Indeed, so exalted was the position and dignity of the patriarch, and

so great was the veneration in which he was held by the people, that he

was, as it were, the spiritual sovereign of the country, just as Peter

was the civil and military sovereign; and on certain great religious

ceremonies he even took precedence of the Czar himself, and actually

received homage from him. At one of the great religious anniversaries,

which was always celebrated with great pomp and parade, it was

customary for the patriarch to ride through the street on horseback,

with the Czar walking before him holding the bridle of the horse. The

bridle used, on these occasions was very long, like a pair of reins,

and was made of the richest material, and ornamented with golden

embroidery. The Czar walked on in advance, with the loop of the bridle

lying over his arm. Then came three or four great nobles of the court,

who held up the reins behind the Czar, one of them taking hold close to

the horse's head, so as to guide and control the movements of the

animal. The patriarch, who, as is the custom with priests, was dressed

In long robes, which prevented his mounting the horse in the usual

manner, sat upon a square flat seat which was placed upon the horse's

back by way of saddle, and rode in that manner, with his feet hanging

down upon one side. Of course, his hands were at liberty, and with

these he held a cross, which he displayed to the people as he rode

along, and gave them his benediction.

After the patriarch, there followed, on these occasions, an immensely

long train of priests, all clothed in costly and gorgeous sacerdotal

robes, and bearing a great number and variety of religious emblems.

Some carried very costly copies of the Gospels, bound in gold and

adorned with precious stones; others crosses, and others pictures of

the Virgin Mary. All these objects of veneration were enriched with

jewels and gems of the most costly description.

So far, however, as these mere pageants and ceremonies were concerned,

Peter would probably have been very easily satisfied, and would have

made no objection to paying such a token of respect to the patriarch as

walking before him through the street once a year, and holding the

bridle of his horse, if this were all. But he saw very clearly that

these things were by no means to be considered as mere outward show.

The patriarch was at the head of a vast organization, which extended

throughout the empire, all the members of which were closely banded

together in a system the discipline of which made them dependent upon

and entirely devoted to their spiritual head. These priests, moreover,

exercised individually a vast influence over the people in the towns

and villages where they severally lived and performed their functions.

Thus the patriarch wielded a great and very extended power, almost

wholly independent of any control on the part of the Czar--a power

which had already been once turned against him, and which might at some

future day become very dangerous. Peter determined at once that he

would not allow such a state of things to continue.

He, however, resolved to proceed cautiously. So he waited quietly

until the patriarch who was then in office died. Then, instead of

allowing the bench of bishops, as usual, to elect another in his place,

he committed the administration of the Church to an ecclesiastic whom

he appointed for this purpose from among his own tried friends. He

instructed this officer, who was a very learned and a very devout man,

to go on as nearly as possible as his predecessors, the patriarchs, had

done, in the ordinary routine of duty, so as not to disturb the Church

by any apparent and outward change; but he directed him to consider

himself, the Czar, as the real head of the Church, and to refer all

important questions which might arise to him for decision. He thus, in

fact, abrogated the office of patriarch, and made himself the supreme

head of the Church.

The clergy throughout the empire, as soon as they understood this

arrangement, were greatly disturbed, and expressed their discontent and

dissatisfaction among themselves very freely. The Czar heard of this;

and, selecting one of the bishops, who had spoken more openly and

decidedly than the rest, he ordered him to be degraded from his office

for his contumacy. But this the other bishops objected to very

strongly. They did not see, in fact, they said, how it could be done.

It was a thing wholly unknown that a person of the rank and dignity of

a bishop in the Church should be degraded from his office; and that,

besides, there was no authority that could degrade him, for they were

all bishops of equal rank, and no one had any jurisdiction or power

over the others. Still, notwithstanding this, they were willing, they

said, to sacrifice their brother if by that means the Church could be

saved from the great dangers which were now threatening her; and they

said that they would depose the bishop who was accused on condition

that Peter would restore the rights of the Church which he had

suspended, by allowing them to proceed to the election of a new

patriarch, to take the place of the one who had died.

Peter would not listen to this proposal; but he created a new bishop

expressly to depose the one who had offended him. The latter was

accordingly deposed, and the rest were compelled to submit. None of

them dared any longer to speak openly against the course which the Czar

was pursuing, but writings were mysteriously dropped about the streets

which contained censures of his proceedings in respect to the Church,

and urged the people to resist them. Peter caused large rewards to be