Munnich and Ostermann, the faithful servants of Peter the
Great--Munnich, whom Prince Eugene called "his beloved pupil;"
Ostermann, of whom the dying Czar Peter said he had never caught him in
a fault; that he was the only honest statesman in Russia--Munnich and
Ostermann, those two great statesmen to whom Russia was chiefly indebted
for what civilization and cultivation she had acquired, were now accused
of high-treason, and sent for trial before a commission commanded to
find them guilty and to punish them. They were to be put out of the way
because they were feared, and to be feared was held as a crime deserving
death!
Firm and outrageous stood they before their judges. In this hour old
Ostermann had shaken off his illness and thrown away the shield of his
physical sufferings! He would not intrench himself behind his age and
his sickness; he would be a man, and boldly offer his unprotected breast
to the murderous weapons of his enemies!
For, that he was lost he knew! A single glance at his judges made
him certain of it, and from this moment his features wore a calm and
contemptuous smile, an unchangeable expression of scorn. With an ironic
curiosity he followed his judges through the labyrinth of artfully
contrived captious questions by which they hoped to entangle him;
occasionally he gave himself, as it were for his own amusement, the
appearance of voluntarily being caught in their nets, until he finally
by a side spring tore their whole web to pieces and laughingly derided
his judges for not being able to convict him!
He was accused of having, by his cabals alone, after the death of
Catharine, effected the elevation to the throne of Anna, Duchess of
Courland. And yet they very well knew that precisely at that time
Ostermann had for weeks pretended to be suffering from illness, for
the very purpose of avoiding any intermingling with state affairs. They
accused him of having suppressed the testament of Catharine, and yet
that testament had been published in all the official journals of the
time!
Ostermann laughed loud at all of these childish accusations.
"Ah," said he, "should I be sitting in your places, and you all, though
innocent, should be standing accused before me, my word for it, I would
so involve you in questions and answers that you would be compelled
to confess your guilt! But you do not understand questioning, and old
Ostermann is a sly fox that does not allow himself to be easily caught!
The best way will be for you to declare me guilty, though I am no
criminal; for as your empress has commanded that I should be found
guilty, it would certainly be in me a crime worthy of death not to be
guilty."
"You dare to deride our empress!" cried one of the judges.