H I S T O R Y

OF THE RUSSIAN STATE.

VOLUME IX.

CHAPTER I.

Continuation of the reign of Ivan the Terrible.

A.D. 1560 — 1564.

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The transformation in Ivan. Slander against Adashev and Sylvester. The trial. The exile of Sylvester. The death of Adashev. The beginning of evil. New favorites. The first executions. The Livonian War. The magnanimity of Bel. The capture of Fellin. The words of the Tsar of Kazan. The end of the Order. Negotiations with Sweden. The war with Lithuania. The second marriage of Ivan. The capture of Polotsk. The birth of Tsarevich Vasily. Ivan’s triumph. The death of the Tsarevich. Crimean affairs. The Sultan’s design. Events in Livonia. The truce with Sweden. The evil nature of Ivan’s spouse. The passing of Prince Yuri. The tonsure of Ivan’s daughter-in-law and the mother of Prince Vladimir. The passing of Makary. The composition of the Lives of the Saints and the Book of Degrees. The establishment of the printing house. The publication of the Bible in Ostrog. The Archbishopric of Polotsk. The white cowl of the Metropolitans. The consecration of Athanasius as Metropolitan.

The transformation in Ivan.
A.D. 1560 — 1564.

We proceed to describe the terrible transformation in the soul of the Tsar and in the destiny of the Kingdom.

Both contemporary Russians and foreigners who were then in Moscow portray this young, thirty-year-old crowned ruler as an example of monarchs who were pious, wise, and zealous for the glory and happiness of the State. The former express themselves thus: "It is Ivan’s custom to keep himself pure before God. In the temple, in solitary prayer, in the Boyar Council, and among the people, he has but one feeling: may I rule as the Almighty has commanded His true anointed ones to rule! An impartial court, the safety of each individual and of all, the integrity of the states entrusted to him, the triumph of the Faith, and the freedom of Christians are always his thoughts. Burdened with affairs, he knows no comforts other than a peaceful conscience and the pleasure of fulfilling his duty; he does not desire ordinary royal amusements. Affectionate toward the nobles and the people, loving and rewarding everyone according to their merit, eradicating poverty with generosity and evil with the example of good, this God-born Tsar wishes on the Day of Judgment to hear the voice of Mercy: you are the King of truth! and to answer with emotion: behold, I and the people whom You have given me (1)!" Foreign observers, the English who came to Russia for trade, praise him no less. "Ivan," they write, "has eclipsed his ancestors in both power and virtue; he has many enemies, and he subdues them. Lithuania, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Livonia, the Crimea, and the Nogais fear the Russian name. In his relations with his subjects, he is surprisingly indulgent and affable; he loves to converse with them, often gives them dinners at the palace, and, despite this, knows how to be commanding. He says to a Boyar: go! and the Boyar runs; he expresses displeasure to a nobleman, and the nobleman is in despair, hiding, pining in solitude, letting his hair grow as a sign of grief until the Tsar announces his forgiveness. In a word, there is no people in Europe more devoted to their Sovereign than the Russians, whom they both fear and love in equal measure. Constantly ready to hear complaints and to help, Ivan enters into everything, decides everything; he is not bored by affairs and is not entertained by hunting or music, being occupied solely with two thoughts: how to serve God, and how to destroy the enemies of Russia (2)!"