“O Prince Vladímir of royal Kiev town! Take this letter which is sent to thee, and look at what is written in the letter and see what is impressed upon it. Clean all thy arrow-straight streets and the Courts of the Prince in all the town of Kiev, and in all the broad streets and alleys of the princedom place sweet strong drinks, cask by cask standing close together, for those who stand by the dog, King Kálin, with his mighty warriors, in thy town of Kiev.” Prince Vladímir of royal Kiev took the letter sent to him, broke the seal and looked at what was written therein, and he saw what was in the letter: that he was commanded to clean the arrow-straight streets and the great Courts of the Prince, and to place sweet strong drinks in all the broad streets and all the alleys of the princedom. Then Vladímir, the Prince of royal Kiev, saw that this was no small matter, but a great one, and he sat down in his writing-chair and a humble letter wrote he. “Thou dog, King Kálin! Give me the space of three years, give me three years and three months, three months and also three days, that I may clean the arrow-straight streets and the great Courts of the Prince, and make sweet strong drinks and place them in the town of Kiev and in all the broad streets and in in all the alleys of the glorious princedom.” The Prince sent off this humble letter to that dog, King Kálin. And the dog, King Kálin gave him the space of three years, three years and three months, three months and three days. And day after day the rain it rained, and week after week it ran like a river, and the time went by—the three years and three months and three days; and then came the dog, King Kálin. Came beneath the town of Kiev with his great army. Then Prince Vladímir of royal Kiev began to walk up and down, and tears of grief flowed from his bright eyes. With a kerchief of silk the Prince wiped his eyes, and he spoke these words: “The old Cossack, Ilyá of Múrom, lives no longer, none is there to defend the Faith and Country; none to defend the Church of God and Kiev town; none to protect Vladímir the Prince and the Princess Apráxia!” Then came to him his dear daughter, and spoke to him these words: “O my dear father, Prince Vladímir of royal Kiev, the old Cossack, Ilyá of Múrom, is yet alive, he is alive in the cold dungeon.” Then Prince Vladímir quickly brought the golden keys and went to the cold dungeon, and soon unlocked the doors and opened the iron grating. And there was the old Cossack, Ilyá of Múrom, sitting there in the dungeon, reading the Holy Gospels. And there were down pillows and feather beds, and warm coverlets had been brought there, and changes of apparel and delicate food provided.