Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-12-02

ton of a warming monk, together with
the influence of Anastatia, the young
Czarina, led the Gear to abandon the
simple and straightforward methods OF
government in which he had been bred,
and for thirteen years, under the dicta-
/ ton of Alexis Adascheft and the monk
Sylvester, Ivan devoted himself to the.
| commonplace. employments of develop
ing Russia politically and socially. He
dismissed his ministers and put others
in their places. He reorganized the
army, revised the code in the interest
of abstract justice; equalized assess
ments; subdued the Tartars establish
ed forts for the protection OF the from
tiers; laid the foundation for the future
greatness of his empire; began the
work which was commenced SO grandly
under Peter the Great; introduced
printing into Russia; added greatly to
her possessions; checked the abuses of
her clergy; brought artists from west
ern Europe, and III hundred ways
made himself famous by doing those
things which historians love to chron-
icle.
Meanwhile, his genius for governing
upon the Gluiskan system lay dormant.
1t was not dead, but slept and after it's
nap of thirteen years it awoke one day,
refreshed. Anastatia, the beautiful
Queen, whose influence had been su-
preme for so long time, died, and Ivan
was free again. He recalled an old bis
hop who had been banished. for his
crimes, and consulted him IS to his future
course.
eff you wish to be truly sovereign"
said this emlneut prelate, ''never seek
a counselor wiser than yourself; never
receive advice from any man. Com
mand but never obey; and you will be a
terror to the boyards. Remember that
he who is permitted to begin by advising
is certain to end by ruling his sovereign
Here was advice of sort suited to
Ivan's taste and education, and for re-
ply he kissed the good bishops hand,
saying:
"My own father could not have spo-
ken more wisely" e....
That the Gear spoke sincerely, his
faithfulness in following the bishops
pr ecepts abundantly attests.
His Ministers and advisers being man
ifestly wiser than he, and therefore not
at all the proper kind of people to have
about, he straightway banished them.
He then began diligent search for
their parti sans, some of whom he put
to death, condemning others to impris-
onment and torture. He next turned
his attention to his own household,
which he was resolved upon ruling alb
| solutely, at least, if not well. One of
the Princes made himself disagreeable
by declining to participate freely in the
pleasures of the place, and for the sake
of domestic harmony, Ivan had him
poniarded while he was at his prayers.
Another SO far oyerstepped the bounds
of courtesy and propriety as to remon-
strate with one of thenew favorites upon
his improper conduct, and Ivan, in or
der that there might be no chickering's
and hard feelings in his family, slew the
discourteous Prince with his own hand.
He was in the habit of carrying IN
| iron rod about with him; and he had
playful way of striking his friends with
rs now and then, merely for his amuse-
ment. His pleasantries of this and other
like sorts were endless. One day Prince
Boris, a boyard, came to pay his respects
! to the Gear, and as he bowed to the
ground, according to custom, Ivan, seiz-
ing knife, said, God bless thee, my
dear Boris; thou deservest proof Of
my favor, and with that he kindly cut
the nobleman's ear off.
! When Prince Kurbsky, whom he had
| threatened with death, fed to Poland
and wrote him letter thence, telling
him pretty plainly what he thought of
him, Gear playfully struck the bearer
/ of the missive with his iron rod, as
preliminary to the reading of the letter,
and the blood flowed copiously from
the mans wounds while Ivan pondered
the words of his rebellious subject. He
then became convinced that the boyards
! generally sympathized with Kurbsky,
and to teach them better he put good
many OF them to death by torture, and
deprived many others of their estates.
His alarm was very real, however, for
he was phenomenon of abiect coward
ice. He therefore fed to fortified
place in the midst of a dense forest.
where he remained month, writing
letters to the people; telling them that
he had abdlcated and left them to their
i fate as punishment for their disloyalty
and their crimes. Singularly enough,
his flight terrified the people. He had
taught them that he was their
god as Con was his, and his fight to
Alexandrovsky seemed to them a with
drawal OF the protection of Providence
Itself. Business was suspended. The
courts ceased to sit. The people were
III an agony of terror. A large deputa-
ton OF boyards and priests journeyed to
Alexandrovsky, and besought the sover-
elgn to return and resume his holy
functions as the head Of the church,
that the souls of SO many millions might
not perish. Exacting of clergy and no
bles an admission of his absolute right
to do as he pleased, and promise that
they would in no way interfere with or
resist authority, he returned to Moscow.
Here he surrounded himself with body
guard OF desperadoes 1000 strong at
first, and afterward increased to 5000,
whose duty it was to discover the Cars
enemies and to sweep them from the face