his country, unless he returned, and obeyed our commands; and gave him
assurance, that if he did as we desired, and returned, we would pardon
his crime. Our envoys, after many solicitations, and the above
representation, made by us in writing, at last obtained leave of the
emperor to go and speak to our son, in order to dispose him to return
home. The imperial minister gave them at the same time to understand,
that our son had informed the emperor that we persecuted him, and that
his life was not safe with us, whereby he moved the emperor's
compassion, and induced him to take him into his protection; but that
the emperor, taking now into his consideration our true and solid
representations, promised to use his utmost endeavour to dispose him to
return to us; and would, moreover, declare to him, that he could not in
justice and equity refuse to deliver him to his father, or have any
difference with us on that account. Our envoys, upon their arrival at
Naples, having desired to deliver to him our letter, written with our
hand, sent us word, that he did refuse to admit them; but that the
emperor's viceroy had found means, by inviting him to his house, to
present them to him afterwards, much against his will. He did then,
indeed, receive our letter, containing our paternal exhortation, and
threatening our curse, but without shewing the least inclination to
return; alleging still a great many falsities and calumnies against us,
as if, by reason of several dangers he had to apprehend from us, he
could not, nor would not return; and boasting, that the emperor had not
only promised to defend and protect him against us, but even to set him
upon the throne of Russia against our will, by force of arms. Our envoys
perceiving this evil disposition, tried all imaginable ways to prevail
with him to return, they intreated him, they expatiated by turns upon
the graciousness of our assurances towards him, and upon our threats in
case of disobedience, and that we would even bring him away by force of
arms; they declared to him that the emperor would not enter into a war
with us on his account, and many other such-like representations did
they make to him. But he paid no regard to all this, nor shewed any
inclination to return to us, until the imperial viceroy, convinced at
last of his obstinacy, told him in the emperor's name, that he ought to
return; for that his imperial majesty could not by any law keep him from
us, nor, during the present war with Turkey, and also in Italy with
Spain, embroil himself with us upon his account. When he saw how the
case stood, fearing he should be delivered up to us, whether he would or
not, he at length resolved to return home; and declared his mind to our
envoys, and to the imperial viceroy: he likewise wrote the same thing to
us, acknowledging himself to be a criminal, and blameworthy. Now
although our son, by so long a course of criminal disobedience against
us, his father and lord, for many years, and particularly for the