History of the Russian State, Vol. 9

A.D. 1560 — 1561.

Is it believable that a Sovereign who was loved and adored could fall from such a height of goodness, happiness, and glory into the abyss of the horrors of tyranny? Yet the evidence for both good and evil is equally convincing and irrefutable; it remains only to present this astonishing phenomenon in its gradual changes (3).

History does not resolve the question of the moral freedom of man; but, assuming it in its judgment of deeds and characters, it explains both by, firstly, the natural properties of people and, secondly, by the circumstances or impressions of objects acting upon the soul. Ivan was born with fiery passions, with a powerful imagination, and with a mind that was sharper than it was firm or sound. A poor upbringing, having spoiled his natural inclinations, left him the means for correction in only the Faith: for even the most daring corrupters of Tsars did not dare at that time to touch this holy feeling. Friends of the fatherland and of the good, in extraordinary circumstances, knew how to move his heart with its salvific terrors; they rescued the youth from the nets of luxury and, with the help of the pious and meek Anastasia, drew him onto the path of virtue. The unfortunate consequences of Ivan’s illness upset this beautiful union, weakened the power of friendship, and prepared the change. The Sovereign had matured: passions ripen together with the mind, and self-love acts even more strongly in the years of maturity. Let it be that Ivan’s trust in the reason of his former mentors had not diminished; yet his trust in himself had increased. Grateful to them for wise advice, the Sovereign ceased to feel the need for further guidance, and he felt the burden of compulsion all the more when they, not changing their old custom, spoke boldly and decisively in all cases and did not think to cater to his human weakness. Such straightforwardness seemed to him an unseemly rudeness that was insulting to a Monarch. For example, Adashev and Sylvester did not approve of the Livonian War, asserting that one must first of all eradicate the infidels, the evil enemies of Russia and Christ; that the Livonians, although not of the Greek Confession, were nevertheless Christians and not dangerous to us; that God blesses only just wars that are necessary for the integrity and freedom of States (4). The court was filled with people devoted to these two favorites; but the brothers of Anastasia did not like them, as did many ordinary envious people who could not tolerate anyone above themselves. The latter did not slumber; they guessed the inclinations of Ivan’s heart and suggested to him that Sylvester and Adashev were cunning hypocrites who, while preaching heavenly virtue, desired worldly benefits. They stood high before the throne and did not allow the people to see the Tsar, wishing to appropriate for themselves the successes and glory of his reign, and at the same time they hindered these successes by advising the Sovereign to be moderate in his happiness, for they internally feared these successes, thinking that an excess of glory might give him a just sense of greatness that would be dangerous for their own ambition (5). They said: