1 68 VOYAGES

Servicej il répondit à cela fort ref-'pe&ueufement, que quelqu’lnclina-tion qu’il pût avoir de fervir un figrand Prince que fa Majefté, il dé-pendoit d’un Seigneur qui lui donnoittous les jours de nouvelles Marques defa Bonté, 6c fans le Confentementduquel fon Devoir 6c fa Reconnoif-fance ne lui promettoient pas de pro-mettre ni de faire aucune chofe. Maisdit le Czar , ,, fi j’obtenois de ton„ Maître ce Confentement, ferois-tu„ content d’être auprès de Moi? Ouirépliqua Le Fort-, mais je prie VôtreMajefté de ne le pas demander par maBouche. Le Czar fe contenta de fai-re dire alors par un de fes Interprètes,cejeune Homme parle bon RuJJien ,l’Am-baiîadeur lui répondit „qu’il avoit uneriche difpofition à apprendre tout cequ’il vouloit, qu’il parloit un trèsmauvais Allemand quand il l’avoit3 , pris auprès de lui, il n’ÿ avoit pas3 , plus de quatre mois, qu’il n’avoit3 , que deux Perfonnes à fa fuite, qui3 , parlaifent bon Allemand , 6c qu’il le3 , parloit aufli bien qu’eux 6c que lui-même, il adjouta qu’il ne fça voit pasun Mot d '"Efclavon à fon En-trée en Courlande 6c que cependantfa Majefté difoit elle-même, qu’ilparloit bon Rujfien. Le Jeune LeFort s’étoit d’abord écarté par Modef-tie quand il entendit les Louanges quelui donnoit fon Maître, ce qui fûtremarqué 6c ne fit qu’augmenter labonne Opinion que le Czar avoit dé-jà conçue pour lui, car après qu’oneût cefle de parler de lui, ce Princetournant la Tête 6c ne le voyant pointderrière la Chaife de fon Maître, demanda ou eil Le Fort ? Qu’il m’ap-porte un verre de Vin 5 on l’en aver-tit 6c il le fit d’abord) Le Czar fit àl’Ambafiadeur quelques Queftionsfurla Cour de Dannemark ôc autres cho-ies que Le Fort interprêta) il ne ditrien de plus ce jour-là, mais la pre-miere fois que l’Ambaftadeur alla à laCour, il lui dit net qu’il fouhaitoitd’avoir auprès de lui le jeune homme

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prefers, this young Man talks as goodRuffian as my felf, the Ambafladouran-fweared „ he is able to learn whatfoever,, he hasMind to,he talk’d very ba dGer-,, man when he came near me about,, four Months agoe,i have only two,, Perfons of my Retinue who do fpealc„ good German and he dos talk it,, now as well as themfelves, and he,, did not know a Word of Sclavonian,, when we came into Cttrland yet your„ Majefty finds that he fpeaks it well)In the mean while as Soon as Le Forthad heard the firit Words of his Com-mendation he out of Modefty reti-red at fomeDiftance, which being ob-ferved didn’t but increafe the goodOpinion which the C zar had concei-ved already of him , for after thisCommendation of him the Czar loo-king back and not feeing him behind! his Mailer’s Chair as before , ask’dwhere is Le Fort , let him bring me aGlafs of Wine, and being told there-of, immediatly did it ; Then theCzar put the Discourfe on the DanishI Court, and asked the AmbafTadouri feveral Queftions about it, which Le1 Fort having taken againe his Poil in-terpreted, he faid then nothing moreiof him, but the next Time the Am-bafl'adour went to Court, he told himplainly that he had great Mind to theyoung Man whom if he was contentto let him have, to ask him whether hewould be fohimfelfe, and if happenedto fay yes , he would give him oneof his own Interpreters to attend himas long as he wanted one, the Ambaf-fadour anfwear’d that the Exchangewas too advantageous to Le Fort 6cthat he wish’d him too well for notConfenting readily thereto, well, faidthe Czar , if he is fatisfy’d therewithlet him come to me, Accordingly LeFort went thereto and the Czar findinghim too tali and too old for a Page,he made him hisfirft Interpreter andhe foon became his Favorite fo farthat never or very fpldom he went anywhere, but had him along with him,

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