1690] DIARY OF PATRICK GORDON. 107 their arrival was announced. Gordon was at once admitted to His Majesty

Passages from the diary of General Patrick Gordon of Auchleuchries : A.D. 1635-A.D. 1699"

1690] DIARY OF PATRICK GORDON. 107

their arrival was announced. Gordon was at once admitted to His Majesty's presence, ami
ordered to keep by his side, while the other officers remained with their regiments outside the
raonasteiy.

Four days after, Peter entered Moscow in triumph, and the trial of the conspirators began.
Schaklowitoj, the second fiivourite, as Gordon calls him, was tortured and beheaded along with
many others; the Czar's reluctance to shed blood having been overcome by the Patriarch.
Golizyu himself was banished, and his estates confiscated, his life being spared through the in-
tercession of his kinsman, who was Peters chief adviser. The Princess Sophia was sent to a
convent, where she died after a seclusion of fifteen years. And the imbecile Ivan agreed that the
sole rule of the empire should be in the hands of his younger and more energetic brother. The
revolution was complete, and Gordon, who had done so much to bring it about, enjoyed a
fair share of its advantages.



A.D. 1690.

On the eighth of January, the Governor of Terki, Andrei Besobraszow, who had employed January 8
magic to regain the favour of the Czar, whom he had displeased, was put to death ; and two
others, whom he had instigated to bewitch the Czar, were burned. Ten of his servants were
beaten with the knout, and sent to Siberia. One of the culprits being asked at his trial what
means of witchcraft he used, answered, that placing himself to windward of the person whom he
wished to propitiate, he made a wind blow which gained the end desired.

It is noted, on the tenth of January, that the mother in-law of the Boyar, Andrei Iwanowitsch January 1
Golizyn, having spoken against the government of the Czar and his friends, in the hearing of the
Boyar and others, the Boyar and his friends were banished, their property confiscated, and
some of their servants knouted.

The next day, Gordon was at the Kremlin, and saw the Czar, who was making ready January I
fireworks.

On the sixteenth of January, Gordon dined at the Kremlin. The fireworks were set off, and January L
were successful.

Three days afterwards, Gordon was again at court, and accompanied the Czar to the country January 1'
house of a Boyar, where they were entertained at a sumptuous noon-day meal. They next went
to a summer residence of the Czar, where they set off fireworks, and returning to the Boyar's
house, had another sumptuous banquet.

The entry in next day's journal is that he was ill of the last night's debauch, and had to keep January 2(
his bed till afternoon.

He dined at the Kremlin on the twenty-first of January, and was there again next day, when January 21
his son-in-law burned his face in making fireworks.

On the twenty-third of January, he was at the funeral of Colonel Bockhoven's wife. He January 22
went into the city next day, but did not go to the Kremlin, as it is not permitted to appear January 24
before the Czar for three days after being at a burial or seeing a corpse.