I.S. Peresvetov The Legend of Magmet-Saltan Middle of the 16th century

The king of the Turks, Magmet-saltan, was himself a wise philosopher according to his books on Turkish, and he read the Greek books, and writing word for word in Turkish, some great wisdom came from King Magmet. Let the rivers say tacos to their seits, and pashas, and lightning, and Abyz: “Great wisdom is written about the faithful Tsar Konstantin. You are wise philosophers yourself, but look in your wise books, as he writes about the great Tsar Konstantin: he was born the source of military wisdom; it is written: from his sword, all the sunflower could not be preserved. Yes, he remained young in his father's kingdom, three years old from his kind; and from malice and from an unclean assembly, from tears and from the blood of the human race, his nobles became rich, and they broke the righteous judgment, but innocently condemned according to bribes. Yes, the same innocent blood and tears went like a pillar to the Lord God into heaven with great lamentation. The lords of the tsar grew rich from the unclean assembly until the age of the tsar. At the age of the king, and the king began to sober up from his youth and began to come to great wisdom to the military and to his royal birth. And his nobles, seeing that the king comes to great wisdom and to his royal birth, may he not sit down from his warrior’s horse, and it is written about him from the wise philosophers in all countries: from his sword all the sunflower cannot be preserved, and the nobles they said tacos: "We will have a vain life from him, and our wealth will have fun with others." And the speech of Magmet-saltan, the king of Turkey, was said by his wise philosopher: “You see, as they are rich, they are so lazy, and they attacked Tsar Konstantin with enmity and caught him with their great cunning and intrigues, devilish charms, his wisdom and happiness tamed, and the sword they lowered his royal court with their charming hostility, and his sword was high over all his enemies, and they contrived their heresy. And the speech of Magmet-saltan, the king of Tur, was his wise philosopher: “You see, God does not like cunning and pride and laziness, the Lord God opposes this, with his unquenchable wrath he executes for that? Do you already see that God gave us such a great king, and according to the writings of a wise innate military source about Greek pride and slyness? And their hostility angered God, even such a wise king was attacked by their hostility and caught him with their craftiness and tamed his army. And I’ll tell you about that, my wise philosopher: take care of me in everything, so that we don’t anger God in anything.

In the summer of 6960, the first king, Magmet-Saltan of Tur, ordered all income from the whole kingdom to be transferred to the imati treasury, and he did not give governorships to anyone in any city so that they would not be deceived, would not be judged by unrighteousness, and betrothed his nobles from the treasury own, royal, who deserves what. And he gave judgment to the whole kingdom, and commanded that he should be sentenced to himself in the treasury, so that the judges would not be tempted and would not judge by unrighteousness. Yes, he ordered the judges: "Do not make friends with unrighteousness, but do not anger God, but hold on to the truth that God loves." Yes, he sent his judges through the hail, pasha faithful and kadii and shiboshii and amini, and ordered to judge directly. And Magmet-saltan tako rivers: "My beloved, faithful brothers, judge directly and give God heartfelt joy."

I.S. Peresvetov

The legend of Magmet-saltan

Mid 16th century

Yes, for a little time, King Magmet searched his judges, as they judge, and they brought malice before the king, that they were judged by the promise. And the king did not blame them for this, only ordered them to live odiratis. Yes, rivers tacos: "If they become overgrown with a body again, otherwise they will be guilty of that." And he ordered their skins to be made, and he ordered them to be filled with paper, and he ordered to write on their skins: “Without such a thunderstorm, it is not possible to enter the realm of truth.” True heartfelt joy to God: keep the truth in your kingdom, and bring the truth to the king in your kingdom, otherwise do not spare your loved one, he found the one to blame. And it’s not possible for the king to be without a thunderstorm; like a horse under a king without a bridle, so is a kingdom without a thunderstorm.

The king said: “It is not possible for the king to keep the kingdom without a thunderstorm. As if Konstantin the Tsar gave his will to the nobles and gladdened their hearts; but they rejoiced about it and judged not by justice, and condemned both the plaintiff, according to their faith, according to the Christian kiss, to the right and the guilty; and both are wrong, and the plaintiff and the defendant, - having applied his own battle, he seeks, and the other will be forbidden everything: he neither beat, nor plundered; without searching his lawsuit, but both kiss the cross, but betray God, and they themselves will perish forever from God. And those who do not remember the truth in their hearts, otherwise they anger God, otherwise eternal torment is prepared for them. And with those wrong judges in everything, the Greeks fell into heresy, and in the kissing of the cross they did not put sin on themselves, they angered God in everything.

And King Magmet instructed from great wisdom that there is such a judgment, great sin and God is angry. And he gave one the lots of the kiss of the cross; kiss the cross, directing a fiery arrow against the heart and a crossbow against the throat, and stand until such death is opposed, until ten orders from his spiritual father will speak the Evangelical parables: do not lie, do not steal, do not wake up on a lie, honor your father and mother, love your neighbor like himself. That is, the tsar gave the Greek, from the lots of the kissing of the cross: if the fiery arrow will not kill him, and the crossbow will not be released on him, and he will kiss the cross, and take his own, in what was his judgment. And the Turk gave a sharp sword through the sword, bowing his throat and shert piti, and the sword was pointed. And he ordered his lightnings to be at that place and punish them according to their Turkish faith from the same Greek custom: if there is a sword from aiming at him, he won’t break his throat, and he will bring his speech, and through the sword shert drinks, and his He will take what judgment was for him, that is, God's judgment. And he judged the fields for them in his kingdom without kissing the cross: naked flattery in prison, cut with razors, and they will put a razor alone in a secret place, and whoever finds it is right - that is, God's judgment: he will take his own, on which the judgment was , but he is free to release his guilty one alive from the dungeon, he is free to slaughter him.

King Magmet, on the other hand, managed to do a great deal of what great truth he introduced into his kingdom, and he pointed out great signs of formidability so that people would not weaken in anything and would not anger God. And King Magmet removed that wisdom from Greek books, a model - such was the Greek being. And Magmet-Saltan brought a right judgment into his kingdom, and brought out a lie, and gave God heartfelt joy, and rivers like this: “God loves the truth of the best of everything: it’s not possible for the king to keep the kingdom without a thunderstorm; as if Tsar Konstantin gave his will to his nobles and gladdened their hearts, they rejoiced about it and uncleanly took, they grew rich, and the land and the kingdom wept and bathed in troubles. And for this, the Lord God was angry with Tsar Constantine and his nobles and the whole kingdom of Greece with his unquenchable anger against his saints, because they abhorred the truth and did not know that God loves truth most of all. Are you bringing me to the same thing, so that God would be angry, and I would also die with you?

And he sent his direct judges to those cities, threatening them with his royal storm, and gave them the books of judgment, according to which they should rule and blame. And the court gave them a dishonorable demon for every city, and sent to every city of his and to his whole kingdom pasha, and kadiya, and shubash, and amen, that is, judges of the king in every city. And he ordered his warriors to be judged with a great thunderstorm of death penalty duty-free so that they would not be tempted to judge unrighteousness. And he chose his judges from the treasury with his royal salary so that they would not be tempted to judge by unrighteousness. And the warriors are judged by pashas, under whom there are many troops in the regiment, and he knows his army; and judges directly for the great thunderstorm of the kings duty-free and free of charge, and their judgment is carried out quickly.

And thus the tsar contrived and multiplied his heart and his army and gladdened all his army. On the 3rd year he betrothed them for a year with his royal salary from his treasury, who deserves what, and his treasury has no end, God fulfilled for his great truth, that from all his kingdom, from cities, and from volosts, and from estates, and from estates - He ordered to collect all the income to his royal treasury at every hour. And the collectors of those from the treasury he betrothed with his salary, who take the tsar’s treasury, and after the collectors he searches whether they are taken by order of the king, but so that his kingdom does not become impoverished. And his royal army does not dismount from a horse, and they do not let go of weapons from their hands. And the heart always rejoices with its warrior with its royal salary and alatha and with its royal speech. And he said this to all his army: “Do not be bored, brethren, with the service; we cannot be on earth without service; although the king blunders a little, and he becomes merciful, sometimes his kingdom will be impoverished and another king will get it from the neglect of the king. It’s like the heavenly according to the earthly, and the earthly according to the heavenly: the Aggels of God, the heavenly forces, do not emit a fiery weapon from their hands for a single hour, they guard and guard the human race from Adam and every hour, and even those heavenly forces do not get bored with service. So the king of Turus, Magmet-saltan, increased the heart of his army, and yet his warriors praised the royal speech and said: “Do we do God’s will like that, that God loves the army, and whom we will kill in battle, otherwise it is written to them, we wash away those sins with my own blood; otherwise the Lord takes our soul in his holy hand, and the warriors of heavenly heights are filled with such pure ones.

The king of Tursk managed to keep 40 thousand Yanychans with him every day, great shooters of fire arrows, and gives them a salary, alaf every day. In order to keep them close at home, so that an enemy would not appear in his land and commit treason, and would not fall into sin, the mad king consumes, multiplies himself and becomes proud, and he wants to be a king, and he will not get the same but he himself will perish forever from his sin, and there will be no kingdom without a king; for this the king saves. And some of his faithful beloved people, loving the king, faithfully serve him, the sovereign, about his royal salary. The king is wise, who gladdens the heart of a warrior - he is strong and glorious with warriors. And he ordered his pashas and nobles against any enemy to be placed in the first regiments so that they would be fiercely placed against the enemy, and the young people would not be horrified, which are not so powerful, and looking at them, they would be fierce towards the enemy. The king of Turos has warriors with great wisdom and science placed against the enemy to play a mortal game. And the thunderstorm of the great Tsar Tsar is such on his orders: “And who does not honestly want to die in a mortal game with my enemy for my state a great salary, how brave youths die, playing with my enemies in a mortal game, here they will die from my sovereign disgrace, let it be dishonorable to him and his children, which the warrior beats with a heel.

Yes, Magmet-Saltan, the king of Tur, appointed another king after himself from those years to now, and throughout the kingdom he gave a wave to serve with his nobles, to whomever you wake. And he did not order them to be enslaved, not to be enslaved, but to serve them voluntarily. And he said tacos to his nobles: “There is only one God over us, and we are his slaves. Pharaoh the king was enslaved by the Israelites and God was angry with him with his holy unquenchable anger, but drowned him with the Red Sea. Yes, he ordered books to be brought before him full and reports, and he ordered them to be burned with fire. And Polonyanikol taught a lesson, until someone rob, at seven years he will grow out, and he will be able to nine years. But if someone bought someone dearly, and after nine years he will keep him, and there will be a complainant against him from a loner, otherwise the royal and the death penalty fell on him: do not do what God does not love, watch God, so as not to anger him in nothing, but remember the commandment of the king and keep it.

And all that King Magmet-Saltan wrote off from Christian books that wisdom - such is suitable for the Christian king to do the will of God. And Magmet-saltan’s speech is taco: “In which kingdom people are enslaved, and in that kingdom people are not brave and not bold to fight against an enemy: they are enslaved, and that person is not afraid of shame, but does not earn honor for himself, but speech is taco : "Although a hero or not a hero, however, if you are a serf of sovereigns, another name will not come to me." And in the kingdom of Konstantinov, under Tsar Konstantin Ivanovich, his noblemen were the best people, and they were enslaved into captivity, and all those were not fighters against the enemy, both horse and armored; and it was colorful to see his nobles, the regiments against the enemy did not hold the battle tightly and flowed away from the battle and gave horror to the regiment, and they were deceived by another king. And then King Magmet, understanding, gave them freedom, and took them to his regiment, and they became the best people with the king, who were in captivity with the king's nobles. Otherwise, they stood at will in the name of the Tsar, and each one began to stand fiercely against the enemy, and tear apart the regiments of enemies and play a deadly game, and earn honor for themselves. And the king of the rivers: “Behold, thou hast consoled God and done God’s will, that God loves, and behold, thou hast added brave youths to the regiment.” The king of Turos has 300,000 warriors against the enemies of learned men, and all of them are cheerful at heart, from the tsar's salary and from the alaf, if they go to fight, and they go quietly. On the day they live on three trades: hurt, yes about noon, yes in the evening; everything is set at a price, what to give for what, but everything will be bought by weight; but they outline those auctions to trade for guests, for trading people, to walk around the city with an army with everything. What someone needs to buy, and he will pay the price, yes he will take it; and he will not pay the price that is indicated, otherwise the death penalty, and you will not spare the best. But if he deceives, he doesn’t give as much as he holds weight, or he takes a price that’s not the same, or more than the charter of the king, to which the king set the price, otherwise such a person is the death penalty, that he violates the king’s commandment.

Someone who stands firmly against the enemy, plays a death game, and tears apart the regiments of enemies, and faithfully serves the king, although from a smaller tribe, and he raises him to majesty, and gives him a great name, and adds a lot of salaries to him, for that he grows heart as a warrior.<…>

And if the king himself does not go against the enemy, and he sends the wise pasha to his place as king, and orders all pashas to listen to and honor him, as the king himself. And all of his regiments are discharged with warriors for tenths and for centurions, and those centurions for thousandths, so that there would be no tatba and robbery in his regiments, and games, costarism, and drunkenness. And if they find anything, a horse or an argamak, or for a fee, or whatever it is, and they carry it or take it to the larger pasha to the tent; and who has lost something, and he will find at the tent of the big pasha, and before that he will pay according to the tsar's charter, what happened for what. And there will be a tatba in the army or robbery or something else, but they won’t take it to the tent or they won’t take it away, otherwise people, tati and robbers, the search of the kings lives firmly on such a dashing search for a foreman and a centurion and a thousandth; and whoever hides a dashing man in his ten, another foreman with a dashing man will be executed by the death penalty, so that the dash does not multiply; Less than a disgraced people prison before the search of the king. And in the city he has the same tens and centurions and tyasyshniks for dashing people, for thiefs and for robbers and for thieves, and here they are executed by death; and the foreman will hide the dashing of a person in his ten, sometimes he will be searched by the whole hundred, otherwise he will have the same death penalty.

And at Tsar Konstantin they judged the thieves and the robbers and the scoundrels in a suit for their malice and the unclean assembly of his nobles, but for all that they angered God, with their wrong judgments, from tears and from the blood of the Christian family, they were rich in the language of the robbers; whoever was rich with them is to blame, but in vain from them people directly died, they received martyrdom. And the thieves and robbers were allowed to pay back, they were uncleanly taken, they were deceived in everything and God was angry. Magmet-Saltan wrote off that wisdom and righteous judgment from Christian books, and rivers tacos: “Why were small speeches deceived, uncleanly taken and the path of the kingdom of heaven was lost, God was angry in everything? If only a great bulk of gold could find an unclean congregation, the Lord God will avenge up to the ninth generation with many terrible signs. And gather the unclean things yourself, how can you give God an answer?”<…>

Pub. Quoted from: Works by Ivan Peresvetov / Comp. A.A. Zimin. Preparation D.S. Likhachev. M.; L.: AN SSSR, 1956, pp. 151–161.

The nature and content of Russian journalistic literature, starting from the 40s of the 16th century, are determined mainly by the struggle of the rising nobility and the boyars, who were rapidly declining to political and economic decline, since the establishment of the oprichnina in 1564, they finally lost their former social privileges.

Peresvetov. The most prominent ideologist of the nobility in the era of Ivan the Terrible is Ivan Peresvetov, who arrived in Russia from Lithuania at the end of 1538-. early 1539 and declared itself from the end of the 40s of the 16th century. as the author of several journalistic stories and two petitions to Ivan the Terrible. In both, he is an apologist for the autocratic Russian state, which primarily supports the interests of the nobility and is organized on the basis of a regularly functioning bureaucratic and military apparatus. His writings reflected such works as the story of Nestor-Iskander about the capture of Constantinople, the story of Dracula, as well as Western European historical writings.

In "The Tale of Tsar Constantine Peresvetov allegorically depicts the dominance of the boyar party at the time of Grozny's infancy. Peresvetov here, as in his other writings, is a supporter of the royal “thunderstorm.

In the Great Petition to Ivan the Terrible, Peresvetov, referring to the Volosh governor, already speaks directly about the dominance of the boyars in the Russian kingdom.

In "The Tale of Magmet-Saltan" in a disguised form, a whole political program is presented, anticipating the later state reforms of Ivan the Terrible, in particular the establishment of the oprichnina. The "Legend" begins with an image of the fate of Byzantium. The last Byzantine king Constantine was a humane and meek ruler. The boyars took advantage of these qualities of the king, who deprived him of strength and power, as a result of which Byzantium was conquered by the Turks. Magmet-saltan, the conqueror of Byzantium, believed that the most important thing in state affairs was truth. This truth he subtracted from the Greek Christian books when he took Constantinople.

Magmet, realizing that the king is strong and glorious in his army, takes care of creating an exemplary army and patronizes him in every possible way. Magmet eradicates any offenses severely and mercilessly, guided by the fact that "like a horse under a king without a bridle, so a kingdom without a thunderstorm." Considers his subjects Magmet not according to their degree of nobility.

Magmet, finally, is an opponent of slavery, which he abolishes in his state, because "in which kingdom people are enslaved, and in that kingdom people are not brave and are not brave to fight against the enemy." Peresvetov's writings are written in a simple, energetic language, almost completely alien to the elements of Church Slavonic speech, without quotations from "holy scripture" common among his contemporaries.

Correspondence between Kurbsky and Grozny

A.M. Kurbsky- Publicist, prolific writer, author of three epistles to Ivan the Terrible and "The History of the Grand Duke of Moscow", written in Lithuania. Close boyar of Tsar Ivan, governor. He betrayed the king and went over to the side of the Lithuanians (the city of Volmer). He threw down an open challenge to the all-powerful autocrat.

Kurbsky's style reveals in him a skillful orator who combines the pathos of speech with the harmony and strict formal logic of its construction. In this regard, he inherited the literary traditions of his teachers - Maxim Grek and the Trans-Volga elders. Accuses.

Ivan is shocked by Kurbsky's message. And not only by the content of the letter, but by the fact that someone dared to enter into a daring polemic with him.

The first messages of the addressees.

Message from Kurbsky. In the very first message to Grozny (1564) and transmitted to him through Vasily Shibanov's servant, Kurbsky denounces the tsar for cruelty towards the boyars. He addresses him with an angry speech built in the form of rhetorical questions and exclamations. Further, Kurbsky lists all the persecutions that he endured from Grozny, beginning this part of the letter something like this: “What evil and persecution have I not suffered from you!”. Reproaches the king. Kurbsky promises to put this writing with him in the coffin, going to the judgment of God. He talks about the reasons for his flight to Lithuania: “What kind of persecution and evil have I not suffered from you?!”. Clarity of composition, clarity of style. I wanted to convey my point of view to contemporaries.

Having soon received Grozny's wordy message interspersed with lengthy quotations in response to his slender message, Kurbsky speaks of Grozny's style. This is a "broadcast", "much noise", "angry" message. Kurbsky is surprised that Grozny decided to send such an awkward message to a foreign land.

Kurbsky’s resentment against Grozny was all the stronger because K. recognized himself as one of those princes persecuted by Grozny, who, like the tsar, descended “from the family of the great Vladimir,” which the disgraced prince reminded his persecutor. Kurbsky negatively assessed Grozny's literary style. He is hostile to the king. He is trying to compromise him not only as a sovereign, a person, but also as a writer.

Terrible's message. Didn't hesitate to answer. His letter is addressed not only to the disgraced prince, but to the entire Russian land. The size of the message is amazing. Grozny's response letter is almost 20 times larger than his opponent's letter. It begins with a long enumeration of the Orthodox rulers of the Russian land. Thus, Tsar Ivan wanted to outdo Kurbsky. Next come the endless accusations of the prince of treason, extensive quotations from the Apostle Paul.

Grozny was a well-read man, but the academically restrained eloquence of K. was alien to him. In the writings of Ivan the Terrible, the spontaneity and ease of his speech, as well as his hot writing temperament, were more pronounced.

Grozny was brought up on the Josephite literary traditions. Strongly opposed to the tsar sharing his power with the boyars and against their interfering with his orders. Tsarist power, according to Grozny, is not subject to criticism from the subjects, just as divine power is not subject to criticism. Referring to the Apostle Paul, he asserts that all authority is imposed by God, and therefore he who opposes authority opposes God. For his actions, the king is responsible to God, and not to his "serfs." With anger and irritation, Grozny lists all the oppressions and insults that he endured from the boyars during his childhood. In his epistles, he found typical features of the style of his teachers - the Josephites. Grandeur, pomposity, a penchant for a solemn Church Slavonic phrase mixed with vernacular, rude and abusive words, prosaic everyday details, figurative expressions. The epithets "dog", "dog" are often applied by Grozny to his enemies.

Correspondence. Kurbsky ridiculed the form of writing, the language and style of Grozny. The irony is just that. Such epithets as "broadcast", "multi-noisy". He reproaches Grozny for mixing styles. The prince reproaches the king that it is not worth sending a barbaric message to a foreign country, where people can only laugh at such a letter.

The second epistle of Ivan the Terrible to Kurbsky (1577) is many times shorter than the first ( Brevity - light, - approx. auth.), written more simply and clearly, colloquially. Expressive and pictorial language. There are common phrases. Grozny ironically triumphs over the fugitive prince.

Kurbsky sends a third message to Grozny. Life abroad of his native land left its mark on the language and style of Kurbsky's letters. There are more and more polonisms in the letters. The messages are built under the influence of Latin rhetoric (textbooks of oratory).

Epistle to the abbot. Even greater irony, combined with ostentatious self-abasement, is permeated by the letter of the Terrible to the abbot of the Kirillo-Belozersky monastery Kozma and the brethren, written in 1573. The disgraced boyars were exiled to this monastery by the Terrible, violating the monastic charter there and arranged for themselves a free life. The message was sent in response to the request of Kozma and the ordinary monastic brethren to settle down the forgotten well-born monks with harsh royal instructions.

The message of Ivan the Terrible, as we see, in addition to its style, very imaginative and emotionally rich, is valuable as a monument that clearly depicts the everyday way of life.

I.S. Peresvetov

Mid 16th century

Ivan Peresvetov is an outstanding writer-publicist, ideologist of the service nobility. Arriving in Russia from Lithuania in 1538, at the height of the boyar "autocracy", he actively joined the political struggle: in "insults" and "red tape" he "wasted" his entire "dog".

Peresvetov repeatedly filed petitions addressed to the young Grand Duke, spoke with allegorical journalistic stories, proving the need for an autocratic form of government by the state and the elimination of the boyars.

Resorting to historical parallels, he portrayed the significant shortcomings of the political life of Moscow and gave practical advice on how to eliminate them.

Peresvetov spoke about the detrimental effect on the fate of the state of the boyar form of government in The Tale of Tsar Constantine. A positive political program - a bold project of state reforms, he outlined in a publicistic pamphlet of 1547, The Tale of Magmet-Saltan.

The pamphlet is built on a transparent historical allegory: Emperor Constantine is opposed to Magmet: Saltan. In the description of the reign of Tsar Constantine, who entered the kingdom after the death of his father three years old, which was used by the nobles of the tsar, contemporaries recognized the events of the recent past: the infancy of Grozny, the struggle for power of the Belsky and Shuisky boyars.

These nobles "before the age of the tsar grew rich from the foamy assembly", they destroyed the righteous court, condemned the innocent according to "bribes", "were rich from tears and from the blood of the human race."

The boyars, who "the wise king was attacked with their enmity and caught with their cunning and tamed his army," were the main cause of the death of Constantinople. It is the nobles, according to Peresvetov, who are the cause of the impoverishment and disorganization of the Russian state.

Peresvetov embodies his political ideal in the formidable autocratic wise lord Magmet-Saltan. Peresvetov, as it were, teaches a clear political lesson to the young Ivan IV, who had just been crowned king and declared himself the king of all Russia.

Magmet-Saltan, relying on the wisdom of the “Greek books” and on his army, i.e., the serving nobility, adamantly follows the motto: “It is not powerful to keep the king without a thunderstorm ... the king will get it."

Saltan's personal guard consists of 40,000 Janissaries, "so that his enemy does not appear in his lands and commit treason and fall into sin." Magmet understands that only “he is strong and glorious with the army”, and Ivan Peresvetov raises the question of the need to create a regular army with obligatory monetary remuneration for service.

He emphasizes that Magmet-Saltan notes the merits of his warriors - those who are much “against the enemy with games of death ... And there is no knowledge of what kind of father they are children. Whoever serves me faithfully and stands fiercely against the enemy, he will be the best with me, ”says Magmet-Saltan.

Here the point of view of a serving nobleman is clearly expressed, who wants to be awarded by the sovereign for faithful service, for his personal merits, and not for the merits of the family. It is for military prowess that Magmet rewards warriors and even the one who is "from a smaller tribe, and he raises him to majesty."

Peresvetov believes that the management of the army is best built with the help of tenth, hundredth and thousandth, which will strengthen the morale of the soldiers and make them a reliable support for the sovereign. He anticipates in the pamphlet the establishment of the oprichnina (after all, oprichniki are a kind of devoted Janissaries, faithful dogs of the sovereign).

Peresvetov proposes to carry out a number of transformations in internal management: in the local apparatus, the court, and the state treasury.

He considers it necessary to destroy the “feeding” system, when the governor (governor) collects taxes in his favor, and proposes to collect all taxes from cities, townships, estates, estates into the sovereign’s treasury, and pay the collectors a salary. Thus, the governor turns into a state official.

Management in cities should be built according to the type of military, which, according to Peresvetov, will make it possible to fight against "dashing people."

Magmet-Saltan is Peresvetov's champion of truth and justice. He eradicates “untruth”, covetousness and bribery in the courts with the help of harsh and harsh measures: he orders bribe-taking judges to “live flocks”, saying: “Do they grow over the body again, otherwise the wine is given to them.” And he orders their skin to be stuffed with paper and nailed in court with the inscription: "Without such thunderstorms of truth in the kingdom, it is not possible to introduce."

Peresvetov believes in the possibility of establishing a fair trial with the help of such "radical measures". With the same drastic measures, Magmet-Saltan achieves the eradication of theft and robbery in his kingdom: “But the king does not have a Tatya and a robber in a Turkish prison, on the third day he will be executed by death so that the hardship does not multiply.”

Peresvetov speaks as an opponent of slavery, meaning by it bondage servility: “In which the kingdom people are enslaved, and in that kingdom people are not brave and not brave to fight against the enemy: an enslaved person is not afraid of shame, but does not earn honor for himself, although he is strong or not strong, and speaks like this: however, if a serf, no other name will come to me.

This position of the publicist of the 16th century is the prehistory of A. N. Radishchev’s “Conversations about what is the son of the fatherland”.

As A. A. Zimin notes, in his social religious and philosophical views, Peresvetov outgrows the limits of noble limitation. In his writings, there are no traditional references to the authority of the "fathers of the church", theological argumentation of the provisions.

He sharply criticizes monasticism, opposes the church hierarchy. His statements: "God does not love faith - the truth", not God, but man controls the destinies of the country - sounded heretical.

Peresvetov has a humanistic faith in the power of the human mind, in the power of conviction, in the power of the word. This belief makes him write petitions to the tsar, journalistic pamphlets.

The ideal of the autocratic ruler Magmet-Saltan, which he created, is also associated with this humanistic faith. “The wise philosopher himself,” Magmet adds Greek books to the Turkish books, thanks to which “other great wisdom came from the king.”

“This was how the Christian tsar was to be, to have the truth in everything and stand firmly for the Christian faith,” Magmet-Saltan wrote “in secret to himself.” These words contain the ideological meaning of the Tale.

Peresvetov treats Magaetu-Saltan apologetically, proves the need for a "formidable" autocratic power; only she alone is able to establish the "right" order in the country and protect it from external enemies.

Peresvetov does not explain the meaning of his allegory, as Maxim the Greek did. Peresvetov's allegory has a secular, historical character. History, in his opinion, gives a clear political lesson to the present.

The reception of antithesis allowed him to clearly reveal the main political thought. Lively business colloquial speech (without rhetorical embellishment), an abundance of aphorisms made this idea clear and extremely expressive.

As D.S. Likhachev noted, in the journalism of the nobility, the pathos of the transformation of society is combined with the idea of the responsibility of the sovereign to his subjects for their well-being.

This effective character of the noble worldview was best answered by the forms of business writing, which began to actively penetrate literature, contributing to its enrichment.

The journalistic pamphlets of Ivan Peresvetov were the political program that was partially implemented by Ivan the Terrible.

Kuskov V.V. History of ancient Russian literature. - M., 1998

Portal for the student. Self-training

I.S. Peresvetov

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