When King Geiza was sending officials with a cross, which the dying man was to kiss, Izyaslav objected with anger. “That man jests with every oath,” said he. “It is vain to send a cross to Vladimirko.” “This is the very wood on which died Christ our Lord,” explained Geiza. “By God’s will it came to Saint Stephen, my ancestor. If Vladimirko kisses this cross, survives, and breaks his oath, I will lay down my life, or capture Galitch and give it to thee. I cannot kill a man on his death-bed.” Izyaslav yielded, but Mystislav, his son, who was present, added these words: “He will break the oath surely, and I repeat here before this holy cross, forget not thy word, O King of Hungary, but come again with thy warriors to Galitch, and do what thou hast promised.” “If Vladimirko breaks his oath,” replied Geiza, “I will ask thy father to help me in Galitch, as he has asked me up to this time.” Vladimirko kissed the cross to do all that he had promised. On his way home Izyaslav sent posadniks to take possession of the towns which were to be returned to him. These men came back quickly with news that not one town had been given to them—one half of the oath was now broken. On learning that Yuri was marching against Izyaslav, Vladimirko at once sent troops to help Yuri, and thus broke the rest of his oath. He returned home only when the Grand Prince was marching against him a second time. Izyaslav sent Borislavitch, his boyar, who had witnessed the oath on the holy cross of Saint Stephen, to demand the towns promised. “Say to Izyaslav,” said the Galitch prince, “that he attacked me unawares and perfidiously, that he brought a foreign king with him, and that I will either lay down my life, or avenge the wrong done me.” “But, thou hast taken an oath to the king and to Izyaslav,” said the boyar. “Wilt thou foreswear the cross?” “Oh, that little cross!” retorted Vladimirko. “Though that cross be small it is mighty,” said the boyar. “Men have told thee that Christ the Lord died on that wood, and that thou wouldst not live if thy promises were broken. Dost remember?” “I remember that ye spoke many words to me then, but leave this place now and go back to thy Izyaslav.” While the boyar was leaving the courtyard, Vladimirko started for vespers, but halted to ridicule him. When, on his way back from the church, the prince reached the spot where he had stood to revile Borislavitch, he call out on a sudden: “Some one has struck me on the shoulder!” He could not move his legs, and would have fallen had men not seized him. He was borne to his chambers and placed at once in a hot bath, but he grew rapidly worse, and died that same night.