These reports of poison, however, have neither been confirmed nor disproved by time.

The most probable opinion is that this prince had made an immoderate use of drugs which he compounded himself, in order to recruit his constitution, shattered by debauchery and excess.

Lagusius, his chief physician, who had assisted at the autopsy of the body, declared he discovered traces of poison.

Who had administered it?
The Jacobins and _emigres_ mutually accused each other, the one party to disembarrass themselves of the armed chief of the empire, and thus spread anarchy amongst the federation of Germany, of which the emperor was the bond that united them; the others had slain in Leopold the philosopher prince, who temporised with France, and who retarded the war.

A female was spoken of who had attracted the notice of the emperor at the last _bal masque_ at the court, and it was said that this stranger, favoured by her disguise, had given him poisoned sweetmeats, without its being possible to discover from whose hand they came.