He was educated at home. In 1807 he was promoted kammerjunker; effective 9/21 April 1811, due to the patronage of the then minister of justice I.I. Dmitriev, he was ober-procurator of the 6. (Moscow) criminal department of the Senate. During these years he befriended Moscow freemasons, especially M.I. Nevsorov and N.I. Novikov, and quickly rose through the ranks, in 1807 being already Grand Master. Throughout the years 1811 to 1812 he published a cycle of poems in Nevsorov's journal "Friend of the Youth" (""), influenced by the poetry of Bobrov and Derzhavin. In his literary work he joined the opponents of Karamzin - the so-called "archaists". He also studied the Pugaschev riots.