b o o k A t length, in 1 5 7 7 , being efcorted to Livonia b y the tzar,
■ ,' 1 at the head of 50,000 troops, he obtained his portion of the
province, the town of Wenden and the adjacent territory,
the remainder being referved to Ruffia.
Magnus was fcarcely admitted into Wenden, where he
was received with great demonftrations of joy, than, defpif-
ing a precarious and dependant fovereignty, he was prevailed
upon by his new fubjeits, ever averfe to the Ruffian yoke,
to form a fecret alliance with the king of Poland, and to
counteract the tzar’s progrefs in Livonia. Ivan, apprized of
this negotiation, determined to chaffife the perfidy of Magnus,
by precipitating him from that throne, which he had
fo lately affifted him in afcending. With this view he laid
immediate fiege to Wenden with fo numerous an army, that
the inhabitants, finding all oppofition ineffectual, propofed
to capitulate. Magnus himfelf carried the terms of capitulation,
and, advancing to fupplicate the incenfed monarch,
threw himfelf at his feet, and interceded for the town.
The tzar, fpurning at him with his foot *, and ftriking
* Henning, author o f the Livonian Chro- “ fo incenfed him, that he mounted his horfe
slide, relates this tranfattion more to the “ and rode away diredtly, fwearing by St.
honour o f Ivan. He is thus quoted by the “ Nicholas, that for this frefh initance of
authors o f the Univerfal Hiftory, vol. “ perfidy, every perfon in Wenden Ihould
X X X V . p 242. “ The tzar laid fiege to “ fuffer death. Magnus was then put under
“ the place, till, at the earneft requeft o f “ an arreft in a farm-houfe, and obliged to
“ the citizens, Magnus, with only a few at- “ fign an obligation, by which he engaged
“ tendants, went into the tzar’s camp,'and, “ to pay the tzar 40,000 Hungarian florins
f| falling on his knees, begged pardon for “ by the next Chriftmas, as a fatisfa&ion
“ himfelf and the city. Bafilowitz no fooner “ for the money taken from Polubeniki 5
“ faw the king o f Livonia thus proilrate “ and in cafe o f failure o f payment at that
“ before him, than he difmounted from his “ time, to forfeit double the fum, and re-
“ horfe, and defired him to rife, returned “ main a prifoner at Mofcow till the whole
“ him his fword, and, after reproaching “ Ihould be difcharged.” I have followed
“ him with the ingratitude o f his late con- the principal hiftorians o f Sweden and Den-
“ du6t, freely pardoned him and the city, mark, alfo Heidenftein, and Oderborg, who
“ and affured them o f his prote&ion. A t feem to have given the moil probable ac-
“ this inilant a cannon ball from the caftle count o f this event.
“ jnarrowly miffed killing the tzar 3 which
him
liim in the face, loaded him with reproaches for his ingra-
titude, and ordered him to prifon ; then entering the town,1 ■
his troops committed every fpecies of horror and devaluation.
Many of the principal inhabitants, retiring into the citadel,
determined to détend it to the laft extremity ; but foon perceiving
all refiftance to be fruitleis, and expecting 110 quarter^
they calmly affembled, received the facrament, and then de-
flroyed themfelves by blowing up the citadel. Thus ended
the kingdom o f Livonia four years after it had been ereited -
into a fôvereignty'. Magnus, who thought himfelf extremely
fortunate to-obtain his enlargement upon paying a confider-
able fum of money, repaired, with his confort Maria, to
Pilten in Courland, where he died in 1583, in extreme dif-
trefs*. After the death of-her huiband, Maria, the titular
queen of Livonia, was enticed into Ruffia, and thrown into a
nunnery with her only daughter Eudokia t.- She was never
releafed from her confinement, and the time of- her déceafé
is uncertain. The remains, both of the queen-and her.
daughter,-were depofited in the convent of the Holy Trinity. .
In the fame church repofe the ailles of Boris Eeodorovitch
Godunof,’ who, upon the demife of * Feodor Ivanovitchi in
rS9 7 > was raifed from a private ftation to the throne of:
Ruffia. It is a circumftance extremely favourable to a virtuous
conduit, that a fovereign cannot commit one flagrant.
offence, without the imputation of many others ; and that
fuppofititious cruelties are always added to acts of-real ty- •
ranny. This has been the fate o f1 Boris-Godunof,‘ who, .
Raving defervedly acquired the deteftation of poftérity by the
perpetration of one crime, has been unjuftly branded with
infamy, even for .thofe adlions which merit the higheft an-
plaufe..
Holberg. V . II. p, 488. •(• ’Fletcher’s-' State o f Ruffia,' Chap. V.' :
VoL- 1* A 'a a Boris .