an ambassador soon afterwards
visited the English court. In spite of his brutal tyrannies, for
which no apologies can be offered, although some of the Russian
authorities have attempted to gloss them over, the reign of Ivan
was distinctly progressive for Russia. The introduction of the
printing-press, the conquest of Siberia, the development of commerce,
were all in advance of what had been done by his predecessors. He
also had the leading idea afterwards fully carried out by Peter
the Great of extending the dominions on the north, and ensuring
a footing on the Baltic.

The relations of Ivan with England are fully described in the very
interesting diary of Sir Jerome Horsey, the ambassador from this
country, the manuscript of which is preserved in the British Museum.
He was anxious to have an English wife, and Elizabeth selected one
for him, Lady Mary Hastings, but when the bride-elect had been
made acquainted with the circumstance that Ivan had been married
several times before, and was a most truculent and blood-thirsty
sovereign, she entreated her father with many tears not to send
her to such a man.

The character given of Ivan by Horsey is very graphic, and is valuable
as the narration of a person who had frequently been in intimate
relations with the Tsar. We give it in the original spelling:--

"Thus much to conclude with this Emperor Ivan Vasiliwich. He was a
goodlie man of person and presence, well favoured, high forehead,
shrill voice, a right Sithian, full of readie wisdom, cruell, blondye,
merciless; his own experience mannaged by direction both his state and
commonwealth affairs; was sumptuously intomed in Michell Archangell
Church, where he, though guarded daye and night, remaines a fearfull
spectacle to the memorie of such as pass by or heer his name spoken
of [who] are contented to cross and bless themselves from his
resurrection againe."

Passing over his feeble son, we come to the era of Boris Godunov,
a man in many respects remarkable, but not the least that he saw
the necessity of western culture. His plans for educating Russia
were extensive, and several youths were sent abroad for this purpose,
including some to England. But his reign ended gloomily, and was
followed by the period of the Pretenders (Samozvantzi), during which
Russia was rent by opposing factions; and almost ended in receiving
a foreign sovereign, in the person of Ladislaus (Wladyslaw), the
son of Sigismund III., the King of