Though these greatly exceeded the forces of Dmitri in numbers, yet the fortune of the day was often in favour of the latter, animated by the personal bravery, the intrepidity, and eloquence of their commander, who at length remained master of the field. This victory gained over the superior army of the czar, greatly augmented the number of those who believed that Dmitri was favoured of heaven, and therefore assuredly could be no impostor. To strengthen this opinion, as a conqueror he treated the prisoners with familiarity and kindness; the dead of the hostile army he caused to be decently interred, and ordered his troops to behave with humanity in the places he captured; whereas, on the other side, the Russian soldiers committed horrible excesses in the districts where the inhabitants had shown any predilection (partiality) for Dmitri. It is likewise highly probable that some of the generals of the czar's troops were not heartily (sincerely) attached to Boris, and might at least wish for a revolution in the government, by having another czar on the throne, though they did not really believe the legitimacy (lawfulness) of Dmitri's pretensions (claims). All these concurrent (happening at the same time) circumstances increased on the one hand the adherents of Dmitri, and on the other, were the occasion that the czar's measures for defeating this man, who was striving for his throne and his life, had not the wished for effect. Unluckily for the czar, just at this time strong corruscations (flashes) in the heavens, and, what was more, a comet appeared in the sky; phenomena (uncommon appearances) which the Russians, extremely superstitious and totally ignorant of natural causes, immediately regarded as manifest demonstrations (proofs) that God was supporting the cause of Dmitri. Boris, to whom Sweden had already proffered her aid, but which he had rejected, in a moment of despair and weakness, poisoned himself in 1605. On his death, though some of the principal nobility at Moscow made choice of his son as czar, yet, seeing now that the major part of the army had already declared for Dmitri, so likewise the generality of the people espoused (embraced) his cause. Dmitri sent another manifesto (proclamation) to the people of Moscow, assuring them again of his lawful claim to the throne, and exhorting them to be true to him; thereby producing

H

so great an effect, that the new czar, Feodor, the son of Boris, was dethroned and put in prison, with his mother and sister; which done, his successful antagonist( enemy) shortly after made a magnificent entry into Moscow, attended by a great number of Poles.

Having now, therefore, attained (reached) his aim, and placed himself on the throne of the czars, he might probably have been able to have maintained his seat, had he possessed, with his other good qualities, a greater degree of prudence; but in this he was deficient (wanting). He fancied that as he had succeeded in the chief concern, all subordinate (inferior) matters could be carried through at pleasure, and thus he himself smoothed the way which his enemies had taken in order to his overthrow (ruin). His predilection for the Polish nation was such that he had not only brought with him several thousand Poles to Moscow, held much more intercourse (communication) with the principal Poles than with the Russians, and conferred upon them high posts and dignities, but that he even connived (winked) at the extravagancies of all kinds of which they were guilty, as their contempt of the Russians, their ridiculing the rites and customs of the country, and the insults they offered to the Russian women; his partiality (preference) every where apparent for the Catholic religion; his indifference towards the public worship of the Greek church, and his want of reverence for the clergy; his marrying a Polish lady; the frequent reproaches that he made to the boyars (nobles) and other great men that he had been under the necessity of forcing them to acknowledge him; were all so manifest and shocking, that in various places discontents arose, and the joy with which he had seemed to be received at first, was not only turned into indifference, but into hatred and contempt. Dmitri had, indeed, drawn over to his side even the widow of the deceased Ivan, so as that she owned him for her son, though that acknowledgment by no means rendered the belief in his legitimacy general. His adversaries asserted that his foreign manners were a sufficient proof that he could not be sprung from the blood of the Russian czars. But the aversion (dislike) to him rose to its height upon his marriage with Marina. That she was not a native Russian, therefore not of the Greek religion; that a great armed retinue had

attended her from Poland to Moscow; that at the marriage ceremony the Poles were preferred to the Russians, and the latter, in general, treated contemptuously; excited in the people murmurs and detestation against the czar. But when, in addition to this, the report was spread that Dmitri had constructed the timber fort before Moscow, only for the purpose of giving his bride a martial spectacle, on which occasion the Poles and his body-guard, consisting of foreigners, were to throw firebrands and to commit a dreadful slaughter among the spectators, in order to fix him more surely on the throne, and to make away with a great number of people, their hatred to him grew even to fury, and the wish to get rid of him was openly expressed. Schuiskoy, a prince whom Dmitri had injured, took advantage of this opportunity, put himself at the head of an enraged populace (mob), still further incensed by the clergy, who declaimed (preached) loudly against the czar as a heretic, and led them on to storm the imperial palace. A dreadful slaughter ensued, not only among the Poles who were present, but on all that could be found in the purlieus (neighbourhood) of Moscow, where such as escaped with their lives were thrown into prison. Dmitri himself ran off, but being overtaken by his pursuers was thrust through with a spear; and his body, being brought back, lay three days before the palace, exposed to every insult and outrage that wanton malice could invent or rage inflict. The father-in-law and the consort (wife) of Dmitri, with a number of other Poles, were exempted from the general havoc among their countrymen, but were detained in custody.

READING XLV.

FIRST ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ENGLISH IN THE EAST INDIES.

1610.

THE successful voyages to the East Indies of Drake, Stephens, Cavendish, and others, induced several of the principal merchants of London to form a company in

1600. They obtained an exclusive privilege to trade with India, for the space of fifteen years, with the proviso (condition,) that if this privilege should be found prejudicial to the state, it should be abolished, and the company broken up, two years' previous notice of such intention being given to the partners.

The funds of this company were, at first, but very inconsiderable. The equipment of four vessels, which set sail in the beginning of the year 1601, absorbed a great portion, and the remainder was expended in merchandise of various kinds, &c. &c.

John Lancaster, who conducted the expedition, arrived the following year at the port of Achen, then a very celebrated mart. The intelligence of the recent naval victories of England (over the Armada) had prepared for that officer the most flattering reception. The king treated him, in every respect, as his equal, and as a great proof of his condescension, ordered his wives, richly dressed, to play before him, upon their musical instruments. This mark of favour was followed by every facility being afforded him for the establishment of a sure and advantageous commerce. The English admiral was afterwards equally well received at Bontam; and a vessel which he had despatched to the Moluccas, returned heavily laden with cloves and nutmegs. With these valuable spices, and the peppers which he had procured at Java, and Sumatra, he arrived safely in Europe.

The company, which had entrusted its interests to this able man, were determined by this first success to form establishments in the Peninsula of India, but only with the consent of the natives. They were averse from commencing conquests, and resolved that their expeditions should be those of humane and upright merchants only. They thus made themselves beloved, it is true, but this attachment did not put them into a situation to compete (rival) with the former settlers, who made themselves feared.

The Portuguese and the Dutch possessed extensive provinces, places well fortified, and good ports, advantages which secured their trade, not only against the natives but against all interlopers (intruders); facilitated their returns to Europe, afforded them the means of getting rid of the goods they carried into Asia, and of obtaining,

upon advantageous terms, such as they wished to purchase. The English, on the contrary, dependent upon the uncertainty of the seasons, and the caprice of the people, without power, or even a place of refuge, and entirely relying upon England for pecuniary resources, were totally incapacitated, according to the then received opinions, from prosecuting an advantageous commerce. It was thought that great riches were only to be acquired by great crimes, and that to surpass or even rival their competitors, it was necessary to imitate their example.

Amid such difficulties, the establishment of a permanent (lasting) and profitable commerce appeared almost chimerical (fanciful); but the company flattered itself that it would be protected, because it was useful. Its hopes were delusive ones. It could obtain nothing from James I., a weak and pedantic monarch, better calculated for the rector of a university than the sovereign of a mighty empire. The assistance denied it by its sovereign was, however, amply compensated for by the activity, perseverance, and discretion of the company. They built forts, and founded colonies in the islands of Java, Pouleron, Amboyna, and Banda, and thus shared with the Dutch the rich spice trade, which will ever be the most permanent one of the east, since it is founded upon the real wants of mankind.

The Dutch, however, had not expelled the Portuguese from the spice islands, for the purpose of allowing the establishment of another nation there, whose great maritime power, character and government, rendered the rivalship still more formidable. They possessed numberless advantages over their competitors, powerful colonies, a well-disciplined navy, well-cemented alliances, the knowledge of the country, and a perfect acquaintance with the theory as well as practice of commerce, all of which the English were deficient in.

After several fierce combats, of which the Indian ocean was the theatre, the two companies signed, in 1619, a treaty, by which it was agreed that the Moluccas, Amboyna, and Banda should belong in common to the two nations; that the English should have one-third, and the Dutch two-thirds of the produce, the price of which should be fixed; that each party should contribute, in proportion to their interest, to the defence of these