his brother. These men would never have either the
intelligence to appreciate or the power to reward such services as the
Guards were capable of rendering to the state; whereas he, their
commander, and one of their own body, would be both able and disposed to
do them ample justice.

Couvansky also conceived the design of securing and perpetuating the
power which he hoped thus to acquire through the army by a marriage of
his son with one of the princesses of the imperial family. He selected
Catharine, who was Sophia's sister--the one next in age to her--for the
intended bride. He cautiously proposed this plan to Sophia, hoping that
she might be induced to approve and favor it, in which case he thought
that every obstacle would be removed from his way, and the ends of his
ambition would be easily and permanently attained.

But Sophia was perfectly indignant at such a proposal. It seemed to her
the height of presumption and audacity for a mere general in the army to
aspire to a connection by marriage with the imperial family, and to a
transfer, in consequence, of the supreme power to himself and to his
descendants forever. She resolved immediately to adopt vigorous measures
to defeat these schemes in the most effectual manner. She determined to
kill Couvansky. But, as the force which he commanded was so great that
she could not hope to accomplish any thing by an open contest, she
concluded to resort to stratagem. She accordingly pretended to favor
Couvansky's plans, and seemed to be revolving in her mind the means of
carrying them into effect. Among other things, she soon announced a
grand celebration of the Princess Catharine's fete-day, to be held at the
Monastery of the Trinity, and invited Couvansky to attend it.[2]
Couvansky joyfully accepted this invitation, supposing that the occasion
would afford him an admirable opportunity to advance his views in respect
to his son. So Couvansky, accompanied by his son, set out on the
appointed day from Moscow to proceed to the monastery. Not suspecting
any treachery, he was accompanied by only a small escort. On the road he
was waylaid by a body of two hundred horsemen, whom Galitzin, Sophia's
minister of state, had sent to the spot. Couvansky's guard was at once
overpowered, and both he and his son were taken prisoners. They were
hurried at once to a house, where preparations for receiving them had
already been made, and there, without any delay, sentence of deat