Moscow (Russia) -- Description and travel; Moscow (Russia) -- History
Pope Paul V. sent Rogoni to Moscow on the usual errand, but Dmitri was
in nowise inclined to make any submission to Rome. At the same time he
was tolerant, and this tolerance gave great offence to the orthodox. He
allowed Lutherans to preach; permitted the Jesuits to have a place of
worship within the Kremlin; even listened to an address in Latin
delivered by a Jesuit in an orthodox church. Equally irritating was the
freedom foreigners now had to enter an orthodox church, the doors of
which had been hitherto closed against all but the faithful. Dmitri
upbraided the clergy for their intolerance. "With us," said he, "there
is only the outward observance, we ignore the spirit of our religion.
You fast, you prostrate yourselves before relics, you worship the Holy
ikons, but you do not understand the spirit of religion. You consider
yourselves the most upright people on the earth, and meanwhile you do
not even live as do Christians. You lack charity: you are little
inclined to good works. Why do you scorn those who dissent from you?
What is the Roman faith? It is a Christian faith, even as yours is."
Such opinions as these alienated everyone, but especially the clergy. To
them he was gracious, allowing the Patriarch, four metropolitans, seven
archbishops and three bishops to have seats on the general council--a
privilege they had previously received upon very special occasions only.
An order he made for an inventory of clerical property inflamed the
priests of all degrees against him.
Crull writes of him:--
"For his owne person, he maintayneth his greatnesse very well. He
was a man of mean stature, browne of hue, prompt to choler, but
quickly appeased. He hath broken many a staff, and given sentence
of death, upon the marshals and other officers, when they did but
little swerve from their duty. After he grew to know the Russians'
false pranks, he provided himself with a guard of Livonians, and
afterwards also of Asmaynes and other strangers.... He yet further
determined to have also a hundred musketeers, when he was laid
apart. He took great delight in hunting, and in casting great
pieces of artillery, and not only to see them in hand but also to
proove them himself: for which end he caused ravelynes and ramparts
to be erected to imitate an assault."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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