THE TSAR'S JESTER

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXV, Issue 42, 17 October 1907, Page 37

THE TSAR'S JESTER

There is little of jest to-day pertaining to the-rela-tions of unhappy Finland with Russia, under whose rule' it has so long been. ~ Its ancient liberties are passing away from ft, and it is -to be compressed into the uniform' Russian model. But according to historical traodition, the conquest of Finland was foretold in jest that sooh Became earnest by its conqueror, Peter the Great, to his jester, Balakireff. Balakireff had vexed the Tsar by too impudent a joke, and ' had been summarily banished with a menacing *«M« M injunction never to appear on Russian soil again. He disappeared, discreetly; but one day not , lomg af ter Peter; glancing out of a window, saw his unmistakable figure and qjuizzical countenance jogging comfortably by, ' perched in a country, cart. Impulsively he ran down to him and demanded to know why he had disobeyed. *I haven'? disobeyed you,' was the answer. • I'jn not on -.ussian soil now.' ' Not on Russian soil ? ' . > .' ' No ; this cartload of earth that I'm sitting on is Swedish soil. I dug it up in Finland only "the other day.'

Peter laughed, but he said : ' If Finland be Swedish soil now, it shall be Russian soil before long I ' And he made good his words. A pleasanter anecdote relates how Balakireff once interceded for tne. life of a reckless relative who had offended the -Tsar, and was under sentence of execution. • , As i soon as the jester showed himself at court Peter, > foreseeing a petition for mercy, roared out angrily : . 1 It's no use your coming here ! I swear that Iwill riot grant what you are going to ask ! ' Quick as a flash Balakireff dropped to his knees and cried entreatingly • "Peter Alexeivilch, I beseech you, put that scamp of a cousin of mine to death ! ' All present broke into laughter, in which the Tsar, , so neatly trapped by his own declaration, presently' joined, and the scampish cousin kept his head upon his - ~ shoulders.