b ° ° k fecrat-ed arcVibiiliop o f Novogorod and metropolitan o f all
<— j—>R ullia ; and died in 1736.
Befitle various fermons and theological difquifitions, he
•wrote a treatife on rhetorick, and on the rules for Latin and
Sclavonian poetry; he compofed verfes in the Latin language;
and .was author of a work, fo r which he is chiefly mentioned
in this place, the Life o f Peter the Great, which unfortunately
terminates with the battle o f Pultava. In this performance
the prelate has, notwithftanding his natural partiality
to his benefattor, avoided thofe fcurrilous abufesofthe
contrary party, which frequently difgrace the beft hiftories;
and has been particularly candid in his account o f Sophia.
Peter, from a well-grounded experience, had formed fuch
a good opinion o f the talents o f Theophanes, as to employ
him in compofing the decrees which concerned theological
queftions, and even many which related to civil affairs.
Theophanes may be faid, not only to have cultivated the
fciences, and to have promoted them during -his life, but
likewife to have left a legacy to his countrymen, for their
further progrefs after his deceafe, by maintaining in his epif-
copal palace fixty boys, whofe education he fuperintended :
under his aufpices they were inftrufted in foreign languages,
and in various branches o f polite knowledge, which had-been
hitherto cenfured by many as profane acquiiitions; thus
tranfmitting the rays of learning to illuminate future ages
and a diftant pofterity %,
* F o r th e h iftory o f T h eop h an es I have elined to follow his advice, b u t was prevented
fpllnwed im p lic it ly M u lle r , w h o le fid e lity b y his death.
and ac cu ra cy always appear to me u n q u e ili- T h is imp ortant anecdote. I cou ld not.,
jo'n,able. See S , R . G . V . p. 564. M on f, h ow e v e r ,v en tu re to ad opt, though I.cannot
Jye C le r c differs from-Mr. M u lle r in relatin g .controvert it , .as th e ingenious auth or has
th e ea rlieft p a rt o f this pre la te ’s life . H e not cited his a u th o r ity ., See L e G le r c ’ s
all’o informs u s, th a t T h eop h an e s perfuaded H ill. A n . de Ruffie, p . 292 ; and Hift. Mod.
P eter to introduce the-proteftaht religion in- p ..6 c . 66,
jjo ’ R u ff ia ; and that 'the emperor was in-
¡Hitherto,
Hitherto, though Ruffia abounded in chronicles and an- Cy ^ ’
nals relative to detached periods, yet, excepting a dry detail;__,_ii
of fadts compiled for the ufe o f Alexey MichaelovitCh, it pof-
fefled no regular and connected hiftory. The firft attempt’
towards fuch a work was undertaken by prince Khilkof.
This nobleman® defcended from a very antient family had
diflinguiflied himfelf as embaflador to feveral foreign courts,
before he was fent in 1700 to Stockholm iu that capacity.
He accompanied Charles XII. in his defcent upon the Ifle of;
Zealand, and upon the enfuing truce of Travendal between;
Sweden and Denmark returned to Stockholm on the 1 ytil'oP/
September, atxhe -eve oft the rupture which broke out between
the Swedilli and Rtiffiah monarchs. His character o f :
embaflador, deemedfacred b y the law o f nations, could not’
protedlhim from the relentment o f Charles X I I .; and, o n ‘
the 20th o f the fame month, he was arrefted and imprifoned.'
As an amufement during' his- captivity, which was long'
and for feme time extremely rigorous; and at the requeft o f ■
his fellow-prifoner prince Trubetikoi, he began an abridgement
o f the Ruffian Hiftory from its earlieft period to his own
time; which he completed before he was reftoredtodibertv.
After a confinement o f eighteen years, he expired in his
prifon of'Wefteras, in the moment when he was upon the-
point of being releafed. His work, called the Kernel Of the
Ruffian Hiftory, is a mere abridgement, and was published irr
177° by Mr. Muller. It forms-only one volume in octavo,
and contains feven books : • the firft commences with the creation
of the world-, and ends with the eretftion o f the Ruffian
empire under Ruric ; the remaining fix carry down the hif-
tory from that period to the year 1713. During fome part
of.his confinement, he was permitted to receive from Mof—
5"5ee_Bach. Ruff* Bib. for 17 77, p. 78 to 87. .
C G W v