History of the Russian State, Vol. 9

A.D. 1560 — 1561.

Slander against Adashev and Sylvester.

Ivan was torn apart by grief. Everyone around him shed tears, either from true pity or in deference to the saddened Tsar, and in these tears, vile slander appeared under the guise of zeal and love, as if brought to horror by the discovery of an unheard-of crime. "Sovereign!" they said to Ivan, "You are in despair, and so is Russia, while two monsters triumph. The virtuous Tsaritsa was destroyed by Sylvester and Adashev, her secret enemies and sorcerers, for without sorcery, they could not have possessed your mind for so long (12)." They presented proofs that did not convince even the most gullible; but the Sovereign knew that since his illness, Anastasia had not liked either Sylvester or Adashev. He thought they did not like her either (13), and he accepted the slander, perhaps wishing to justify his disfavor toward them, if not with certain evidence of their villainy, then at least with suspicion. Upon learning of this denunciation, the exiles wrote to the Tsar, demanding a trial and a face-to-face confrontation with their accusers. Their enemies did not want the latter, representing to the Tsar that they were as poisonous as basilisks, that they could enchant him again with a single glance, and that, being loved by the people, the army, and all citizens, they could incite a rebellion; they claimed that fear would seal the mouths of the accusers (14).