When news of these festivals came to the city of Vladimir no special joy was expressed there. Whether Big Nest was offended that nothing had been given him in the south, or whether he wished to cause Rurik and Roman to quarrel with each other is unknown, but he sent envoys to Kief with this message: “Ye have called me the eldest among the descendants of Monomach, and now, my brother and friend, thou hast bestowed all the lands on thy younger brothers, and given me no share whatever. If there be no part for me, let it be so. Thou art in the Kief region apart; to whom thou wilt, thou mayest give, and with them care for it,—I am needed no longer. But we shall see how thou wilt hold Kief without me.” Confused by a turn so unlooked for, Rurik was ready for any arrangement, and desired Vsevolod to choose from places that he, Rurik, still had at his disposal. But the Prince of Vladimir asked for those very places which Rurik had already given to Roman. Rurik tried to induce Roman to yield the towns, saying that in return he might take whatever places pleased him. Roman would not hear of this. He threatened war. An outcry was raised throughout the whole Kief region. All inclined now toward Roman. They condemned Rurik’s yielding proposal, and pointed with wrath at the action of Big Nest, saying that it recalled the old claims of Yuri Dolgoruki, and his struggle with the grandfather of Roman. They demanded that the metropolitan should examine the papers and treaties preserved in the treasury of Holy Sophia. They pointed out that Rurik’s predecessor had yielded Novgorod in favor of Vsevolod, and let him manage that city on condition that he dropped his claim on Kief. “By the treaties which are still preserved, it is clear,” said they, “that Vsevolod resigned Kief.” But the more they argued, the more did the Vladimir prince insist, and the more threateningly did he inform the Kief men that he was ready to meet them, even with war, should the need come. In this difficulty, Rurik turned for advice to Nikifor, the metropolitan. “We are placed here by God to keep you from bloodshed,” replied the metropolitan. “As I see that you cannot avoid it, because you considered the towns not as belonging to the elder, but the younger, I will remove from you the oath, and take the sin on my own soul. I permit you to take back the towns from the younger, and give them to the elder. But listen to me in this, also: Instead of what thou takest from Roman, give him its equal in value.” Rurik took this advice, promised his son-in-law the full value of what he relinquished, and satisfied him, apparently. In every case when he yielded the Ros towns, Roman sent this submissive answer: “It is not for thee to quarrel with the Prince of Vladimir because of me. Give him the places for which he asks, and because of which he complains of me, and instead of them, thou wilt give me other lands, or the value of them.”