rejoicing. Suddenly Ivan sent to his boyards, and called them all to his great hall of justice. There they saw this boy of thirteen on his throne, and they wondered what he meant by his summons.

Ivan rose up, and in a fierce voice he said, "You govern badly and cruelly. You torment the people, and you wander from town to town, taking money and doing cruel acts. There are many guilty ones among you. This time I will only punish one for an example.” Then he turned to his guards and said, "Seize the noble Andrew Chouiski."

The guards obeyed, and seized the boyard as he stood dumb with horror. Then Ivan bade them bring the hungry, fierce-mouthed hounds out of their kennels, and let them loose upon him. And there, in the midst of the hall, they tore Andrew limb from limb.

Ivan did not rest there. He sent many of his nobles into exile. Round him he collected those whom he wished to help him.

Four years later he was crowned publicly by the archbishop. But he was no more crowned Prince, but he was crowned Czar.

Now Czar was a far greater title than Prince. In the Russian Bible Pharaoh was called the Czar, and the King of Babylon was called the Czar, and David. Also the Russians called the Emperors of Rome and Constantinople Czars.

At this time so many princes and grand princes were subject to the Prince of Moscow that he needed another title to show his greatness. So Ivan chose the greatest title he knew, and was crowned Czar.

This meant more than the name only. For the name of Czar was a holy name almost to the Russian people. You remember how holy they thought the Czar of Constantinople. Now, as I said before, they were beginning to feel the same to their Czar—that it was wrong to rebel, and that he was their great master in everything, and his will was law. Presently there grew to be many sayings about the Czar, as if he was the mightiest man of the earth: "Everything I have belongs to the Czar;" "God and the Czar will it: it must be done."

So the Czar Ivan reigned. But his rule was careless and cruel. You must remember that he was untaught and ignorant. None had told him to be merciful and just. So he was violent and idle and gross. He loved to inflict suffering. He would sprinkle boiling water upon his dogs, and laugh to hear them howl and yelp; or he would punish peasants cruelly and needlessly.

But soon a change came. A terrible fire broke out at Moscow. It flamed from house to house, and passed on so quickly that seventeen hundred people were burned to death. Ivan fled to a little village

near, and in terror he watched the hungry flames light up one part of the city after another.

Then the boyards whom Ivan had not favoured cried out against those who had helped him to rule. "Ivan's friends have caused this fire by their witchcrafts," they said. "They have taken human hearts and plunged them in water, and with the water they have sprinkled the houses; hence the fire and all our miseries."

And the foolish, ignorant people, when they heard this, believed it, and grew full of wrath and madness. They rushed to the palace, and there, in the chapel, they stabbed a noble. Then they marched on to the village where Ivan was, and it was with great trouble that they were repulsed, and Ivan's life was saved.

Ivan heard their angry shouts, and his heart was full of terror. For the fear of death came upon him, and he felt that he was guilty before God, and that he could not cry to God for mercy when he had shown none to men. Then, with bitter tears, and in great terror, he vowed that from that time he would live a good life.

Then he chose two men to help him to govern. One was a priest, Silvester, and the other a noble, Adachef. They were clever men, apt to govern, clear of sight and wise of mind. Under their rule the land had rest for two years.

And Ivan married happily. His wife was Anastasia, of the family of Romanov. From her people the kings of Russia were to spring. And she was pure and mild and gentle beyond most women. Ivan loved her dearly. And she taught him what none had ever taught him yet,-lessons of mercy and purity and justice.

And the day was coming when Ivan and the Russians should win themselves glory by a mighty siege. That siege is sung of still in Russian songs.

Now the men of the great Tartar city, Kazan, on the banks of the Volga, had not yet chosen their king. For they had to pay obedience either to the Czar of Russia or the Khan of the Crimea. At last, after many disputes and much talking, they determined to be the subjects of the Czar Ivan. So Ivan sent them a boyard to take their oaths and rule them.

But there were men in Kazan who hated Ivan, and desired to belong to the Tartars. These told the ignorant people that the Russians were marching against them to slay them. Then the people in terror shut the gates of the city and barred out the men of Moscow.

Then Ivan swore a great oath, "I will make Kazan yield." So he sent his foot-soldiers with their rude cannons down the river Volga in their boats, while the cavalry followed along the banks.

Then the Russians sat down before the city. The soldiers built their little huts of branches, and covered them with straw and heather. And the horsemen with their high saddles and rich trappings fought boldly with the men sent out from Kazan, and the foot-soldiers shot at them from the "city that walks," long wooden walls that they set up to protect themselves.

Day after day the Czar offered terms of peace to the men of Kazan, and day after day they answered, "We will make no peace." Then to terrify them Ivan hung up his prisoners on high gibbets before the city. But the men of Kazan shot arrows at them, crying out, "It is better they should die by the hands of their countrymen than by the unclean hands of Christians."

But the Russians began to suffer terribly. For great storms destroyed their ships, which held the food and the shot, so that the men went hungry, and the cannons could not be used. But Ivan would not yield.

Then the sorcerers of Kazan took their stand on the walls with robes girt up, and made strange, weird signs, and called down curses on the Russians. And long floods of rain came on the Russian camp as if in answer to their spells, such floods that the soldiers' huts were swept away, and the men fell ill and died. But Ivan sent for a holy Cross from