POOK factories within his dominions, and, with a liberality
■ J1-1' , not always practifed by more enlightened fovereigns, granted
to them the free exercife of their religion; he had even
formed the defign, which death alone prevented, of initi-
tutinsr various feminaries for the cultivation O of the Latin and
German languages. In a word, he may fairly be efteemed
one of thofe fovereigns, who have contributed to improve
and civilize their fubjeCts.
Ivan Vaffilievitch II. died in 1584, in an agony of grief
at the death of his eldeft fon Ivan, whofe remains are placed
contiguous to thofe of his father. Hiftorians have recorded,
that this prince received his death, from the perfon to whom
he was indebted for his life, by an unfortunate blow upon
his temple. The enemies of the tzar have not failed to
impute this melancholy cataftrophe to defign; while his
apologifts have no lefs ftrenuoufly laboured to reprefent it
as merely accidental. Upon weighing thefe difcordant accounts
with impartiality, it appears, that the blow was either
cafual, or, if defigned to chaitife, certainly not intended to be
fatal.
Feodor, the lecond fon and fueceflbr of Ivan Vaflilievitch
II. is interred in the fame chapel; a prince of fuch weak
intellects and notorious incapacity, as to be a mere phantom
of fovereignty, and entirely under the direction o f his brother
in-law Boris Godunof. Feodor afcended the throne in
1584, and expired in 1598 : in him ended the male line of
the fovereigns o f the houfe of Ruric * , a family who had
reigned over Ruffia for a period of more than feven centuries.
Among the tombs in this church, the moft remarkable is
that which contains the body of a child, fuppofed by the
* Unlefs Demetrius was the real fon o f Ivan Vaffiilievitch II.
a Ruffians
Ruffians to have been the third fon of Ivan Vafiilievitch II. who C^ P-
is faid to have been afiaffinated at Vglitz, in the ninth year1— .— 1
of his age, by order of Boris Godunof. This tomb, which is
more diftinguilhed than thofe of the Ruffian fovereigns, is
of brafs and highly ornamented. The child is claffed among
the faints of the Ruffian calendar, and, according to the legends
of the church, his body is faid to have performed miracles,
and is believed by the credulous to remain uncorrupted.
The top of the fepulchre is frequently uncovered,
and, during divine fervice on the feitival of St. Alexander
Nevfki, I obferved feveral Ruffians killing the infide with
great marks of devotion. The hiftory of the aflaffination
at Vglitz, and the adventures of the real or pretended Demetrius,
who filled the throne for a fliort time, require a
feparate narrative.
The fovereigns of the houfe of Romanof are interred in
the body of the church : their tombs are placed on each fide
between the malfy pillars, which fupport the roof.
The firit of this illuftrious line is Michael Feodorovitch,
whofe eleCtion in 16 13 put a final period to a long fcene of
civil bloodffied, and reftored tranquillity to his diftraCted
country. He owed his elevation to his high rank and
princely defcent; but more particularly to the virtues, abilities,
and popularity of his father Philaretes, A body of
Ruffian nobles having tendered the crown to Ladiflaus
prince of Poland, that prince had actually affirmed the title
of tzar, and eftabliffied a garrifon at Mofcow; foon afterwards
a powerful party, averfe to the government of a foreigner,
expelled the Poles from the capital, and unanimoufly
advanced Michael to the throne, though at that time fcarcely
feventeen years, of age. It is fingular, that he was raifed to
V ol. I. R r this