ottomans.

Incredible, amazing work! These terrible conquerors of the East, the horror of Europe, the destroyers of her glorious armies, cannot stand before Rumyantsev! Eighty thousand selected Turkish troops, under the command of Khan Selim, disappeared like dust on the banks of the Prut; neither a high mountain nor a fortified camp saved them. This is not enough - where the Prut River pours its fast waters into the majestic Danube; to where the great Peter, surrounded by infidels, despaired of being a winner and demanded peace - there the Genius of Catherine led Rumyantsev and placed him between countless enemies. On the one hand, the Crimean Khan burned with jealousy to make amends for the shame of his defeat; on the other hand, the Vizier himself was already triumphant in his thoughts about victory. Fellow citizens! Each of you heard about the great day of Kagul and shed joyful tears worthy of the Russian heart; I spilled them, listening to your story, Eminent heroes, happy associates of Rumyantsev! And this majestic picture will never be eclipsed in my imagination. 17 thousand Russians at the dawn of a most beautiful day in deep silence are waiting to die with glory against 150 thousand enemies; quiet amusement on their faces; in the chest a presentiment of heroic immortality. All orders were given, and the leader seemed calm; one majesty shone in his eyes. Suddenly thunders heralded the appearance of the sun, and clouds of smoke hid it, it shone again - and where are the numerous enemies? I see our trophies, and among them Hero Rumyantsev, who, without changing his usual calm face, writes a report to the Monarchina about the most glorious victory in the world. Spirit of Peter the Great! You are comforted. From now on, the confluence of the Prut with the Danube will be a joyful monument for the Russians.

Behind this triumph of Catherine's glory, the world saw something else, no less wonderful. Nature herself, it seems, blocks the long way for our fleets, surrounding with ice the harbors of Russia for half a year; but the Genius of the Monarchini conquers Nature, and the waves of the Mediterranean sea foam under the Russian rudders. The sacred memories of History stirred the hearts of our sailing Heroes when they beheld the shores of Italy. It seemed to them that the great shadows of Fabrizii, Camillus, Scipio, hovering over the coffin of the ancient Republic, looked with curiosity and surprise at the proud and unknown to these seas the flag of Catherine; it seemed to them that Russia is the new Rome by its majesty. With such feelings, our Argonauts approached countries still ancient in the annals of glory and equally rich in great ideas; they hoped to resurrect there the heroism of Lycurgus and Solon's pupils; hoped in the name of the new Athenaeus to appeal to the life and great deeds of the descendants of Miltiades, Aristides, Themistocles. But long-term slavery has forever deadened the hearts of the people there; rude hearing did not heed the sweet name of freedom, and the Heroes of Russia saw that they had to think only about the glory of Catherine. Not for this reason did they surround Europe, not for this reason did they leave the coast of Africa behind them to do deeds of ordinary courage ... and the Aegean sea is burning! .. Oh, a spectacle, terrible for the very imagination, a bold and great thought! The performance is bold and happy! Lightning-fast Russians command the elements: fire and waves destroy the enemy! Its maritime forces prepared for centuries are disappearing with smoke! Everything Ottoman perishes, except for some trophies for the winner - and the Monarchine lays them, modestly and majestically, on the coffin of Peter the Great! Chesma is immortal, like Poltava and Cahul; and the seventieth year of the past century is the most flourishing year of our military glory*.

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* In the same year, Bendery was taken by Count Peter Ivanovich Panin.

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The next summer also dawned on us with laurels. What Ivan the Terrible began, Catherine the Great completed. These glorious deep trenches, which stretch from the Black Sea to the Sea of ​​Azov, could not stop the solemn flow of Her warriors, and the Crimea, the last refuge of the barbarians, who were once the horror and scourge of our fatherland, fell at the feet of the Russian Genius. - The banks of the Danube did not cease to be stained with the blood of the infidels, and Constantinople trembled, listening to the close thunders of our fleet. Mustafa resigned himself: Rumyantsev lowered his sword; but the calamities of the Ottomans were not yet over. Peace negotiations did not have a happy success, and the General of Catherine adorned Her crown with new laurels; smashed, exterminated, cleared his way to Adrianople, cut off, surrounded the Vizier - and with his heroic hand he signed a peace treaty glorious for Russia, which opened the Turkish and Dardanelles seas to us, granted independence to Crimea, enriched the state treasury with millions, approved Azov and Taganrog for Russia. Never before has our fatherland concluded such a brilliant peace with Porto!

The unprecedented feats of this war adorned the book of the Russian Nobility with three names of glory. Rome had African and Asian Scipios: Catherine resurrected this award, worthy of Her greatness - and Russia has its Transdanubian, Chesme, Crimean.

The last triumph of Rumyantsev was the day when Catherine expressed gratitude to him in the name of the fatherland. Burdened with laurels, he descends from the theater of glory and hides from our eyes; but History welcomes him into the sanctuary of immortality. So, she will say to the Russians: "In the days of Catherine, Rumyantsev revealed to you the secret of always defeating the infidels, innumerable in small numbers; sown the fields with their corpses and keep your ranks intact!" - If talents are explained by comparison, then Zadanaisky can be called the Tyuraine of Russia. He was wise Commander; knew his enemies and formed a system of war according to their property; he had little faith in blind chance and subordinated it to the probabilities of reason; seemed courageous, but was only shrewd; combined decisiveness with a quiet and clear action of the mind; knew neither fear nor passion; saved himself in battles only for victory; he adored glory, but he could endure defeat, in order to prove his art and greatness in the very misfortune; indebted to the Genius of Nature, added to her gifts and the power of Science; felt his price, but praised only others; he gave justice to his subordinates, but he would be upset in the depths of his heart if any of them could compare with him in talents: fate delivered him from this displeasure. - This is how his grateful disciples think of Transdanubia.

Now our gaze is turned to that once powerful Republic, whose name and existence has already disappeared in Europe. How long has impudent and vicious Poland tormented our fatherland? How long ago, taking advantage of his exhaustion, with a predatory hand did she seize entire Russian Principalities into her citizenship? How long has the ancient capital of Vladimir worn its chains? How long have you, blooming Moscow, been lying at the feet of the proud Sarmatian leader? But Russia, like a sleeping giant, rose up in her anger; her enemies, in their line, fell on their knees before her, and brought back what was stolen. So, the Monarchine took in Poland only our ancient heritage, and when the already weak spirit of the decrepit Republic could not control its space. This section is the action of the power of Catherine and her love for Russia. Polotsk and Mogilev returned to the bowels of their fatherland, like children who, having been in a sad absence for a long time, joyfully return to the bowels of a happy parental family.

Crimea was independent; but the Crimea was still a nest of robbers, dangerous for Russia. This beautiful part of our Empire, where Nature so generously rewards diligence and for every grain entrusted to her bosom gives a rich class to the farmer; where countless herds scatter on fat flocks; where the pipes and gentle songs of cheerful shepherds, the simplicity of morals, the peacefulness and general good nature of the inhabitants remind the imagination of the happy shores of Ladon - Little Russia could not be calm in the neighborhood of indomitable barbarians. Catherine commanded - and Her army, without drawing a sword, occupied the Crimean peninsula, ancient Taurida, so famous in History and in Mythology itself. The monarch did not yet know that this important acquisition returned to Russia her once eminent Principality of Tmutorakan or its capital, which had been hidden until now * from the curiosity of our Historians. Thus, the formidable raids of the Tatars, so disastrous for our fatherland, were stopped. - Taurida itself will always be a beautiful part of the Russian Empire and, in time, important for trade with the Archipelago and the East. Already curious from distant lands come to see this wonderful country, which presents to the gaze both the granite mountains of Switzerland and the fruitful valleys of Piedmont; a country where creative nature with gentle beauties connected the majestic; where at the same time winter rages and spring smiles; where the wise observer of Nature finds various riches for himself, and where the sensitive heart, bored with light, can enjoy the most pleasant solitude.

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* On Taman Island. See the curious essay of Count A.I. Pushkin about this subject.

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The Ottoman Porte trembled; and although, after the occupation of the Crimea by our troops, she resumed a peace treaty with Russia, her secret anger soon flared up ...

Here I remind you, fellow citizens! The glorious journey of the Monarchine to the countries inhabited or conquered by Her. She wished to see Tauris and the new fruits of her happy reign. A delightful sight, worthy of Catherine! From the very banks of the Nevsky to the waves of Pontus Euxinus, the procession of the Great seemed to be the triumph of the conqueror of the world. It was not the chains of slaves that thundered around the solemn chariot, but the joyful exclamations of contented subjects; millions fell before Her as before a beneficent Deity. So the once adored Semiramis, in a radiance of glory, at the sound of countless Musikian guns, marched through her flourishing regions, amazing her subjects with greatness and generosity! were a woeful desert, a wild steppe; where these vast gardens grow green and proud palaces rise, there only sandy hills seemed to a dull look! In this young city *, created by You, trade is already blooming. name and Your glory!" There, the two Crown-bearers met the Monarchine, as if in order to further decorate Her triumph. Catherine owed Stanislav the crown, and was famous for that before the world. Joseph listened to Her wise intentions for the good of mankind, when She through the waves of Euxine directed the sacred look at the city of Constantine.The kings of Italy hastened to express their joy with their embassies at the approach of the Queen of the North to their countries.

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* In Kherson.

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This journey and Europe's guesses about Catherine's meeting with Joseph served as a pretext for the Ottoman Court to break the world. The war flared up again. Already Rumyantsev was no longer the main, active boss; but his spirit Russian armies- and the unbelievers, seeing them, trembled; they recognized their former foes, recognized by their quick movements, deadly thunders, crushing blows; they fled from the open fields, dear to heroism, terrible to timidity, and enclosed themselves in strong fences. But neither Art nor Nature could protect them - and this war was marked for our glory by two miraculously bold and happy attacks. Only the Russians can be a subject of comparison for the Russians: Ochakov once fell before Minich; but Ochakov was not yet fortified at that time by all the tricks of Art. Now he will fall in all his greatness, in order to increase our glory all the more. The prolonged siege was only an act of Catherine's philanthropy and proof of the unshakable patience of our soldiers, who in the open camp despised all the horrors of winter. The monarch spared people's lives; hoped that the enemy would submit; but when the Commander uttered a decisive word in Her name, the Heroes entered the fortress over the corpses of the enemies. - The capture of Ishmael was even more glorious. There the army defended the city; high walls, deep ditches, terrible artillery - everything promised him safety. Suvorov came ... it seemed in order to see the impregnability of the city. The host of infidels, in formidable numbers, appeared before the eyes of the Russians on the ramparts of the fortress, and wanted to strike them with their very appearance. The already proud boss of Ishmael thought that he saw the confusion of our Hero; that Suvorov is waiting for the night to conceal his inevitable flight! The night has passed - and Suvorov is in Izmail! 20,000 Ottomans lay down in the trenches. Europe learned with amazement that our Don warriors, so lightly armed, under the command of the Hero, are turning into a Macedonian phalanx and taking fortresses.

In Kherson, Joseph was a true friend of Russia; but happiness and glory, still truest friends ours, did not want to recognize him as their ally. His army was horrified by the sparkling daggers, the terrible cry of the infidels and the terrible name of Alla, called by them in battles. Bannat was a witness to the Austrian misfortunes. The Ottomans, saved by flight from the sword of Russia, defeated the soldiers of Joseph, those who themselves had defeated the bravest armies in Europe before. The old man adorned with laurels, a collaborator of the great Frederick, was summoned from peaceful solitude to save the fatherland. The west of his life was still illuminated by a ray of glory, but a short one; and Laudon, having taken Belgrade, proceeded without success to Orsova. The Russians alone could cheer up the dull Austrian legions; one Rymniksky could bring glory and happiness to their camp - and he did. Seven thousand Russians showed them the way to victory... The Austrians fought bravely... The Vizier was amazed!

But seeing the banners of Catherine ahead, hearing the name of Suvorov, for the first time showed the rear to our allies. On this unforgettable day, the Austrians recognized the wonderful Suvorov; and when, ten years later, it was necessary for them to put a strong leader against the brave Republicans, they, forgetting their national pride, demanded the Hero of Rymnik.

Catherine at this time had other enemies. Porta, England and Prussia seduced Gustav: he dared to declare war on Russia. When the news of his first hostile actions came to our capitals, then one should have seen the unparalleled zeal of the Russians for the fatherland and for the Monarchina. All were inflamed with anger at the treacherous enemy and jealousy to punish him; all civilians were ready to fly to the battlefield. This memory is still alive in your hearts, fellow citizens - an unforgettable and joyful memory for the Patriots! Could the Gotfs, reluctant executors of the lawless will*, stand against the sons of the adored Catherine, strong in love for the fatherland and hatred for the culprit of this unjust war? Gustav thought that his unexpected attack would tremble Russia and open the way for him to the capital. He forgot the names and deeds of our chosen legions, so terrible for his ancestors! These Heroes sought to renew their former glory in the stony homeland of the Finns and prove to the world that the guards of the Russian Monarchs are worthy of their name and dignity. Wherever the Gotfs fought, the Russians won, on the waters and on land. in vain and without success! Catherine listened to the thunder of his fleets, but calmly and majestically walked in her gardens. The king, blinded by arrogance and deceitful allies, finally saw the error and resorted to the magnanimity of the Monarchine: She gave him peace, which alone could save the poor remnants of his forces .

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* According to the laws of Sweden, the King could not start wars without the consent of other authorities, that is, the Sejm.

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The Ottoman port saw its final doom before it. Its firmest supports have fallen; the army was discouraged; the terrible Janissaries were afraid of the one name of the Russians; the sea, open for our fleets, every day could present the flag of Catherine to the eyes of the Sultan ... But the Monarchine wanted to calm Her soldiers and did not reject the world. She could take Constantinople, but she took only Ochakov, and the trace of the Turkish possession was exterminated on this bank of the Dniester. All Courts marveled at Her moderation; but Catherine knew the time, the circumstances; wanted to see the effect of some new European changes* and delayed further advances in Russian weapons.

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* French Revolution.

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Poland was also the subject of Her attention. The remnants of this Republic were agitated and seethed with anger at Russia. Restless minds refuted the ancient laws approved by Catherine; gathered an army and did not hide their intentions dangerous for our Empire. But the prudent demanded the intercession of the Monarchini. She ordered the restoration of the ancient Charter of the Republic: the crowds of rebels were scattered by a handful of our soldiers, and Poland could still calm down under the auspices of Russia ... But her last hour has come. Not daring to fight with the Heroes in the field, she wanted to kill them in the arms of sleep, and the precious Russian blood stained the Warsaw haystacks. Weak killers! The shame of the North, which, from ancient times, contented itself with the glory of defeating the South in battles, left it the vile glory of insidious villainies under the shadow of the world! Warsaw reminded me of the Sicilian horrors!.. Catherine's heart trembled. Her sovereign hand threw lots of destruction into the urn of this unworthy Republic, and Suvorov, like a formidable angel, drew his sword of destruction; went - and the leader of the rebels is saved from death by captivity; and Prague, strong in their despair, smokes in its ruins; and Warsaw falls at the feet of Catherine. It's done!.. Poland is gone; but its rebellious and unfortunate inhabitants, having lost their name, found peace and tranquility under the power of the three allied States. A republic without virtue and heroic love for one's country is an inanimate corpse. Athenian, Spartan, Roman had their flowering time; The Polish country has always been the plaything of proud nobles, the theater of their self-will and popular humiliation ... Its richest countries fell into part of Russia.

With the capture of Warsaw, under Catherine, he concluded his exploits of the Hero, whose name and deeds thunder even in Italy and on the peaks of the Alps; on whom Europe, amazed by him, is still looking, although we have already showered flowers on his coffin - flowers, not cypresses; for the death of the great Warrior, who lived half a century for glory, is the triumph of immortality and does not represent anything sorrowful to the soul. Suvorov was one of the happiest Generals; like Alexander, how many times he fought, how many times he won; like Caesar, he placed himself above Rock, and Rock did not dare to expose his mistake. What in another would have turned out to be disastrous insolence, in him was a saving reliability and a premonition of an event. He did not walk, but flew to Slava, who, for her part, met him halfway. His entire military theory consisted of three words*: gaze, speed, blow- But gaze this one Nature gives not to many; But rapidity this was a secret to the Annibals themselves; But hit this one is striking only with Suvorov. He loved nothing but fame; everything else seemed inattentive, insensitive. He always judged the art of military leaders by their successes: what lofty thoughts should he have about himself? Some considered him cruel - unfairly: he loved defeated enemies, for they were his living trophies. Suvorov did not want to know how a skillful commander saves the remnants of a defeated army: for the place of the first unfortunate battle would be his grave. - The image of the Heroes of Transdanubia and Rymnik belongs to the reign of Catherine: She chose one, used the other, and their glory is part of Her glory. The city of St. Peter contemplates their monuments, standing together: there the young warriors of the fatherland will pronounce the vows of heroism. And in this zealous creation of my weak talent, let the names of our first Commanders shine together!

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* Written by him in his tactics, a brief but curious essay.

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The destruction of the Polish Republic restored the independence of Courland, the conquest of the brave Teutonic Knights, a fruitful country known in the most ancient chronicles for its ore mines, mineral waters and beautiful amber collected on its shores. But Courland, knowing that independence is always a misfortune for a powerless region, wanted glory to belong to Catherine. The monarchess took her under Her power, and Russia was enriched with new Ports, precious for the success of trade.

Already our eagles soared under the skies of the East; already winged rumor carried the name of the Russian Monarchine to the countries of the Great Mogul; already our army, now rising to the clouds on the ridge of the misty mountains, now descending into deep valleys, has reached the glorious gates of the Caspian; already caucasian wall, a monument to the greatness of the ancient Monarchs of Persia, parted before it; its already bold leader accepted the silver keys of Derbent from the hands of an old man, who in his youth handed them to Peter the Great, and this city, founded, according to eastern legend, by Alexander the Great, was overshadowed by the banners of Catherine ... when the almighty Fate cut short the days of the Monarchine and the course of Her victories . The mystery of the great Soul is unknown to us. The miraculous deeds of Catherine could be crowned with a new miracle; the Persian war could have had an important subject; could open the way to Russia for the innumerable riches of the East; could calm the rebellious peoples, who, under the influence of the happiest sky, serve as an example of disasters; could... But, I repeat: the mystery of the great Soul is unknown to us.

The monarchess left Russia at the highest level of heroic greatness, enriched with new countries, harbors and millions of inhabitants; safe inside, terrible for external enemies. The world did not know how the Russians win, and the Russians did not know how not to crush the enemy. Glory was their element: and with this feeling the Great One prepared victories! She knew how to reward military merit in a worthy way; distinguished military talents with flattering favor - and the Hero, who had the good fortune to kiss Her sovereign hand, to hear the delightful words of Grace, burned with a new zeal of heroism, not thinking about life. The young men, showered with flowers of luxury, lulled to sleep in the midst of the capital, at the first sound of the Mars trumpet woke up, tore off the wreaths of Graces and strove to look for dangers and laurel wreaths on the field of honor. Only during the time of Catherine did we see these, one might say, magical transformations of the gentle Sybarites into the harsh children of Lacedaemon; saw thousands of Russian Alcibiades! Europe looked with reverence at the throne of Russia, entrusting its scales to it. One word of the Monarchini decided the fate of the states: for the invincibles were ready to follow him!

Not only the good of our fatherland, but also the good of the whole world was approved by Catherine's victories. How long has the banner of the false prophet threatened the walls of Vienna? The new Mohammed II could be the new destroyer of the European states: how disastrous are the successes of the Ottoman arms for mankind and enlightenment? Now the barbarians are no longer dangerous to Europe; now the weak Pasha Viddin despises the might of the Porte!.. And this security is the work of the Great Catherine, who shook and destroyed this terrible colossus.

Part two

Catherine the Conqueror is on a par with the first Heroes of the universe; the world marveled at the brilliant successes of Her weapons - but Russia adores Her charters, and the military glory of the Heroine is eclipsed in Her by the glory of the Educator of the state. The sword was the first ruler of the people, but laws alone could be the basis of their civil happiness; and finding many Heroes in History, we hardly know a few names that remind the mind of legislative wisdom.

My impatient thoughts hasten to rush to many objects so dear to the mind and heart; but first, let us mean the main and so new for Russia beneficence of Catherine, which explains all others and which is explained to everyone else; let us signify, so to speak, the sacred root of our blessedness in her days—this seal, this spirit of all her laws.

She respected in a subject the dignity of a man, a moral being, created for happiness in civil life. Peter the Great wanted to elevate us to the level of enlightened people: Catherine wanted to treat us like enlightened people. History presents us with autocratic Lords in the form of a formidable deity who demands a single blind obedience, does not give an account of his ways - he thunders, and mortals fall into the dust of nothingness, not daring to look at omnipotence. Catherine broke the rod of fear entwined with lightning, took the olive branch of love, and not only solemnly announced that the Lords of the earth should rule for the good of the people, but throughout her long-term reign affirmed this eternal truth, which from now on will be the rule of the Russian Throne: for Catherine taught us to reason and love virtue in purple. Happy Russians of our century! You no longer remember the strict, dangerous times when it was scary to name the Crown Bearer; but the name of Catherine, from the very accession to the throne, like the name of a beneficent being, appeared from mouth to mouth with love and joy. With Her, peace reigned in families and joy in societies; all souls calmed down, all faces revived, and good subjects said: “Monarch! Read in our hearts:

"We are not afraid, for we love You!" "Although there was still some shadow of the gloomy, Secret Judgment Seat; but under Her own, wise oversight, it was forgotten by kind and calm citizens *. Although the Great One granted Her August grandson immortal glory eradicate forever an institution of unfortunate times, unnecessary at a time when the happiness of the Monarch and subjects is one and when the love of the people is armed with the sword of justice to punish evil intentions; but in the reign of Catherine, only criminals, or her obvious enemies, consequently, enemies of the general welfare, were afraid of the Siberian deserts; for some monsters this cold coffin of the living was opened. The monarch also despised the most daring judgments, when they came solely from frivolity and could not have harmful consequences for the state: for She knew that personal security is the first good for a person; and that without it, our life, among all other ways of happiness and enjoyment, is eternal, painful anxiety. This meek spirit of government, proof of Her love and the very reverence for humanity, should also be the main character of Her statutes.

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The monarch, having revealed to her subjects far-flung views of her wisdom and public welfare with the very first Manifesto, was in a hurry to establish justice, the protection of property in civil society. She knew the terrible evil of covetousness, which turns the holy place of Judgment into a shameful marketplace, where poor innocence is silent and where wealth is an adored, almighty idol. What cold heart can be insensitive to Her eloquent, convincing, touching Decree on this subject? * She sets Her love for truth as an example to these unworthy judges, who, instead of glory, be instruments of truth, a shield of innocence, the horror of villainy, bake only about vile self-interest!

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* Decree on covetousness in 1762

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the Senate, established by Peter the Great to govern the state; The Senate, which in the absence of the Monarch had all His power, but which, after the death of Peter, lost its power - having been replaced by the Supreme Privy Council, and after the Imperial Cabinet - although it was restored with all rights by Empress Elizabeth, but countless deeds, flocking to this main court , so to speak, disappeared in his archives to the inexplicable harm of private people and the state economy. Catherine divided the Senate into departments, prescribed a special kind of business for each of them, and in this way revived their course. You know, the elected men, the successors of the Dolgoruky and Golovin, friends of the Petrovs - you know what the Monarchine demanded of you! There, in the collection of your sacred charters, this inscription of Her own hand * is observed for centuries, in which She speaks to you as to the eminent fathers of ancient Rome, expressing Her fiery zeal for the good of Russia, conjuring you with love for the fatherland to be worthy instruments of laws and giving you an example of History! It always depended on you alone to be like that majestic Council, which seemed to the Tsars Councils of the Kings. The Great Herself sat with you and talked about the benefits of the people. One of you**, a man worthy of the respect of the Russians, dared to present an objection to Her in an important and state matter, already decided by the Monarchine; his voice did not tremble, and his calm look did not change; he knew Catherine - and her sovereign hand torn away the paper signed by her. This day is glorious for him - even more glorious for Monarchini!

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Wishing that the spirit of jealousy that She had influenced in the main Government of the Empire would spread to all parts of it, She promulgated Her wise Guidance to Governors*, in which he directs them to be the eye and soul of justice, so that in all the places of justice that are subject to them, holy truth dwells and that neither the nobility of the nobles, nor the power of wealth could not deceive conscience, but widows and orphans did not shed tears of distress!

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Trade, the branch of state welfare, was a special subject of Her attention. She gave her every way to bloom and spread: She gave her freedom. The harbors were opened for the export of the rich products of Russia, rich in their need for other peoples. The overjoyed merchant class could already freely exchange goods with China, with the East, and with Europe*.

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The Arkhangelsk Port ceased to envy the Petersburg Port, and all exclusive rights for the common good were destroyed. During the reign of Catherine, the miraculous success of foreign trade was the result of Her wise commercial charters.

The Russian state presented to the eyes of the Monarchini many vast countries, enriched by nature, but empty, uninhabited. By her beneficent laws* she attracted industrious foreigners to Russia, and the sound of the ax resounded in the wild forests; the deserts were enlivened by people and villages; the plow deepened into the fresh earth, and Nature was adorned with the fruits of human labour. Foreigners who have been traveling for a long time in our remote borders are surprised to find their fellow earthmen, who tell them about the generosity of Catherine, and who, to the extent of their skill and diligence, prosper in our Empire, not sparing their fatherland. Thus, among the wavy steppes of the Tsaritsyn, the peaceful Colony of the Evangelical Brotherhood is now blooming, like a happy island in the Ocean; captivates the eyes with all the jewels of the craft, and the heart with a picture of good morals; acts with his enlightenment on the neighboring wild peoples and repays our debt of gratitude with affectionate hospitality.

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The establishment of the Monarchine in the reasoning of the Spiritual Estates is also one of the memorable deeds of Her legislative mind. She knew that a strict monastic order should be free from all earthly cares, so inconsistent with his holiness, and she accomplished the intention of the Great Peter, giving monastic villages under secular command, determining sufficient amounts for all the needs of the Clergy, for the splendor of churches and commanding the use of other income from his million souls to the reassurance of aged warriors and the maintenance of religious schools *. Thus, the desire of pious people was fulfilled, who, giving their wealth to monasteries, without any doubt wanted it to be used for charitable institutions, what could be holier than the charity of mutilated Heroes and the founding of schools in which the servants of Altars and worthy preachers of the Divine Word are formed. ? The most famous Spiritual Persons have expressed their patriotic zeal in this matter. The names of the Metropolitan of Novgorod and the Archbishop of St. Petersburg will always be known along with the name of Feofan, Petrov's collaborator.

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I will not talk about the countless Decrees issued by Catherine in the first three years of her reign and proving that vigilant zeal for the fatherland, that incomprehensible activity that encompasses all parts of the whole, and of which we find an example in Peter the Great. But posterity will notice that the internal excellent education of our armies is the work of Catherine. She clearly defined * all positions from the first Chief to the last warrior and based the strict subordination necessary for success on the rules of reason; She, by her Charter, poured into our legions the spirit of honor and nobility; She produced that the soldiers of one regiment considered themselves children of the same family, were proud of each other and were ashamed of each other; She, demanding unquestioning obedience from some, prescribed into the law not only philanthropy, but also the most affability, the most affectionate courtesy; expressing, one might say, tender concern for the well-being of a simple warrior, she wanted him to know the importance of his rank in the Empire and, loving him, loved his fatherland.

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* See: Decree on Military Discipline and Instruction to the Colonel.

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Now the most glorious era of a glorious reign appears to me! Russia had many private, wise laws, but did not have a general Code, which is the basis of state improvement. Ordinary minds are content with temporary, accidental decrees: the great ones want the system, the whole and the eternal. What Peter the Great could not do, Catherine decided to do. Feeling the importance of the whole enterprise, She wanted to share Her glory with her subjects and recognized them as worthy to be advisers to the Throne. Having commanded the Government Officials or Deputies from all courts, from all parts of the Empire to gather to offer their thoughts on useful statutes for the state, the Great says: “Our first desire is to see the Russian people as happy and content as far as human happiness and contentment can go. this earth to extend. By this institution we give him the experience of Our sincerity, great trust and direct maternal love, expecting gratitude and obedience from my kind subjects. "* My imagination cannot imagine anything more majestic than this day, when both hemispheres of the earth united in our ancient capital, all the peoples scattered in the expanses of Russia appeared, languages, customs and faiths of various: the descendants of the Slavs -winners, Normans, terrible Europes and Finns, so vividly described by Tacitov's pen; peaceful shepherds of southern Russia, Lapland Ichthyophages and Kamchadals dressed in animal skins. Moscow then seemed the capital of the universe, and the assembly of Russian Deputies was the Sejm of the world. The will of the Monarchini was solemnly announced to them - and the Samoyed He was surprised to hear that people needed laws!** They were solemnly presented with this glorious "Order" of Catherine, written by Her for the elected Commission of Deputies, translated into all European languages, a mirror of Her great mind and heavenly philanthropy. No one, no one else sitting on the throne spoke so wisely, had such broad concepts about the science of managing people, about the means of popular happiness. Fellow citizens! This creation is so memorable and sacred that my heart burns with zeal to present to you its main features.

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* Manifesto on the Assembly of Deputies.
** This anecdote is well known. Samoyeds could not explain what the law is.

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The monarch first of all determines the form of government in Russia - Autocratic; is not satisfied with a single omnipotent saying, but proves the necessity of this reign for the immeasurable Empire. Only a single, indivisible, sovereign will can maintain order and harmony between parts so complex and different, like the Creative Will that governs the universe; only she can have this quick, free execution, necessary for the suppression of all possible disturbances; any slowness would produce unfortunate consequences (9, 10, 11*). Here examples serve as the most convincing evidence. Fellow citizens! Rome, by whose name the whole world was called, found peace in the single autocracy of Augustus after all its terrible rebellions and disasters. What have we seen in our time? The numerous people on the ruins of the throne wanted to command themselves: the beautiful building of public amenities was destroyed; indescribable misfortunes were the lot of France, and this proud people, showering ashes on their head, cursing their ten-year delusion, in order to save their political existence, hands autocracy to the happy Corsican warrior. Not for this did man leave wild forests and deserts; not for this reason he built magnificent cities and flourishing villages in order to live in them again as in wild forests, not to know peace and eternally fight not only with external enemies, but also with fellow citizens; what else does the History of the Republics present to us? Do we see even a single peaceful and happy island on this stormy sea? My heart, no less than others, is kindled by the virtue of the great Republicans; but how short-lived are her brilliant epochs? How often has tyranny used the name of freedom, and bound her generous friends? Whose heart does not bleed when imagining Miltiades in prison, Aristides, Themistocles in exile, Socrates, Phocion drinking the cup of death, Cato the suicide and Brutus, in the last minute of his life no longer believing in virtue? Either people should be Angels, or any multi-complex Government based on the action of various wills will be eternal discord, and the people will be the unfortunate tool of some power-hungry people who sacrifice their fatherland for their personal benefit. May this wild Republican independence live in places like it, wild and impregnable, on the snowy Alpine masses, among sharp granites and deep abysses, where, from the eternal horrors of Nature, the passions in the cold soul of people are silent and where a person, not knowing many needs, can be content few laws of nature.

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* These numbers mean the departments of the "Nakaz".

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Fellow citizens! Let us recognize in the depths of our hearts the beneficence of the Monarchist Government and say with Catherine: "It is better to obey the laws under a single Ruler than to please many" (12). "The object of Autocracy," She broadcasts, "is not to deprive people of their natural freedom, but to direct their actions towards the greatest good" (13). This comforting truth in the lips of the Monarchs captivates the heart - and the immeasurable Empire, under the scepter of the Crown-bearer, following the rules of Catherine, seems to me a happy family, ruled by the single will of the father, according to the indispensable laws of his love. This Board is all the more beneficent because it combines the benefits of the Monarch with the benefits of the subjects - the more satisfied and happy they are, the more holy and pleasing is His power. It is more consonant with the goal of civil societies than all others, because it contributes more to peace and security than all others.

"The Sovereign is the source of all power in the Monarchy" (19); "But this power must act through some media, in some definite way: governments and laws are born, which make the establishment of any state firm and immovable" (20.21). "The Senate, the main Government, but dependent on the Monarch, is in Russia the repository of laws" (26). "He accepts them from the Sovereign for execution; but he can present them to Him if he finds in them something harmful, dark or contrary to the Study" (21,23,24). Thus, the Senate in relation to the Monarch is His conscience, and in relation to the people - the hand of the Monarch; in general, he serves as an aegis for the state, being the main guardian of order.

The monarch, having said that the autocracy is not the enemy of freedom in civil society, defines it as follows: "It is nothing but peace of mind, which comes from security, and the right to do everything permitted by laws (38.39); and laws should not forbid nothing but harmful to society; they must be so elegant, so clear that everyone can feel their need for all citizens; and this is the only possible equality of civil! what we do freely and following our natural inclination. When minds are not ready for better laws, then prepare them; but when it is necessary for the happiness of the people to change their customs, then act by one example. The one necessary punishment is not tyranny, and only obvious evil" (57-63).

The monarch divides all possible crimes into special kinds, and Her wisdom, enriched by the thoughts of the Philosophers who were engaged in this important matter, determines for each kind of special punishments extracted from the very nature of guilt - a holy thought! A new light for the Legislators! Thus, “let the violator of good morals be deprived of the benefits associated with good morals; let him be marked with shame, national dishonor; let him move away from the society to which he serves as a reproach; let him make amends with repentance for his deed, and let him be corrected! Thus, the violator of general peace, let him be deprived of his peaceful pleasures And let the destroyer of others perish!" (68-79).

The wise woman proves by her mind and experience that "excessively severe punishment does not deter people from atrocities; that moderate, but prolonged, acts on the soul stronger than cruel, but short-term; that laws correctional and the meek are more beneficial than the severe, eradication; that the terrible habit of executing hardens the heart and robs the Legislator of the ways of correcting morals; What shame should be his main tool; that it is not the moderation of punishment, but the complete omission of guilt that gives rise to insolence and unbridledness "(81-91). Could the tender soul of Catherine without trembling imagine the fierce execution of death, the destruction of a creature endowed with feeling? The monarch denies her need for a calm reign of laws, and meek Philosophy triumphs over the cruel custom of the ages (209-212). To your glory, Russians! - History will once say - that you were the first to stop shedding human blood on scaffolds! Mankind! Villainy is punished, but God alone disposes of the lives of people in Russia!

The law, having approved the punishment, must also determine the ways to open a crime. "In countries where humanity is oppressed, the court is simple and decisive: the proud Pasha listens to the strife - and the judge is justified or punished. But in an enlightened state, where the life, honor and property of a citizen are sacred, a thorough search for the truth is required (112-114)." The monarch calculates all the necessary precautions in legal proceedings; identifying cases in which many consonant probabilities give rise to assurance, rejects all dubious evidence; puts an obscure crime along with innocence; spare the judged to the last opportunity of justification, delivering him from all the horrors that precede punishment, and allows the terrible gates of prisons to open only for the convicted (116-191). With what touching eloquence She portrays the horror of this barbarous habit of tormenting people before condemnation, this fictitious method of interrogation by hell, more terrible than the execution itself, the guilt of countless false testimonies and unjust sentences! (193-197) The heart of every sensitive, trembling together with the virtuous heart of the Monarchine, is sure that in Her reign this fierce and reckless torture could not be tolerated in any case.

With the same Angelic philanthropy She judges that crime, whose name is the most terrible in Autocracy - " lèse majesté- and which is often a pretext for unjust cruelties, solely from a dark and false concept of its essence. Thus, in Rome, disrespect for the statues of the Emperor was punishable by death (475); so, according to the ancient law of England, it was necessary to execute a doctor who would dare to say about the sick King that his life was in danger "(476). The monarch says that the true insult to Majesty is only a villainous intent against the Sovereign (478); that should not be punished for words as for actions (481), except in the case in which the rebel preaches rebellion and rebellion, therefore, already acts (480); that words are most subject to explanations and interpretations; that reckless indiscretion is not malice (481); that for the most insane the bearer of the name of Tsars should be determined only by corrective punishment (482); that in "an autocratic state, although caustic writings are intolerable, they should not be imputed as a crime, because excessive severity in this reasoning will be an oppression of the mind, produces ignorance, takes away the desire to write and extinguishes gifts of the mind" (484).

Having thus designated the property and action of laws, the Monarchine demands from their writer clarity in style, convincing force, evidence of benefit; they do not tolerate any unnecessary subtleties of the mind, being written for the whole people; they are not logical tricks, but the simple and sound judgment of a father who takes care of his children and his household; their language is the language of virtue and goodness; their style is perfected not by grandiloquence, not by ornateness, but by purity, nobility, the necessity of every word. They should be a bright mirror in which every citizen, right and wrong, would clearly see his fate; so that a good-natured judge does not doubt their meaning and so that the most crafty one cannot find in them ambiguity favorable for sneak and injustice (448-462).

But Catherine is not content with having all possible crimes in society judged and punished according to their true importance: She wants to ward off evil. Solons and Lycurgi of the times to come! Listen to her words! "Do you want to prevent atrocities? - Make sure that laws do good to all citizens equally; so that people fear only laws and fear nothing else; so that laws destroy only the disastrous freedom to harm one's neighbor; reward virtue, enlighten people, improve education!" (243-248). Ekaterina reveals to you the secret of the human heart and state prosperity. Give man ways in every civil relationship to find that happiness for which the Almighty created people, for misfortune is the main root of evil deeds. But so that people know how to enjoy and be satisfied in every state of a wise political society, then enlighten them! They will see the need for civic dependence, the need for moral goodness for happiness, and they will be contented, kinder and happier!

But enlightenment requires a good upbringing (348). It should be twofold: the moral education of a person, common in all countries, and the political education of a citizen, different in the manner of the Boards. Religion, love of virtue, work, order, sensitivity to the misfortune of others, prudence or obedience of the heart to the mind belongs to the first; love for the fatherland, for its institutions, and all the properties necessary for their integrity, are included in the second (351-352). Let a Spartan or an inhabitant of the wild Cantons of Helvetia not tolerate autocracy! In Russia, at the very beginning of the opening of the soul, reverence for the Monarch, who unites the state authorities, should be implanted in a person, and, so to speak, image of the fatherland."Each special family should be governed by the example of a large family (349), which is a state. Although in a vast Empire, public or popular education is impossible, nevertheless, the Legislator must prescribe certain rules that could at least serve as advice to parents (350)." The monarch ascribes them - and the Philosopher, who devoted his whole life to the education of the heart, could not say anything wiser.

Catherine turns her gaze to three state states: agricultural, commercial, or handicraft, and military. "The first is the most necessary and most difficult: all the more should it encourage him (297)." The monarch gives as an example the custom of China, where the Emperor annually elevates the most diligent farmer to the rank of Mandarin. In accordance with the statutes of our state, She offers other ways of rewarding those who, then irrigating the earth, extract from the bowels of its true treasures of people, much more precious Peruvian gold and Brazilian diamonds; “The main encouragement of rural industriousness is, according to Her, the right to property: everyone cares about his own more than about what belongs to another or what others can take from him (295, 296)”; Her philanthropic intention is clear (261); Her wish also (260). Feeling how necessary the reproduction of the people is for Russia, Catherine asks: "Why do more than half of the babies born in our villages die in childhood?" She guesses the source of this terrible evil: “A vice in physical education and in the way of life. People who cannot have the necessary care for themselves in illnesses, can they have good care for weak beings who are in constant illness, that is, in infancy? happiness for Russia, if there is a way to avert such a death! (266-276). In a word: She wanted the welfare of the farmers; she wanted them, showered with the abundance of Nature, among their many families, to work for pleasure, and under the humble roof of rural huts, where tranquility loves to dwell, they would not envy the magnificent city chambers, where idleness and boredom often exhaust the heart; She wanted hard work, grainy classes, golden fields, full granaries to be true luxury for them!

Just as fields and villages bloom from the success of agriculture, so average political state adorns the city (378). Enriching the state with trade and arts, presenting it with new sources of social excess and strength, it is no less useful for the success of agriculture, having a need for its fruits and generously rewarding the peasant for them (377). The Wise One feels the need for special laws for the inhabitants of the city, for determining their rights and benefits (393), for the approval of their industry and diligence. Every thought of Her on this subject is an important truth for the Legislators. "Trade flees from oppression and reigns where it is free; but freedom is not the autocracy of traders in free countries: for example, in England they are most limited by laws *; but these laws have the sole purpose of the common good of trade, and the merchants in England flourish ( 317-322)". - This kind of people glorifies the state with sciences (380), which have an influence for the benefit of other states.

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* One can say the same thing about commercial freedom as about political freedom: it does not consist in the will to do everything that is useful to one person, but the will to do everything that is not harmful to society.

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Flowering villages and towns must be safe from external enemies, which with fire and sword can turn them into coffins of wealth and people: a military state is formed, the school of Heroes, an ancient source of civil distinctions, called the rights of Nobility or Nobility (365). A citizen who, for the common good, sacrifices not only the tranquility of life, but life itself, is an object of state gratitude; her measure is the measure of his services. Heroes, saviors of the fatherland, were everywhere the first famous citizens, enjoyed special rights everywhere (361). But what to reward a warrior dying on the field of glory? Popular appreciation invented a way to be eternal rewarding the father in the son: honor the most important marble monuments! And so the right of hereditary Nobility is sacred to reason itself, to Philosophy itself - and useful for society: for the children of famous men, born with great civic advantages, are brought up in a duty to deserve them by their personal merits (374). Honor and glory, according to the immortal Montesquieu, are the seed and fruit of the nobility. Although the first source of this was from ancient times some military virtues; but just as justice needs no less victories for the welfare of the state, it can also be a distinction of this kind of people (368), these main guardians of the fatherland outside and inside it. But will the glorious rights of the Nobles, their no less glorious duties, always be only the lot of some happy generations? No: virtue with merit communicates Nobility (363), - Catherine broadcasts - and thus opens the path of glory for all states. What can be gained by virtues can be lost by vices: Monarchine means both. If a person who for a long time was for fellow citizens an example of moral perfection and love for the fatherland, is elevated by the hand of the Sovereign to the degree of nobility, then is it possible for a traitor, a treacherous, false witness to stand on it? He is thrown into the crowd of people, where civil justice marks him with shame and dishonor (371).

The chapter on State Economy serves as an instruction for all Monarchs, a consolation for all citizens, proving first that the same can be said about commercial freedom as about political freedom: it does not consist in the will to do everything useful to one person, but in the will to do everything not harmful. society.

They are only guardians of the public treasure, and can only use it for the good of the people; proving to the latter that, by giving the Sovereign part of their excess, they affirm their own well-being; that they pay tribute not to the Sovereign, but to themselves, or to each other. If shepherds and farmers want their flocks and fields to be intact, then an army is needed to repel external predators; if the merchants want safety for their ships, then a fleet is needed, ready to punish the impudent offender of their Flags. Internal security, useful institutions, the convenience of a way for people to communicate, the connection of rivers, and finally, the very splendor of the Court, depicting the greatness of the people - in a word, all objects of public expenditure have a common benefit in the subject (575-579). But the Monarchine wants to alleviate this need for the people and instructs the Legislator to look for new, more convenient ways to share taxes, comparing them with light sails, which should speed up the navigation of the ship, and not burden it (601). The surest means of multiplying state wealth is to multiply the people and bring agriculture, crafts, trade, arts, and sciences to a flourishing state (603-618).

Every part of the legislation seems important and salutary under the wise pen of Catherine. She was the first to depict all the great offices of the savings power or Deanery. In many lands, the name of the Police means only the headphones of the Government and the horror of not only evil people, but also the kindest. The monarch turns it into a beneficent court of morals and order for the entire Empire. The police, observing silence, curb harmful luxury, try to eradicate and even prevent moral evil, outrage, deceit; cares about the security, physical well-being of the people, clean air, healthy food, firmness of knowledge, adornment of cities and villages, about the pleasant convenience of travelers, - finally, cares for the poor and sick. This active part of the Government - this, so to speak, its vigilant Argus, without appropriating the criminal and civil courts, corrects people with light punishments and saves vice from crime (527-566).

Having offered in this "Instruction" the best basis for the political formation of Russia, Catherine concludes it with sacred, wise thoughts, which, like a pharos, should for a time warn all Monarchies from political shipwreck. Fellow citizens! May your attention be renewed: Her voice of eternal Destiny, revealing to us the cause of state disasters!

"Empire close to its fall, as soon as its initial foundations are damaged; how soon the spirit of Government changes, and instead of the equality of the laws that make up its soul, people will want personal equality, which is inconsistent with the spirit of lawful obedience; how soon they will stop honoring the Sovereign, bosses, elders, parents. Then government regulations called cruelty statutes - coercion respect - fear. Previously, the estate of private people was national treasures; but at that time the national treasure becomes the heritage of private people, and love for the fatherland disappears (502-506). - What destroyed our two glorious Dynasties, says one Chinese Writer: the fact that they, not content with the main supervision, the only decent Sovereign, wanted to manage everything directly and appropriated affairs that should be judged by different state Governments. Autocracy is destroyed when sovereigns think that they need to express their power not by following the order of things, but by changing it, and when they respect their own dreams more than laws (510-511). - The highest art of the Monarch is to know in what cases he should use his power: for the well-being of the Autocracy is, in part, meek and indulgent rule. It is necessary that the Sovereign only encourage and that only laws threaten (513-515). It is unfortunate that a state in which no one dares to present his fears in the discussion of the future, does not dare to freely declare his opinion (517). - All this cannot please the petters, who incessantly repeat to the earthly Lords that peoples exist for them. But We think, and for the glory of Himself we are imputed to say that We live for Our people. God forbid that, after the completion of this legislation, some people on earth would be happier than the Russian! Then the intention of Our laws would not have been fulfilled - a misfortune to which I do not want to live! ”(520).

I believe my heart: yours, of course, feels the same... Fellow citizens! My heart trembles with delight: surprise and gratitude produce it. I kiss the Sovereign hand, which, under the divine inspiration of the soul, inscribed these sacred lines! Which Monarch on the throne dared - so, dared to announce to his people that the glory and power of the Crown-bearer must be subordinated to the good of the people; that subjects do not exist for Monarchs, but Monarchs for subjects? We marvel at the Philosopher who preaches to the Kings of their offices; but is it possible to compare his boldness with the magnanimity of the autocratic Catherine, who, asserting the throne on the gratitude of her subjects, solemnly recognizes herself as obligated to deserve her power? Poisonous flattery, which curls and hisses around the Sovereigns, could such a heroic heart hurt? No! The vile reptile, crawling in the dust, will not sting an eagle soaring under the skies! .. And this great movement of an ardent soul, these words uttered in delight: "God save that some people be happier than the Russian!" Is it not the outpouring and triumph of passionate virtue, which, having chosen an object for itself in the world, strives for it with ardent zeal, and considers life itself in reasoning to be nothing? So, Catherine would have broken the Tsar's scepter, would have overthrown the crown from her head, would have hated her power, if they had not served Her as a means to make the Russians happy!

Her "Instruction" was to be for the Deputies Ariadne's thread in the labyrinth of state legislation; but he, opening the way for them, meaning everything important on this path, contains in his wise rules the soul of the main statutes, political and civil, just as a grain contains the form and fruit of a plant.

Already the Russian Deputies communicated to each other their thoughts on the subjects of the general Code, and the Marshal's baton rattled in their solemn meetings. Catherine invisibly listened to every word, and Russia was waiting ... But the Turkish war flared up, and the Monarchine turned Her attention to the external security of the state.

Fellow citizens! Let us make a sacrifice to sincerity and truth; let's say that the Great did not find, perhaps, in the minds of that maturity, those various information that is needed for legislation. May the just pride of the Russian people not be offended by this! How long has the enlightenment of Europe still shined for us? And was the wisdom of the Lycurgovs ever common? Has not the great art of public education always been regarded as a heavenly inspiration known only to a select few Souls? Leaving aside the superstitious legends of antiquity about the Nymphs Egerii, we can agree that the Numas of all ages had a need for the extraordinary revelations of Genius. How much wisdom does a Legislator need? How difficult it is to know the human heart, to foresee all the possible actions of the passions, to turn their stormy striving towards good or to stop them with firm strongholds, to reconcile private benefit with the common; finally - after the highest speculations, in which the human spirit, like Moses of old on Mount Sinai, communicates with the invisible Divinity - descend into the ordinary sphere of people and transform the subtlest Metaphysics into a civil rule, understandable to everyone!

But the meeting of the Deputies was useful: for their thoughts opened to the Monarchina the source of various abuses in the state. Having glorified Her good will, honoring the people with a power of attorney, convincing them with such experience of Her beneficent intentions, She decided to be the Legislator of Russia Herself.

As soon as the thunders of war ceased, in the very first year of a happy world, Catherine promulgated a new "Institution for the Provinces", which constitutes the second important era in Her reign and which, little by little, miraculously changed Russia both in minds and in morals.

States, like a person, have different moral ages: the wise Legislator follows their changes with his eyes, and from time to time updates his system, adding or otherwise arranging parts of it. What in the age of Peter the Great was sufficient for the speedy execution of cases, in the days of Catherine no longer met the new needs of the Russian. Fellow citizens! Experience and reflection reveal to us this curious truth: "That the quick steps of man to Philosophy and to civic perfection to some distance The mind, darkened by ignorance, is a quiet, overgrown with grass, which sleepy waters do not know any stormy excitement; but the first rays of Philosophy, awakening mental strength, give rise to doubt after doubt that agitate the soul in the Ocean of uncertainty: a time of delusion and But the whirlwind finally subsides, and the mind, enriched with ideas, finds for itself a happy harbour, where silence and peaceful pleasures await it. few in number, whose soul is inactive and whose mind is dormant. Then the new citizen, in case of offense, rather resorts to human justice than to civil one; then there are more quarrels than litigious cases. But when a citizen, so to speak, look around in a political society; when, having learned new needs, new benefits of acquisition, he is already accustomed to the power of laws, taking away And giving, then a desire for litigation is born, a sneak is born, this simple cunning, which, by disturbing others, wears itself out and, striving for wrong acquisitions, leads to ruin. Further advances in enlightenment heal the citizen from this disease, revealing to everyone the benefits of justice, honesty and a peaceful life; but until this happy change takes place, the Legislator multiplies the means of justice for the speedy appeasement of innocence and the punishment of the unscrupulous. From the time of Peter the Great to the reign of Catherine, the number of serious cases constantly increased, and the Monarchine had to establish new courts *.

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* See: Manifesto at the "Institution".

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But the creations of great minds, like the creations of Nature, are not limited to the good of a single kind, and the new "Institution" of Catherine presents us in its intention with various benefits for Russia. One of the great ideas of this "Institution" is to introduce all three civil states into government, to accustom people to jurisprudence, to establish justice for their own benefit. Anyone can be a judge for his equals and must know the state statutes; everyone, for his own safety, chooses the most worthy, entrusting him in some way with his lot; everyone, knowing litigation, knows those who are suing, being their comrade in civil life; everyone is afraid to use the general power of attorney for evil, because after three years he will return to the state of a private citizen and will be punished with general contempt if he does not fulfill the duties of honor.

The monarchess commanded - and Russia, hitherto out of proportion in its parts, like a wild work of Nature or blind chance, took on the appearance of a harmonic measure, like a creation of perfect Art; parts were leveled among themselves, and each province was limited to the space most convenient for it. The monarchess commanded - and her voice, like Amphion's lyre, creates new cities, if not with the splendor of art, then adorned with their own benefit. The farmer is no longer compelled to leave the peaceful Penates for a long time, in order to seek protection from an oppressor, judgment against a predatory neighbor, or needs for his life at a distance. Already every village means the proximity of the city, where justice takes under its auspices the shepherd and oratay; where commerce satisfies their chief needs, and where they exchange freely by the fruits of their labours. A prudent Politician sees in the initial deficiency of these young establishments their future success and wealth. So a young tree, with difficulty breaking through solid blocks of earth, is barely noticeable on its green surface; but time elevates him - and the majestic oak overshadows the earth.

These districts, concluding in their center the capital of the Gubernia, which controls their political actions, represents the image of various families under the command of a single, chief, and the Sovereign Viceroy had the blessed power of his father *. An intercessor for the good of the general and state, an intercessor for the downtrodden and an instigator of silent deeds, but not a judge, he watched the course of justice, the movement of its scales and could stop lawlessness, referring either to the Senate, or to the Monarchine Herself; He stopped every kind of abuse, excessive luxury, tyranny and cruelty. Kindness and love for the people should have been its main feature**. - The monarchical Government requires such a combination of vigilant authorities in one person, to maintain order in the various destinies of the state - and when France emerged from the turbulent chaos of anarchy and again took its place between the European Powers, then her cunning ruler, taught by experience, had to for better improvement to establish Prefects, who are none other than the Governors of the Sovereign.

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* This beneficent position is now the position of Governors.
** See: "Institution".

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The establishment of the Provincial Administration was completely new and unparalleled in Russia: a place limited by executive power, without any judicial power. The monarch felt how much it was necessary to separate this power so that the main Place in the Gubernia would not appropriate dangerous autocracy; and thus it cannot enact judgments on the lower Courts, which, in perfect liberty, act by statutes; but demands speed from them, punishes negligent slowness with fines; and in case of non-correction, he will betray the guilty to the laws - consequently he has all the ways to do good to society, without interfering with the rights of the Judiciary.

Previously, cases of all kinds were combined in the provincial and city courts, and with their multitude, their diversity made them difficult: the Monarchine distinguished civil from criminal, private from state, and prescribed a special path for them, both for the fastest and for the best production, for the unity of exercises teaches the Judge quick consideration of circumstances and the surest ways to discover the truth. The two Departments of Magistrates, the Upper Reprisals and the Zemsky Courts, the Criminal and Civil Chambers form two branches of justice, which are connected to each other only in cases of mixed or twofold. These Chambers, having the rights of Collegiums, judge in the center of the Provinces, there are no distant transfers; all the necessary explanations can be delivered quickly, and slowness, the first evil in unrighteousness, is stopped. - State benefits entrusted to the Treasury Chamber (which operates, so to speak, on the spot, knows the circumstances, knows the special benefits of its province and no longer entertains itself with any other objects), constituted the best system of economy; The treasury was enriched with new revenues and the surest collection of the former.

Noble Guardianship and the Orphan's Court, which, like heavenly Providence, take care of defenseless babies and widows; Public Charity, which does good to the unfortunate victims of poverty and ailments, educates orphans, manages labor houses(where a poor citizen, deprived of everything except his strength, lives by his labors and brings benefits to others), places of punishment or, better to say, correction of civil vices; and finally, the Conscientious Court, which is philanthropy of justice(divine and unparalleled thought in legislation!), will remain in Russia an eternal monument to the fact that Virtue in the person of the Monarchini once ruled it.

The political and moral action of such a new, all-encompassing Institution was soon to be manifested in the state.

Numerous Russian nobility from the time of Peter the Great served as a sword to the fatherland until their strength was exhausted; then, under military banners, in noisy camps, among dangers and battles, it was necessary to look for the honorable sons of Russia. The Great Emperor, forming an army, wanted those distinguished by civil rights to be distinguished by zeal and serve to the last opportunity: the necessity of this demanded. But circumstances have changed. Already Russia could do without this coercion, and Peter III earned the gratitude of the nobility, giving power of attorney to his free patriotic jealousy. Since that time, the provinces and villages have been enlivened by the presence of many Nobles who could leave the military service with honor; they led a quiet, but idle and of little use to the state life; farming and catching animals, which in a pleasant way reminded them of military activity, were their only occupation. Russia, especially in its remote parts, presented a picture feudal centuries of Europe, when every owner seemed to be separated from the state; and if the litigation, born of rude self-interest and idleness itself, did not sometimes let our Nobles feel their dependence on the Government, then they could in some way forget the relationship of a citizen to the state. Such a state, of course, did not favor the spirit of society and patriotism!

But the opening of the Vicegerencies opened up a new field of activity for the Nobles, brought them out of their arbitrary imprisonment, united them in society, made them more acquainted with each other and raised the price of a good opinion about a person. Previously curious foreigners found in Russia empty, dull cities, where five or six Judges made up the whole society; but now in each province they find a flourishing capital, adorned with new buildings, enlivened by the presence of numerous nobility, which calls them to the joys of the best European cities and with its pleasant hospitality, affectionate courtesy proves to them that vast steppes and forests in Russia do not serve as an obstacle to the success of secular peopleness.

Previously, some kind of rude oriental splendor distinguished the rich Nobles in the provinces - now the general taste in life brings together fortunes, without luxury decorates mediocrity and gives the very lack of contentment.

Previously, our nobles were proud of some, one might say, wild independence in their estates - now, choosing important judicial authorities and through this participating in government, they are proud of their great state rights, and their noble hearts love their own more than ever. fatherland.

Previously, a philanthropic parent, remote from the capital, in rural solitude did not have the means to educate his children in a worthy manner - now, in the new order of things, he found more opportunities to educate their mind and heart. The stay of many noble families in the provincial cities and the efforts of the Government contributed to the establishment of noble schools everywhere.

This change, so favorable for public education, had no harmful effect on agriculture either. The Great Legislator foresaw everything, and for almost all the Nobles elected to office, appointed months of vacation at the very time when rural work requires the eyes of the landowner. Referring to experience, I ask: has not agriculture flourished in Russia in our time? This is explained by two reasons: firstly, new ways have been opened for trade, which always has an impact on arable farming; secondly, the Nobles, through mutual communication of information, learned the best methods of agriculture, and old prejudices (for it also has them) gave way to the newest useful experiments.

Do I still dare to tell the truth? The new Institution stopped many abuses of the master's power over the slaves, entrusting their fate to the special attention of the Viceroy. These vile, but to the consolation of a good heart, few tyrants who forget what it means to be a master: for a true Nobleman, to be the father of his subjects, could no longer tyrannize in the dark; the ray of the wise Government illuminated their deeds; fear was more eloquent for them than conscience, and the fate of subject farmers softened. But a sensitive and patriotic heart would still wish to find another, most comforting reason for such a good change - and why, beyond fear, should we not recognize in this case the saving effect of better morality?

Through multiplication District cities, merchants multiplied and flourished through the multitude provincial, whose markets soon presented a rich collection of fruits of Russian and foreign industry. The very customs of merchants, from many and close relations with the more enlightened nobility, lost their former rudeness, and the rich merchant, seeing before him examples in the best art of life, inconspicuously borrowed taste and secular courtesy.

Farmers, raised by rural virtue from a plow on the steps of the Themis Church, judges of their own kind, had to rise in their spirit with the acquisition of such new rights, to know better civil life and the laws that serve as its basis; they had to, returning to their home shelter, be experienced advisers and peacemakers of the villagers.

We are indebted to the establishment of the Rural Deanery for the safety of roads and the reduction of all kinds of disorders. How long has the traveler trembled formidable forests of Russia? How long had the sudden rustle of leaves terrified his heart? How long have wild, secluded grottoes been a den of robbers? But active new government penetrated into the very impenetrability of the ancient forests, into this fatherland of villains; she destroyed their secret shelters and, embracing omnipotence with her gaze, prevents the very birth of dangerous crowds. Now the traveler is not afraid of anything in the vast limits of Russia; now, under the shield of invisible power, he carelessly and calmly goes deep into the wildest places, and our fatherland is for him the safest country in Europe!

Fellow citizens! I have indicated only the main actions of this "Institution" of Catherine, the actions are already obvious; but many more are stored in the urn of the future, or are less noticeable to the observer at the beginning. It, necessarily enlightening the people, will prove to be the more beneficial in the consequences, the more enlightened the people are.

But at the end of this mark, my gaze involuntarily rushes to the whole immeasurable Empire, where so many seas and peoples are agitated, where so many climates bloom or rage, where so many boundless steppes spread and so many majestic mountains cast a shadow on the earth! I imagine these hardly imaginable spaces with all their inhabitants, and I think: "Catherine, like the Deity, agreed to everything word His; the distant shores of the Arctic Sea represent the same state order that we marvel at on the banks of the majestic Volga or Neva; peoples so diverse are ruled by a single charter; the parts, so dissimilar, are brought into a whole by the universal "Institution" of Monarchini, and the innumerable Russian countries constituted different families of a single fatherland!" This thought delights my spirit!

Just as a skilled artist, having created a cunning tool and setting it in motion, does not yet lower his creative hand, but carefully observing, adds what is lacking to its perfection - so Great Catherine, having fulfilled Her wise “Institution”, has not yet calmed down from the labors of legislative , but was in a hurry to crown them with new ones.

The "Rite of the Deanery" * contains not only all the ways of external order and security, but also the most holy rules of civil morality, so dear to the virtuous heart of the Monarchine. The so-called "Mirror of Deanery" there is a mirror of all mutual civic duties, proposed with that clear brevity, which should be the nature of laws and which, however unfruitful in words, is so rich in thoughts and attitudes. It gives the Police the sacred rights of the Roman Censorship; it prescribes it not only to frighten villainy, but also to promote the good morals of the people, to nourish in their hearts love for the common good, a feeling of pity for the unfortunate - this is the first movement of moral beings, weak in solitude and strong only by mutual help among themselves; it instructs her to establish peace in families, based on the virtue of spouses, on parental love and the unlimited obedience of children ** - for peace in families is peace in the city, according to the ancient philosopher. In a word, the Monarchine turned into a law the thoughts of Her "Instruction" on this subject, and no other state has such a wise and perfect Police Charter.

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The beginning of our nobility is lost in the mists of time. Noble Russians were, of course, first in heart and soul, rather than noble in name. Little by little, over the course of time, by deeds, famous families in our country constituted the first fence of the Throne and a special state called Noble. Awarded by the Sovereigns with estates, they had the right to increase their purchase and, moreover, to occupy first places both in civil and military order. Peter III gave them freedom; Catherine spread their political activities; but there was still a lack of a complete depiction of the rights of the nobility, approved by the monarchy and solemnly betrayed to the ages in the form of a sacred monument.

Catherine made public "Diploma of the Nobility" *, where, presenting in a brilliant picture all his merits, She presents and all the awards with which the fatherland expressed its gratitude to him. The monarch with the name of Heaven strengthens the holiness, eternity and steadfastness of these advantages...

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Here I appeal to you, my brethren, noble sons of Russia, descendants of eminent men! And mentally unfolding before you this state charter, on which all the great rights of the nobility shine, I ask: what is lacking in the perfection of our civil well-being? What other benefits can we ask for? Who to envy? We are free! Judged only by equals! We are afraid of some laws! We have a voice in the Empire, and the Monarch listens to him! Our property is inalienable; the dignity of generations and the right of inheritance are preserved, but we freely dispose of acquisitions. The land that we own opens its bowels and secret treasures for us; for us the waters flow in her space! And if some particular inclinations draw us into alien climates; if our useful curiosity requires new food; if the gentle sky of southern Europe promises us better health, we are free! A Russian nobleman is a citizen of the universe; there is no barrier to his ways. But even there, in distant countries, the fatherland does not cease to benevolent to us; and there we enjoy the fruits of our property, left in the bowels of it; from there we dispose of it, and outside of Russia we live by Russia. But if the full measure of political prosperity is our share, then let us be grateful and do not forget that great distinctions bring with them great positions; whether a noble person is a virtuous person or a reproach to his kind; that to be useful is our first duty; and that a true Russian Nobleman not only devotes his life to his fatherland, but is also ready to prove his boundless love for his good by death!

Catherine, having renewed or increased our rights, at the same time promulgated and "City State" which forever affirmed Average condition in Russia, defining its scope and appointing various degrees in it, crowned, finally, with the title of Eminent Citizen, who already has part of the Nobility advantages and gives his grandson the right to demand this dignity. Each new degree brings with it new benefits for community life, reveals still more important ones nearby, arouses zeal for work, zeal for further success and, nourishing ambition, contributes to the public good. The monarch knew the human heart and the secret of civil societies; she knew that the slightest differences produce important deeds; she knew that all state degrees, rising one before the other, must have some connection; and thus, the Nobleman already gives his hand to the Eminent Citizen, who, finally moving to the rank of Noble, leaves behind him a ladder for others like him. If foreign writers still say that in Russia there is no average condition, then we will regret their impudent ignorance, but we will say that Catherine bestowed a true political life and price on this important state: that all its previous establishments were insufficient, unstable and did not form a complete system; that She was the first to turn him into state dignity, which is based on industriousness And good manners and which can be lost by vices*; that She was the first to put on his main degree the color of mind and talents - men enlightened by sciences, adorned with graceful talents **; and through this it confirmed by law that the state, respecting the public good by the diligence of the wealth acquired, equally respects personal talents, and recognizes them as necessary for its well-being.

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* See: "City Regulation".
** Scientists and artists under this law are entitled to the dignity of Eminent Citizens.

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Thus the Monarchine put into action the great thoughts of Her "Instruction"; thus Her own wise hand gradually formed a complete state system Monarchic Russia, agreeing with true happiness person; consequently, disagreeing with the sad name slave, by which a citizen was previously called in our fatherland and which was forever destroyed by Catherine *. The profound Politician and Philosopher sees before him a majestic, huge building, which surprises the mind with every honor, testifies to the wisdom of the architect and should rule for centuries. If the Great One didn't make it... let's regret it brief century mortal! If the Monarchs were only Legislators, then Catherine, no doubt, would have had time to form Russia completely; but their works are so innumerable, so varied, that the ordinary mind is lost in this immensity. Foreign Policy, internal government, difficult and in many subjects reversed justice, occupying the whole soul, exhaust its activity, which, hiding in its parts from the eyes of the Historian, is no less necessary and saving for states and which, like the thin, barely noticeable threads of a stream, gradually forming a bright river, attracts the observer's attention only through a large space of time, presenting a picture of people's happiness, pleasure and order**.

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* Decree of 1786, February 19.
** I cannot speak here about all the Decrees of Catherine: for example, about land surveying, about factories, about customs, about ore mines, about mail, about collecting taxes, about banks, and so on. All of them prove Her care for the benefit of the state and citizens.

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Part three

The monarch gave laws: the Mother of subjects did good with useful institutions.

Fellow citizens! This huge House, which adorns the ancient Russian capital, majestically overshadowing her hand - this House, the object of wonder of Europe, all curious strangers, all friends of mankind - is a temple dedicated to Catherine's Mercy! There unfortunate babies, victims of poverty or shame - not the joy, but the horror of parents in the first minute of their existence; rejected by the world at their very entry into the world; innocent, but cruelly punished by Fate, are accepted into the sanctuary of virtue, saved from a storm that would crush them in the first breath of life; they are saved and - what is even more - they save, perhaps, their parents from a hellish atrocity, unfortunately, not unprecedented! They find philanthropic charity: not only shelter and food, but also all the best, wise goodness invented ways to strengthen their health, educate the soul, and prevent physical and moral evil. There, the everlasting, touching cares of heavenly beneficence are not inferior to the most tender parental cares and, showering flowers on the cradle of babies, hide the misfortune of orphanhood from orphans; there the meek smile of a good-natured matron replaces for young hearts the happy smile of a mother; there a prudent overseer takes the place of a father and, accustoming them to diligence, to order, prepares in them useful citizens for the fatherland. Skilled in the arts and crafts that make a person the independent master of his life, these pets of Royal generosity come into the light, and the last gift, acceptable to them from her hands, is civil liberty. They go out, enriched with the means to arrange for themselves a pleasant share in a society that awaits them with impatience and, so to speak, scatters its lots before them; they choose - and this once outcast baby, saved by the Royal Providence from certain death, is now a reliable assistant to the Eminent Citizen in business affairs, or an example of a skilled craftsman, or a good clerk in the house of a nobleman. An industrious tradesman among the pupils of the Orphanage finds a girlfriend who has been taught all the women's work and the rules of the economy.

Yes, those who traveled in foreign countries and everywhere looked for signs of a philanthropic Government will say, yes, they will say, where did their eyes see something similar to the Orphanage of Catherine? What other charitable institution can equal it in vastness of plan, rich foundation, order, and above all in success and profit? What other institution has acquired such a general power of attorney that private people would entrust precious property to it more readily than to the first rich men in the Empire, and thus assert their prosperity on its flourishing state?

With this great institution, the Monarchine opened to true philanthropy and patriotism the most The best way actions. If you, beloved sons of happiness, want to prove to Providence your gratitude for His gifts; if your sensitive heart needs to pour out in good deeds, then do not look for an object for them in the haystacks - there often harmful idleness is dressed in the rags of poverty in order to deceive pity and compassion; but hurry to this temple of virtue, make pure sacrifices to her by giving your excess, for Catherine allowed you to do good with Her; there every gift of yours will flourish and be adorned with a hundredfold fruit for the holy benefit of mankind.

The monarch, confident that the good manners of the gentle sex in the highest state has a strong influence on state good manners, founded, under Her own supervision, an Educational Home for two hundred noble maidens, in order to make them a model of feminine virtues. This charter, both for its purpose and its means, deserved sincere praise, sincere surprise of the first minds in Europe. There, love and meekness should kindly form a young heart for all the feminine virtues; there sensitivity and tenderness, converted into a pleasant science, blossom in the soul from examples and instructions. Morality is the main subject; but the mind is also enriched with all the knowledge, all the ideas necessary for that amiable being who should be the charm of the world, the treasure of a spouse and the first mentor of children. Pleasant women's handicrafts, which adorn the life of a hostess, the arts of the Graces, which make her sweet nature and perfection even sweeter, are also included in the system of education. Catherine loved to visit this beautiful flower garden, planted by Her; she loved to look at the cheerful pets, who, leaving their games, hurried to meet Her, surrounded Her with joyful, noisy crowds, kissed Her hands and clothes; they unanimously called her mother, and by their careless playfulness in the presence of the Monarchine they proved that they only loved, and were not afraid of Her! She knew their names, their very characters; rewarded good successes with her favor, affectionate glances and praises; in a word, She seemed to be the true mother of this numerous, flourishing family. Every visit of Her was a happy celebration for the whole House. Delivering innocent amusements to young girls, the Monarchine wanted them to present sometimes moralizing Dramas; the glorious Racine wrote for Saint Cyr: the still most glorious Genius of Ferney* wanted with his pen to contribute to the useful pleasures of the pupils of Catherine, Who, occupying the theater of the world with her greatness, merrily engaged in the theater of her amiable childhood - and the minutes spent by Her in the Resurrection Monastery were, of course, not lost for happiness minutes of Her reign. She foresaw the peaceful well-being of families, which was to be the fruit of this institution - and was not deceived. Some kind of innocent good nature, sincerity, good manners, beyond knowledge and talents, are the special character of the Monastery pupils. The monarchess also founded a school for the petty-bourgeois state, whose pupils are prepared to be good, good-natured housewives, skilled in needlework and remain under the special protection of the Board of Trustees for life **.

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* See correspondence between Catherine and Voltaire.
** Often the best institutions, no longer animated by the active supervision of their first creator, gradually lose all their usefulness; but the Orphanage and the Resurrection Girls' School had the good fortune to find a new Patron in Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, Maria Feodorovna, who revives them with Her care.

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The Academy of Arts existed in Russia by almost one name; Catherine gave her true being, laws and rights, taking her under her personal protection, in complete independence from all other authorities; founded an educational school with her, encouraged the talents of young artists; sent them to the homeland of Art, to delve into its beauties among the majestic remains of antiquity, where the very air pours, it seems, into the chest sense of elegance for it is a feeling of the people; where Raphael, the pupil of the ancients, surpassed his teachers, and where Michelangelo alone equaled them in all Arts. There, the pupils of Russian Art were enriched with thoughts, and their brush and chisel were formed according to the great creations of the Genius. Having said: and we, and we are artists! they created - and the first Academies in Europe wanted to have them as their Members. Since that time, a commendable taste for the arts has spread in Russia; since that time, our capitals have been proud of the magnificent buildings of their own architects; the beauties of painting and sculpture have flourished in our climate, and a Russian, without leaving his fatherland, can talk about Art. The rights given to the Academy serve as the greatest honor that only the Sovereign can bestow on talents: every one of her pets is forever a free person with all his family, we can judge by her alone, or, at least, without her knowledge, we will not be judged by another authority; he is free to live independently by his talent, he is free to choose any service, but he is not forced to do any. With this important right, Catherine honored both art and freedom in Russia!

The Cadet Corps, established by the Empress Anna, produced good Officers and even Commanders; to his glory it must be remembered that Rumyantsev was brought up in him. But this institution was already declining to its fall, when Catherine turned her creative gaze on it - she increased the number of pupils, guards; She prescribed new laws for them, consistent with philanthropy, worthy of Her wisdom and time. Military strictness, which often reached its extreme there, turned into diligent but meek supervision, and young hearts, previously hardened by formidable punishments, were corrected from slight vices by the voice of persuasive instruction. Formerly German language, Mathematics and Military art were almost the only subject of their science: Catherine added both other languages ​​​​(especially a perfect knowledge of Russian), and all the sciences necessary for state enlightenment, which, softening the heart, multiplying the concepts of a person, are also needed for the most well-mannered Officer: for we no longer live in those gloomy, barbaric times when only the art of killing people was required of a warrior; when the look is ferocious, the voice is formidable and the wild appearance was considered to be some attribute of this state. For a long time the first European Powers have been famous for such Officers who serve solely out of noble ambition, who love victory and not bloodshed; command, not tyrannize; brave in the fire of battle and pleasant in society; useful to the fatherland with a sword, but they can be useful to him with his mind. The Monarchine wanted to have such people, and the Corps became their school. Being accustomed to all military exercises, they at the same time listen to moralizing, which proves to them the necessity of civil order and laws; fulfilling the just will of prudent Bosses, they themselves acquire the properties necessary for a good Boss; translating the Notes of Julius Caesar, Montecuculli or Frederick, they also translate the best passages from Racine's tragedies, which reveal sensitivity in the soul; when reading the History of War, one reads the History of both states and man; admiring the glory of Turin, they also admire the virtue of Socrates; they get used to the thunder of the terrible instruments of death and are captivated by the harmony of the most delicate Art; they recognize both quick military marches and the picturesque play of body movements, which, expressing the action of music, forms a pleasant appearance of a person. Simple, healthy food, a measure of work and rest; the division of hours into different exercises, corresponding to each particular age, were prescribed by Catherine according to the best physical and moral system of education, not Athenian, not Spartan, but the most decent for the young Russian Nobility in the centuries of European enlightenment. Pets come out serviceable, knowledgeable Officers, capable even for civilian positions, pleasant people for the world, with character and rules that have a happy influence on their whole life.

Catherine saw with regret that the education of noble children in Russia is entrusted by parents to foreigners who are least capable of this, not knowing our customs, the spirit of the people, and who, not having filial love for our fatherland, cannot instill it in their young students. . She ordered to educate, along with the Cadets, several philistine children, wishing that they could eventually devote themselves to the rank of teachers and replace foreigners. Already many of them, fulfilling the intention of the Monarchini, in this honorable position have earned the gratitude of their parents and the fatherland itself.

Here, fair popular gratitude requires the name of the man whose main passion was to contribute to the success of education in Russia and who served Catherine as the first instrument for the fulfillment of Her beneficial intentions in this great work. Betsky lived and breathed virtue, not brilliant and not loud, which amazes people, but quiet and slowly rewarded with general respect; rare; for men strive more for the brilliant than for the solid; and courageous, for she is not afraid of any labors. He was content with the glory of being Catherine's assistant, rejoiced in his labors and, being a strict observer of order, constantly demanding and demanding, this friend of mankind knew how to earn the love of both guards and pets - for he demanded only what was due and fair. The hero, the skillful Minister, the wise Judge - is, of course, the decoration and honor of the state; but the benefactor of youth is no less worthy to live in the memory of grateful citizens.

The Naval and Artillery Corps * owe Catherine their current flourishing state. The former has educated many skilful Officers, whom even the proudest Englishmen respect. In order to inform the best pupils of his perfect experience, knowledge of the seas and all the extraordinary phenomena of this majestic element, the Monarchine sent them to the remoteness of the Ocean, to other parts of the world, and young Russian Officers had the glory to command the old sailors of Albion **. The Artillery Corps produces the best Engineers for our armies.

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* It was formerly called the School.
** See: Decree of 1762 on Corps. - Many of our Officers are known to have served on English ships.

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Greek School, founded for the young descendants of the most ancient Republic, whom the fathers of eternal exile preferred to eternal fear and slavery under the iron scepter of the Ottomans, was also a monument to Catherine's beneficence. Those who, in their unfortunate fatherland, would perhaps never have known its glorious History, its great names and their most ancient language, learned in the depths of the North to be proud of their origin. In the city of St. Peter, the sacred shadows of the Heroes and wise men of Greece were resurrected for them; in the city of St. Peter their young hearts beat at the name of Thermopylae and Marathon; in the city of St. Peter they conversed with Plato and Xenophon; imagining the ancient glory of Greece, they aspired with their souls to her holy places; imagining the real humiliation of their country, they rejoiced at their stay in the country of great deeds and Heroes. They are not alien to Russia - they Houses- in the fatherland of glory! *

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* The Mining, Medical and Navigation Schools were also established by the Monarchine.

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Thus, the Monarch did good to youth and humanity in her Empire, knowing that the wisest laws without good morals will not make the state happy and that morals must be impressed at the dawn of life. In establishing social education and making sacred morality its main foundation, She solemnly announced to all parents Her desire that in their very home education they conform to the rules She promulgated*. One true Mother of the people, I repeat, could have so much concern for the welfare of children in the state.

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* See the chapter on education in the Instruction.

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Mother of the people ... of course! .. It is a pleasure for my heart to remind you, fellow citizens, another touching proof of Catherine's tender feelings. She, from Her very accession to the throne, cared for the physical well-being of Russia; established the Medical College, and ordered it * not only to supply the state with skilled doctors, but also to collect all local information about people's diseases, about their causes; look for simple medicines for every disease, especially for farmers; to investigate the medicinal power of Russian herbs, and immediately publish any useful discovery for the common good. This is not enough: a terrible, inexplicable poison in the blood, with which babies are almost born, manifesting itself in its cruelty, kidnapped almost the majority of children in Russia and left terrible signs of its ferocity and ugliness on the most rescued by fate. The means of deliverance was already known in Europe; but Russia did not take advantage of this beneficent discovery, fearing news that was not known by obvious experience. What one mother can do for her adored baby, Catherine did for her subjects: She instilled smallpox in Herself! .. An unforgettable day for parents who owe him the salvation of their children and their sweet beauty! Grateful Russia rightfully triumphed over him - and the sensitive father of the family will never stop triumphing. He will decorate his children with roses and lead them to the sacred temple to pray for Catherine. She, by her own experience, forced us to resort to a happy means, and since that time we have not been afraid of the most terrible epoch in our physical existence.

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* Formerly there was a Medical Office.

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Even the Monarchine did not limit the system of state education to educational societies established by Her, both for the noble and for the petty-bourgeois state. The rays of the sun lose their strength in immeasurable spaces; the capital, so distant from some parts of the Empire, could hardly affect them. Catherine established everywhere - in the smallest cities, and in the depths of Siberia - public schools, to spread, so to speak, a wealth of light throughout the state. A special Commission, composed of knowledgeable people, was supposed to arrange them, prescribe methods of teaching, publish the most useful books for them, containing the main, most necessary information for a person, which arouse the desire for further success, serve him as a step to higher knowledge and are already sufficient by themselves. for the civil life of the people emerging from the darkness of ignorance. These schools, by forming disciples, can also form teachers themselves, and thus be the everlasting and, from time to time, the clearest source of enlightenment. They can - and should be more useful than all the Academies in the world, acting on the first elements of the people; and the humble teacher, who explains letters and arithmetic numbers to the children of poverty and industriousness, and tells in simple words the curious cases of History, or, deploying a moral catechism, proves how necessary and profitable it is for a person to be kind, in the eyes of the Philosopher, honored no less than the Metaphysician, whose profundity and subtlety is hardly intelligible to the most learned; or a wise Naturalist, Physiologist, Astronomer, who occupy only a certain part of people with their science. If in the cities that were barely emerging, in this new creation of Catherine, neither huge chambers nor magnificent temples had yet been presented to the eyes, then in place of these sometimes deceptive evidence of national wealth, the eyes of the Patriot read on the humble houses a kind inscription: "People's School" and his heart rejoiced. Whoever revered the Monarchine amid Her magnificent capital and the brilliant monuments of her glorious reign, he loved and praised the Enlightener of the Fatherland, seeing and hearing in the walls of a peaceful hut a young student of the city school, surrounded by an attentive family and with noble pride interpreting to his parents some simple but curious truths which he had learned that day from his teacher.

Literature, this main organ of Genius and sensibility; this, one might say, is the messenger of Heaven, which spreads great and useful ideas from country to country, unites minds and hearts, produces and nourishes the tender need of the soul: to engage in elegant thoughts, enjoy the creation of a harmonious imagination, an outpouring of the heart - Literature was the subject of special favor and patronage Catherine, for She knew her strong influence on the education of the people and the happiness of life. Every true talent was the right to a flattering distinction - and glorious Russia in Her time adorned our Poetry. Derzhavin in Russian poetry revived Horace and introduced new strong features of piitic painting. Bogdanovich showered Lafontaine's fairy tale with his flowers and played with his imagination in a light style. Many other poets appeared - and Catherine, I dare to say, was a Muse for them, their soul burned with Her glory, and praising the Wise, they were not afraid to seem like flatterers! She herself, the Monarchine burdened with great deeds, in her rare hours of leisure loved to contribute to the success of our Literature with her pen. Europe knows that Catherine, sailing along the majestic Volga, at the very time when a strong storm frightened all those who were with Her, calmly translated "Belisarius", to the immortal glory of Marmontel! She pointed out to the Russian Authors new objects, the harmful vices of society, which Thalia should ridicule; folk character traits that require a brush of talent; wrote moralizing stories for the young Branches of His Most August House; but most of all, feeling the importance of Russian History (and anticipating that this History should someday be adorned and glorified by It!), she studied Russian chronicles, explained them, combining the proposal of actions with philosophical thoughts, and published Her precious works for the Public. Desiring to assign to Russia the best works of ancient and new foreign Literature, She established a Commission for Translations, defined a reward for working people - and soon almost all the most famous Authors in the world came out in our language, enriched it with new expressions, turns, and the mind of the Russians with new concepts. In order to establish the Russian language on the rules and bring it into a system, the Monarchine founded the Academy of Literature, following the example of the French one, and we owe this hardworking society the Complete Russian Dictionary, which is necessary for everyone and necessary for the Authors. The reign of Elizabeth produced Lomonosov and Sumarokov: the former soared boldly behind the eagle Pindarov and cast strong, immortal stanzas on paper; the latter had the reputation of writing several tender and witty verses. But these two Poets had not yet formed our style: in the time of Catherine, the Russians began to express their thoughts clearly for the mind, pleasant for the ear, and the taste became common, for the Monarchine herself had it and loved our Literature; and if She did not produce even more talents by Her encouragement, the reason for this is the independence of the Genius, who alone does not obey even the Monarchs, wild in his greatness, stubborn in his appearances, and often prefers the most unfavorable times for himself to a brilliant age, when wise Kings with love call him for triumph and glory.

Not content to patronize the sciences and talents in Russia, She spread Her blessings to all the countries of the world, to the entire realm of the mind, and exalted Her glory, so to speak, with the glory of all the excellent talents She encourages. Philosophers were proud of the favorable view of Catherine and burned with jealousy to magnify the One who reigned with her Philosophy and turned the secret desires of wise philanthropy into state charters. Voltaire regretted that old age did not allow him to see "Northern Lady of Hearts". The ardent Diderot hurried to personally express his surprise to Her, Pliny of France enthusiastically said that Catherine's approving word was more precious to him than academic praises *. d'Alembert was more famous for her mercy than for the name of a thoughtful mathematician. Europe is surprised to read Her correspondence with them - and not to them, but She is surprised. What a wealth of thought and knowledge! What insight! What subtlety of mind, feeling and expression! She, Who by her reign exhausted all the praises of the world, was able with inimitable pleasantness to praise the flowers of Literature, the play of wit, the subtle feature of the heart. How touching is such indulgence in Monarchin! But humiliated Does the Monarch, when he sometimes descends from the high throne, stand along with people, and being the favorite of Fate, pays tribute to the favorites of Nature, excellent talents? Can not the power of reason still serve as a kind of support for political power? At the very least, it can be its instrument in everything that concerns the good of mankind. So thought Augustus, Louis XIV, Frederick and Peter the Great, who, coming to Borgav, to Leibniz, said: I you man)** The Great Catherine also thought so.

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* See Sechelevo journey to Montbar.
** I read Leibniz's correspondence with Peter the Great. To the glory of both, it can be said that they revered each other.

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During Her reign, the Russian Academy of Sciences acquired even more famous members and became incomparably more useful for the fatherland, firstly, "Monthly Essays" who, being a store of historical and other curious information, disseminated them in the state; secondly, the travels of her professors throughout all the vast countries of Russia - a great intention, worthy of Catherine! A performance worthy of intention! Epoch, important in the scientific history of our state and the whole world! These chosen men were supposed to see and describe Russia in the three kingdoms of Nature from the banks of the Neva to the Rephean mountains, to the seas of Azov, Caspian and beyond, to penetrate into the interior of deserts, into the depths of caves and dense forests, where the eye of the observer has never yet noticed the creative In kind, where from time immemorial she acted in solitude or in front of inattentive witnesses; to count the minerals in the bowels of the earth, the plants on its green carpets, the animals in the three elements, and thus collect wealth for Russian Natural History. Their work was not yet limited to this subject: the Monarch wanted them to explore all the historical monuments in our Empire; they noticed the traces of peoples who passed Russia from the countries of Asia, disappeared themselves, but left signs of their course, like dry rivers; she wished that in the ruins, among the remnants of antiquity, as if forgotten times, they were looking for revelations of the past; so that they, in the current numerous peoples of Russia, recognize their unknown ancestors, sorting out languages, origins and a mixture of them; so that, observing the customs, mores, and ideas of these people, they would inform the Historian and Moralist of new information, and the Legislator new means of beneficence. - The orders were executed, and not only Russia, but also Europe; not only Scientists, but also all the curious read with pleasure and benefit the description of these journeys.

Moscow University under the leadership of Shuvalov (who will always be famous for the title of its founder and Lomonosov Maecenas) during the time of Catherine, more than before, did good to society, for her generosity gave him more ways to act. Many scientists were called by him from Germany to participate in his labors, instruct the youth, nourish in them a desire for science and inflame the noble competition among Russian professors. But most of all, Ekaterina's well-known love for science enlivened Moscow University, prompting parents to teach their children. The number of his young pupils multiplied every year, and with their number, the beneficence of this temple of enlightenment increased. And if we now see so many worthy judges in the capitals and in the most remote provinces; if the commanding syllable no longer always frightens us with its barbarity; if the necessary rules of Logic and language are observed frequently in certain courts; if the Ministry always finds enough young men capable of being its tools and serving the fatherland in all parts with their knowledge, then the state owes this benefit to Moscow University; The university owes this great glory to Catherine and the spirit of her reign.

In order to further multiply popular information through books, She allowed the establishment of free printing houses, establishing the prudent Censorship necessary in civil societies: for the mind can deviate from the truth, like the heart from virtue, and unlimited freedom to write is as reckless as unlimited freedom to act. But just as the wise Legislator, avoiding the very shadow of arbitrary tyranny, forbids only obvious evil, and betrays many heart weaknesses under the sole punishment of common judgment or opinion, so the Monarchine subjected to the prohibition of Censorship only obvious depravity in subjects most important for civil well-being, leaving the common sense of citizens to distinguish truth from delusions; that is, She made her not only prudent, but also indulgent, and by this power of attorney to the general court she acquired a new right to the gratitude of the people.

And is it so wonderful that Russia, in 34 years of active reign, whose main goal was the enlightenment of the people, was so transformed, exalted in spirit, matured in mind, that our fathers, if they were now resurrected, would not recognize Russia? If the heart of Sovereigns is in the hand of Providence, then the hearts of peoples are in the hand of Sovereigns - what could resist the Government, tireless in benevolence, which acted on its subjects with the glory of external successes, and wise laws, and education, and all means of enlightenment? What could not submit to the almighty and good will, burning with that fiery zeal, which is the main property of great souls, true likenesses of the Divine? Catherine, raised by Heaven Himself to the throne of an almost limitless Empire in the world, was not horrified by Her boundless duties, sacred to virtue; but she felt the inspiration of a heroic heart, to which everything seems possible, for God Himself helps him. The feeling of each position gave birth in Her to the desire and strength to fulfill it - and Russia, once alien to Her, having become the theater of Her virtues, became for Catherine a true fatherland, dearly loved, for the fatherland for great souls is the country where they can act; their neighbors are those people whom they can make happy. The more the Monarchine worked for Russia, the more she showered her with goodness and glory, the more She loved in her the object of Her beneficence, and each beneficence was for us a pledge of a new one. Fellow citizens! I will now explain our general feeling: tell me, what great thing could finally surprise us in the affairs of Catherine? Didn't everything in Her hands seem easy, natural, even necessary to us? Accustomed to her ordinary glory and virtue, we were already, I dare say, as insensitive to the deeds of the Monarchine; our exhausted gratitude was likened to ingratitude! Your heart understands me, O fellow citizens! I do not blame, but I praise your sensitivity. Is a mortal to blame if Heaven, opening an endless field for Royal virtue, lays the limit of our love, gratitude, surprise itself; if, by granting His tools some part of His rights, leaves us, ordinary people, in the close circle of humanity?

This heroic zeal for the good was combined in Catherine with a rare insight that presented her with every undertaking, every undertaking in the most further consequences; and therefore Her will and decision were always unshakable. She knew Russia as only extraordinary minds can know the state and the peoples; she even knew the measure of her good deeds, for the very good in the philosophical sense can be harmful in politics, as soon as it is disproportionate to the civil condition of the people. The truth is sad, but proven by experience! Thus, the most ardent desire to make the people happy can give birth to disasters if it does not follow the rules of cautious prudence. Fellow citizens! I will remind you of the Monarch, zealous for the common good, active, indefatigable, who burned with the passion of philanthropy, wanted to suddenly destroy all abuses, suddenly do all the good, but who was not successful in anything and at the end of his life saw with sorrow that he was a state he did not bring his own closer to the goal of political perfection, but removed it from it: for the Successor, in order to restore order, had to destroy all his news. You have already mentally named Joseph - this unfortunate Sovereign, worthy, according to his good intentions, a better share! He serves the shade, from which the wisdom of Catherine shines all the more radiantly. He was unhappy in all enterprises - She is happy in everything; he with every step forward - stepped back - She flowed with uninterrupted steps towards her great object; wrote charters on marble, in indelible letters; She created in time and therefore for eternity, and therefore she never redid Her deeds - and therefore the Russian people believed in the necessity of Her laws, indispensable, like the laws of the world. Europe wondered happiness Catherine: Europe is fair, for wisdom is a rare happiness. But whoever thinks that a dark, inexplicable chance will decide the fate of states and an unreasonable or reckless system of government, at least he should not write the History of Nations. Pet, no! The phenomenon of the Monarchini, Whose all wars were conquests and all charters were the happiness of the Empire, is explained only by the combination of the great properties of the mind and soul.

Catherine's soul was firm, courageous, truly heroic. The sky, as if solely for Her glory, darkened the horizon of Russia several times with clouds during the reign of the great Monarchine, so that She, despising storms and thunders, could prove to the peoples the strength of Her soul: so a skilled navigator is even more glorious for the dangers through which he led his ship in peaceful haven. Fellow citizens! I dare to remind you of the time when Russia, fighting with a strong external enemy, saw an ulcer, death, unrest in the walls of Moscow, and soon after - a crazy, furious rebellion that spilled like a fiery river over its vast countries; when the envious Catherine, strong Kings, rejoiced at our disaster and threatened her with a new war ... then, then it was necessary to see the glory of her courageous virtues! She speaks to the Leader of Her distant host: go ahead and win. She, like the sun, looks from her throne at the city of the capital, and its sad darkness disappears; She responds to the threats of the Courts: I will repel the attack! And we are surprised at Rome, which, seeing its enemy at the gates, orders the Consul to go with an army to another part of the world, or, pressed from all sides by enemies, hears with contempt about new ones! .. Fellow citizens! I have already spoken of that moment when the Monarchine in Her pleasure palace calmly counted the shots of the Swedish ships, and when our main armies were beyond the distant borders of the fatherland: England, Prussia were arming, they wanted to prescribe peace to us, but Catherine the unshakable granted it to Gustav, and Pitt and Friedrich Wilhelm had to put up with it. - This resolute firmness forced all the Cabinets to some extent depend on our Monarchine, and all her treatises with the Powers were glorious for Russia.

But the Great One in Heroes kept on the throne the tender sensibility of Her sex, which interceded for the unfortunate, for the most guilty; always looking for an opportunity to forgive, pardon; softened all the sentences of the court and served as the most perfect example of that high virtue that only Heaven and Sovereigns can have: mercy! O divine meekness of heart! Decorating humanity in every state, you triumph on the throne! Every movement of yours is the salvation of people there - and the spectacle of the guilty, preserved by you and corrected by pardon, is your lovely paradise, unknown to cruel souls! Oh! Human justice cannot be true justice without mercy! But sensitive Catherine knew the line that separates heavenly virtue from weakness; did not transgress it, and by royal duty conquered the tenderness of Her heart.

I ask all Russians: was there anything offensive to human pride, anything painful for self-love in the feelings of our boundless obedience to Her? Did it not seem like a natural inclination of the heart, a necessity of the soul, its gracious need? Following the charters of the Monarchini, we followed the voice of Heaven and, in obedience, did not know compulsion. She adorned sovereign power with the charming qualities of her soul. Reverent before the Possessor of nations, the hearts of the Russians adored Catherine, and the radiant virtues of the Monarchine were united in Her with the captivating courtesy of a person. Aliens! You who came to Russia from remote climates solely to see Catherine! Tell me, with what feeling did you approach Her when She, surrounded by Her Generals and Ministers, surrounded by the glory of Her deeds, looked at you with majesty? Didn't you imagine that you were seeing the Queen of the world and your own? But you, who enjoyed the invaluable happiness of seeing and hearing Her, when She condescended from greatness to courtesy, and, as if ceasing to be a Monarchine, appeared only in the form of secular pleasantness, friendly sincerity, among the most worthy people of Her Court, in unforgettable evening meetings for you, where compulsion did not dare to enter, where freedom in conversation reigned, where everyone could indulge in the pleasures of society for himself! You speak with surprise and tears about these hours, which seemed to you minutes and in which Her affectionate words, simple manners, sincere gaiety and innocent games, enlivened by Her presence and very participation, made you forget the Autocrat and admire the one inexplicable charm of Catherine's mind.

This touching, amiable thought gives way to an even more amiable one: The mother of the fatherland was also the most tender mother of the family. What imagination, without a sweet spiritual feeling, can imagine the Monarchine, Who, signing the fate of states with one hand, caresses the flourishing Branches of the Imperial House with the other, and Who, interrupting the thread of great political thoughts, leaving for a moment the worries of government, rests her heart in family joys and, so to speak complements them with the happiness of the virtuous Monarchine? If it is difficult for an ordinary mind to imagine this inexplicable happiness, then every sensitive heart will imagine the spiritual pleasure of the tender Foremother, when Her sacred offspring blossomed before her; when She saw before Her the perfection of Angelic beauty, and moral perfection, and the hope of Her love, and the hope of Russia!

But what a miraculous power strengthened Catherine for the countless objects of Her activity, so that the Great One could, while occupied with the rule of the Empire, daily deal with Her Most August House; to find time for external Ministerial, internal public and private court cases, for Her special correspondence, learned works, for the most feminine lovely needlework (for She sometimes liked to remind herself of the simplicity of Penelope of the century) - and, finally, for a pleasant rest in Her chosen company? This wonderful power is spirit of order beneficent to everyone, but in a good Monarch is the happiness of the people. Every hour presented Her with a special exercise, and this variety, renewing the attention of the soul, served for Her mind as a kind of calm. Following such wisdom of systems, She managed to overshadow the most active reigns known to us from History; affairs unified Empresses could glorify many Sovereigns.

And the glory of Catherine belongs to Her. Henry IV was a wise and beneficent Tsar; but Sully stands beside him: History illuminates them with one ray of glory. Louis XIV thundered in Europe, glorified France; but Colbert, the first Minister in the world, was his Minister! Catherine, Legislator and Monarchine, like Peter, educated people - but these people lived and acted with Her soul, Her inspiration; they shone with the light borrowed from Her, as the planets shine from the sun; It distinguished some, and this difference was the measure of their importance. Thus, under Catherine, we saw the rise of a man whose moral and patriotic dignity is still a subject of controversy in Russia. He was distinguished and strong: consequently, few can judge him impartially; envy and ingratitude are the two chief vices of the human heart. But it is undeniable that Potemkin had a sharp, penetrating mind; understood the great intentions of Catherine, and therefore deserved her power of attorney. Even more undeniable is that he had no decisive influence on the Politics, internal education and legislation of Russia, which were the only creation of Catherine's mind. Her Ministers carried out only Her will - and Russia had the good fortune to be ruled by one great Genius throughout the long reign of Catherine.

But can happiness seem long-term?.. O fellow citizens! Heaven will forgive us our injustice, when we, struck by a blow, forgot the indispensable rules of Nature; they forgot that the Great One managed to shower us with blessings for centuries, and dared to blame Providence that it so soon deprived our motherland of the Mother, and so suddenly: for Catherine, without dying having not prepared us with fear for this misfortune, in an instant she hid herself in spirit from the earth and Russia! Enticed by the immortality of her deeds, we thought that she herself was immortal; we thought that she, who adorned the evening of the life of our fathers, should also reign for the welfare of our children! She left us Her wise laws, a source of goodness and enlightenment for the most distant descendants; but it seemed to us that with Her we had lost everything; that She is all in the tomb, and with our happiness, the work of Her hands. Not those alone were inconsolable, who enjoyed the contemplation of the Great, listened to the captivating words of the All-Wise, surrounded Her throne; no, all of Russia shed sorrowful tears, for she reigned not for favorites, but for Russia; She did good not only to some, but to everyone - and the tears of sensitive hearts flowed in sacrifice to Her with equal fervor in the capitals and in the most remote confines of the state. O Monarchs of the world! Catherine, both in her life and in her death, served as an example to you: so reign, so that mortals adore you! And seeing with what tenderness, with what touching love, the Russians still speak of the Great, be sure that the peoples are sensitive and grateful against the virtuous Tsars, and that your memory, if you have earned the love of your subjects, will remain sacred forever. And the most unworthy Sovereign is praised when he holds a scepter in his hand, for they are afraid of him, or vile flatterers want a reward; but when this scepter falls out of hand, when the Monarch pays tribute to the common fate of mortals - then, then listen to the voice of Truth, which, commanding passions, hope and fear to be silent, leaning its hand on the coffin of the King, pronounces its decision, and the eyelids repeat it! It is not in the palaces of the King that the feeling of the people is revealed; about every Monarch, one of the courtiers sincerely sheds tears; no, it is clearly only on the hailstones, in the quiet dwelling of families remote from the Court, and in the hut of peaceful industriousness, if in them heartfelt gratitude does not mourn the death of the Sovereign, then he did not reign for the happiness of the people!

Fellow citizens! What a triumph for the virtues of the Monarchine and for your holy gratitude were the first words of the young Autocrat, Who, ascending the throne of Russia and desiring to declare His will to reign wisely and virtuously, said only: "I will reign according to heart and laws Catherine the Great! .. "Great! .. - repeated all of Russia. With this vow He honored both Her memory and your grateful love for Her; you understood Him - and were consoled!

But the new blessings do not cool in our hearts the gratitude to Catherine's deeds; we remember them with love, we read Her wise laws with amazement, and in the delight of sensitivity we look at the sky, where the eye of a mortal is always looking for immortals... fatherland; it seems to us that we are heeding the heavenly voice of Catherine: “O Russians! You, who were so kind to My heart; whose happiness was My happiness; whom I looked at with the joy of the Mother, seeing the prosperity of my children! If I enriched Russia with new frontiers and peoples adorned your forehead with the palm of victory, thundered in three parts of the world and was famous for you, then My glory was to me a pledge of your strength and security; desiring that the world feared you, I wanted only that you could fear no one. If My laws restrict natural freedom of a person, then be sure that I sacrificed a part of freedom only to the single integrity of the civil order and preferred your independence to your well-being alone; I did not grant you those rights alone that could be harmful to you. I enlightened you, Russians! oppress mankind.And if My reign has not yet raised Russia to the highest degree of national bliss, then remember that the power of the Sovereign is not the omnipotence of Heaven, whose will is already the accomplishment; remember that Empires flourish for centuries, and that Providence demands from Kings only the possible good. But I have shown you a great goal: flow towards it, overshadowed by My laurels, guided by My laws! And when all the nations of the earth will envy your lot; when the name of the Russian will be the name of the happiest citizen in the world, then the secret vows of My heart will be fulfilled; then you will know what I wanted, but what I could not do; and your gratitude will honor both My deeds and My will: the only reward to which good Monarchs can be sensitive even after their death!

And I swear by your name, O fellow citizens! In the name of all our posterity, that the memory of Catherine the Great will forever be blessed in Russia.

Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin (1766-1826) - Russian historian and historiographer, writer, poet, honorary member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1818)

Biography: Catherine the Great; Sofia-Frederica-Augusta
On May 2 (April 21, O.S.), 1729, in the Prussian city of Stettin (now Poland), Sophia Augusta Frederick of Anhalt-Zerbst was born, who became famous as Catherine II the Great, the Russian Empress. The period of her reign, which brought Russia to the world stage as a world power, is called the "golden age of Catherine."

The father of the future empress, the Duke of Zerbst, served the Prussian king, but her mother, Johann Elizabeth, had a very rich pedigree, she was a cousin of the future Peter III. Despite the nobility, the family did not live very richly, Sophia grew up as an ordinary girl who was educated at home, enjoyed playing with her peers, was active, agile, courageous, loved to play pranks.

A new milestone in her biography was opened in 1744 - when the Russian Empress Elizaveta Petrovna invited her to Russia with her mother. There, Sophia was to marry Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich, heir to the throne, who was her second cousin. Upon arrival in a foreign country, which was to become her second home, she began to actively learn the language, history, and customs. Young Sophia converted to Orthodoxy on July 9 (June 28, O.S.), 1744, and received the name Ekaterina Alekseevna at baptism. The next day she was betrothed to Pyotr Fedorovich, and on September 1 (August 21, O.S.), 1745, they were married.

Seventeen-year-old Peter was little interested in his young wife, each of them lived his own life. Catherine not only enjoyed horseback riding, hunting, masquerades, but also read a lot, was actively engaged in self-education. In 1754, her son Pavel (future Emperor Paul I) was born to her, whom Elizaveta Petrovna immediately took away from her mother. Catherine's husband was extremely unhappy when, in 1758, she gave birth to a daughter, Anna, being unsure of her paternity.

Since 1756, Catherine had been thinking about how to prevent her husband from sitting on the throne of the emperor, counting on the support of the guards, Chancellor Bestuzhev and the commander-in-chief of the army Apraksin. Only the timely destruction of Bestuzhev's correspondence with Ekaterina saved the latter from being exposed by Elizaveta Petrovna. On January 5, 1762 (December 25, 1761, O.S.), the Russian Empress died, and her son, who became Peter III, took her place. This event made the gulf between the spouses even deeper. The emperor openly began to live with his mistress. In turn, his wife, evicted to the other end of the Winter, became pregnant and secretly gave birth to a son from Count Orlov.

Taking advantage of the fact that the husband-emperor took unpopular measures, in particular, went for rapprochement with Prussia, did not have the best reputation, restored the officers against herself, Catherine made a coup with the support of the latter: July 9 (June 28 according to O.S.) 1762 in St. Petersburg, the guards gave her an oath of allegiance. The next day, Peter III, who did not see the point in resistance, abdicated the throne, and then died under circumstances that remained unclear. On October 3 (September 22, O.S.), 1762, the coronation of Catherine II took place in Moscow.

The period of her reign was marked by a large number of reforms, in particular, in the system of state administration and the structure of the empire. Under her tutelage, a whole galaxy of famous "Catherine's eagles" - Suvorov, Potemkin, Ushakov, Orlov, Kutuzov and others - advanced. Commonwealth and others. A new era began in the cultural and scientific life of the country. The implementation of the principles of an enlightened monarchy contributed to the opening of a large number of libraries, printing houses, and various educational institutions. Catherine II was in correspondence with Voltaire and the encyclopedists, collected artistic canvases, left behind a rich literary heritage, including on the topic of history, philosophy, economics, and pedagogy.

On the other hand, its domestic policy was characterized by an increase in the privileged position of the nobility, an even greater restriction of the freedom and rights of the peasantry, and the harshness of suppressing dissent, especially after the Pugachev uprising (1773-1775).

Catherine was in the Winter Palace when she had a stroke. The next day, November 17 (November 6, O.S.), 1796, the great empress passed away. Her last refuge was the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

Sayings, quotes and aphorisms of Catherine II
Who is envious or desires this and that, he will not wait for fun.

Whoever has fun and cannot have fun, he is sick or gives himself up to his thoughts into oppression.

It is proper for a man to have patience in his labors and sufferings, but generosity towards human guilt and errors.

If a statesman errs, if he reasons badly, takes erroneous measures, then the whole nation experiences the pernicious consequences of this. You need to ask yourself often: is this undertaking fair? Is it helpful? First of all, the statesman should bear in mind the following five subjects: 1. One must enlighten the nation which he is to govern. 2. It is necessary to introduce good order in the state, to support society and force it to comply with the laws. 3. It is necessary to establish a good and accurate police in the state. 4. It is necessary to promote the flowering of the state and make it abundant. 5. It is necessary to create a state that is formidable in itself and inspires respect for its neighbors. Every citizen must be educated in the consciousness of duty to the Supreme Being, to himself, to society, and he must be taught some of the arts, without which he almost cannot do in everyday life.

There is a position for a good housewife: to be quiet, modest, constant, cautious; to God zealous, to father-in-law and mother-in-law respectful; treat your husband lovingly and decently, teach small children to justice and love for one's neighbor; in front of relatives and in-laws to be courteous, to listen to kind speeches willingly, to shun lies and slyness; not to be idle, but diligent in every product and thrifty in expenses.

It should ... arouse in them (youth) a desire for diligence and that they should be afraid of idleness, as the source of all evil and error.

Study people, try to use them without entrusting yourself to them indiscriminately; look for true dignity, even if it were at the end of the world: for the most part it is modest and “hiding somewhere” in the distance. Valor does not climb out of the crowd, is not greedy, does not fuss and allows you to forget about yourself.

A skillful shooter, not hitting the target, does not lay blame on the bow or arrows, but requires an account from himself in the prophet: however, he does not lose courage and hunting for this.

Books are a mirror: although they do not speak, they declare every guilt and vice.

It is much better to prevent crimes than to punish them.

States in which there is no respect for the sovereign, rulers, in which they have no respect for either the elderly or fathers and mothers, are close to falling.

The child shows gratitude to parents with humility and respect.

Whoever has not learned in his youth, old age is boring.

Every parent should refrain in front of his children not only from deeds, but also from words that tend to injustice and violence, such as scolding, oaths, fights, all cruelty and similar actions, and not allow those who surround his children giving them such bad examples.

More quotes from Catherine II: 1 2

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Labor is overcome by labor.
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Of all the most harmful lies, there is a vice.
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Honor your parents at every age.
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I praise loudly, and I condemn in an undertone.
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Whoever is accustomed to work, work is made easier for him.
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Idleness is the mother of boredom and many vices.
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Who says what he wants, will hear what he does not want.
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There is no shame in admitting to a person in your mistake.
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Whoever is satisfied with his condition, to live happily.
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An intelligent person can always find an exercise.
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The human race is generally inclined towards injustice.
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By doing a favor to your neighbor, you will do yourself a favor.
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It is better to study all the time than to remain ignorant.
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Whoever has not learned in his youth, old age is boring.
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There is nothing more dangerous than wanting to make regulations for everything.
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Double-mindedness is alien to great people: they despise all baseness.
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Every Russian in the depths of his soul does not like a single foreigner.
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People are often the cause of their own happiness and unhappiness.
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Who is envious or desires this and that, he will not wait for fun.
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If you see the vices of your neighbor, do not show him your condemnation.
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The child shows gratitude to parents with humility and respect.
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It is much better to prevent crimes than to punish them.
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It is better to acquit ten guilty than to accuse one guilty.
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Having overcome any kind of labor, a person feels pleasure.
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When making a law, put yourself in the place of the one who must obey it.
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Books are mirrors, although they do not speak, they declare every fault and vice.
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Every child is born unlearned. It is the duty of parents to teach their children.
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Talking with the ignorant is sometimes more instructive than talking with the learned.
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Teaching adorns a person in happiness, but serves as a refuge in misfortune.
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A person with a mediocre mind, if he puts in the work, can be skillful.
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The first rule is to make people think they want it themselves.
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Courtesy is based on not having a bad opinion of yourself or your neighbor.
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Thoughts, caused by the course of events, are born at once in more than one head.
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The rules of education are the first foundation that prepares us to be citizens.
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Petty rules and pathetic refinements should not have access to your heart.
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Whoever has fun and cannot have fun, he is sick, or gives himself up to his thoughts into oppression.
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Laws that do not preserve measure in good are the reason that immeasurable evil is born from here.
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There is no cure for stupidity yet. Reason and common sense are not like smallpox: you cannot instill.
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A very bad policy is that which remakes by law what ought to be changed by custom.
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Swear words offend the mouth from which they come, as much as the ears into which they enter.
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Men in their twenties make love more passionately, but in their thirties they make love much better.
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A reasonable person is not ashamed to study even in perfect years, which he did not finish studying in his youth.
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I get robbed in the same way as others, but this is a good sign and shows that there is something to steal.
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Never let flatterers besiege you: let us feel that you love neither praise nor baseness.
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It is fitting for a man to have patience in his labors and sufferings, but magnanimity towards human guilt and faults.
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Fear can kill crime, but it also kills virtue. Who does not dare to think, dares only to grovel.
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The most reliable, but also the most difficult means of making people the best is to perfect education.
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Love for the fatherland, shame and fear of reproach are the means of taming and being able to restrain many crimes.
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Show confidence only to those who have the courage to cross you on occasion and who prefer your good name to your grace.
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There is debauchery in the house: if the hostess loves to listen ... various lies, and after listening, with the addition, she says it to her husband, and the husband believes it.
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A person with a good heart tries to turn every thing and deed into good; a person with a bad heart tries to find evil in good.
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It also happens that people claim something that they really do not know, just to find out if they guessed correctly.
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Do good in order to do good, and not for the sake of gaining praise or gratitude. Good deeds bring rewards of their own.
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To endure something in the heart that another could not endure is the experience of a firm soul, but to do that good that another could not do is a laudable deed.
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A skillful shooter, not hitting the target, does not lay blame on the bow or arrow, but requires an account from himself in the prophet: however, for this he does not lose his good spirits and hunting.
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Happiness is not as blind as it is imagined. Often it is the result of a long series of measures, true and precise, not noticed by the crowd and preceding the event.
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The people are by nature restless, ungrateful and full of scammers and people who, under the pretext of zeal, are only looking for how to turn everything that suits them to their advantage.
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I seem to be becoming like the Shah of Bahama, who always ended his reasoning with the words: "It's not my fault if you don't understand me, but I understand myself very well."
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You forget only one thing, namely the difference that exists between your position and mine: you work only on paper, which endures everything ... but I, poor Empress, I work on human skin, which is sensitive and ticklish in the highest degree.
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Although the Senate sent decrees and orders to the provinces, they executed the decrees of the Senate so badly that it almost became a proverb to say: “they are waiting for the third decree”, because they did not follow the first and second ones.
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My desire and my pleasure would be to make everyone happy, but since everyone wants to be happy only in accordance with his character or understanding, my desires often met obstacles in this.
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Keep in yourself those great spiritual qualities that make up the distinctive identity of an honest person, a great person and a hero. Beware of any artificiality. May the contagion of vulgarity not darken your ancient taste for honor and valor.
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Conscience is an inner, closed luminary, which illuminates the only man himself, and speaks to him in a quiet voice without a sound; gently touching the soul, brings it to life, and following a person everywhere, does not give him mercy in any case.
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If a statesman errs, if he reasons badly, takes erroneous measures, then the whole nation experiences the pernicious consequences of this. You need to ask yourself often: is this undertaking fair? Is it helpful? First of all, the statesman should bear in mind the following five subjects: 1. One must enlighten the nation which he is to govern. 2. It is necessary to introduce good order in the state, to support society and force it to comply with the laws. 3. It is necessary to establish a good and accurate police in the state. 4. It is necessary to promote the flowering of the state and make it abundant.

It is necessary to create a state that is formidable in itself and inspires respect for its neighbors. Every citizen must be educated in the consciousness of duty to the Supreme Being, to himself, to society, and he must be taught some of the arts, without which he almost cannot do in everyday life.

States in which there is no respect for the sovereign, rulers, in which they have no respect for either the elderly or fathers and mothers, are close to falling.

The child shows gratitude to parents with humility and respect.

There is a position for a good housewife: to be quiet, modest, constant, cautious; zealous to God, to the father-in-law and mother-in-law respectful; treat your husband lovingly and decently, teach small children to justice and love for one's neighbor; in front of relatives and in-laws to be courteous, to listen to kind speeches willingly, to shun lies and slyness; not to be idle, but diligent in every product and thrifty in expenses.

Who is envious or desires this and that, he will not wait for fun.

Books are a mirror: although they do not speak, they declare every guilt and vice.

Study people, try to use them without entrusting yourself to them indiscriminately; look for true dignity, even if it were at the end of the world: for the most part it is modest and “hiding somewhere” in the distance. Valor does not climb out of the crowd, is not greedy, does not fuss and allows you to forget about yourself.

If you see the vices of your neighbor, do not show him your condemnation.

It is much better to prevent crimes than to punish them.

Every parent should refrain in front of his children not only from deeds, but also from words that tend to injustice and violence, such as scolding, oaths, fights, all cruelty and similar actions, and not allow those who surround his children giving them such bad examples.

Honor your parents at every age.

Every child is born unlearned. It is the duty of parents to teach their children.

Swear words offend the mouth from which they come out as much as the ears into which they enter.

Whoever has not learned in his youth, old age is boring.

It should arouse in them (youth) a desire for diligence and that they should be afraid of idleness, as the source of all evil and error.

on other topics

Be gentle, philanthropic, available, compassionate, and generous; let your greatness not prevent you from condescending good-naturedly to small people and putting yourself in their position so that this kindness will never detract from either your power or their respect. Listen to everything that deserves attention in any way; let everyone see that you think and feel the way you should think and feel. Act in such a way that good people love you, evil people are afraid and everyone respects you.

There is nothing perfect in the world.

It is proper for a man to have patience in his labors and sufferings, but generosity towards human guilt and errors.

A skillful shooter, not hitting the target, does not lay blame on the bow or arrows, but requires a report from himself in the prophet: however, for this he does not lose his good spirits and hunting.

Whoever has fun and cannot have fun, he is sick or gives himself over to his thoughts into oppression.