COXfi’s TRAVELS IN RUSSIA.

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But while they thus ffiook off the yoke of a diftant lord, they were unable to main*tain their authority over their own fubjedts. Although the fucceffion continued in thefame family ; yet, as the Dukes were elected by the inhabitants, they gradually bar-tered, as the price of their nomination, all their molt valuable prerogatives. They werealfo fo frequently depofed, that, for near two centuries, the lilt of the Dukes refemble*more a calendar of annual magiftrates, than a regular line of hereditary Princes, and,in effedt, Novogorod was a republic under the jurifdidtion of a nominal Sovereign. Theprivileges enjoyed by the inhabitants, however unfavourable to the power of the Dukes,proved extremely beneficial to the real interefts of the town : it became the great martof trade between Ruffia and the Hanfeatic cities, and made rapid advances in opulenceand population. At this period its dominions w'ere fo extenfive *, its power fo great,and its fituation fo impregnable, as to give rife to a proverb, “ Who can refill: the Gods and Great Novogorod f ?”

It continued in this flourilhing ftate until the middle of the fifteenth century, whenthe Great Dukes of Ruffia, who Hill retained the title of Dukes of Novogorod, havingtransferred their refidence from Kiof to Volodimir, and afterwards to Mofcow, laid claimto its feudal fovereignty; a demand which the inhabitants fometimes evaded by compo-fition, fometimes by refiftance, but were fometimes compelled to acknowledge. Atlength, in 1471, Ivan Vaffilievitch 1 . having fecured his dominions againft the inroads ofthe Tartars , and extended his empire by the conqueft of the neighbouring principalities,afferted his right to the fovereignty of Novogorod, and enforced his pretenfions by aformidable army. He vanquiffied the troops of the republic, and having forced thecitizens to acknowledge his claims, appointed a governor, who was permitted to refidein the town, and exercife the authority formerly veiled in their own Dukes Thispower, however, being exceedingly limited, left them in the entire poffeffion of theirmoll valuable immunities: they retained their own laws, chofe their own magiftrates,and the governor never interfered in public affairs, except by appeal.

Ivan, by bo iseans contented with this limited fpecies of government, watched a fa-vourable opportunity of extending his authority, and, in 1477, laid fiege to the town.His defigns being abetted by internal feuds, the inhabitants were conftrained to fubfcribeto the conditions impofed by the haughty conqueror. The gates were thrown open *the Great Duke entered the place in the character of Sovereign, and the people, ten-dering the oath of allegiance, delivered into his hands the charter of their liberties, whichunanimity would ftill have preferved inviolate. One circumftance, recorded by hifto*rians as a proof of unconditional fubjeftion, was the removal of an enormous bell fromNovogorod to Mofcow, denominated by the inhabitants eternal , and revered as the palal-dium of their liberty and the fymbol of their privileges. It was fufpended in the market-place ; the facred lound drew the people inftantiy from the molt remote parts, andtolled the fignal of foreign danger or inteftine tumult. The Great Duke peremptorilydemanded this objedc of public veneration, which he called “ Th'e larum of /editionand the inhabitants confidered its furrender as the fure prelude of departing liberty.

From this period the Great Duke became in effect abfolute Sovereign of Novogorod,•although the oftenfible forms of government were ftill preferved : to enfure the obedi-ence of his new fubjedls, he tranfplanted above a thoufand of the principal citizens to

* Its territory extendi d to the north as far as the frontiers of Livon'a and Finland , and comprifed greatpart of the pr< vince or Archangel, and a lar ge diftn'dt beyond the north vveltern limits of Siberia .

4 ilhtis contra Deos it Magnam ISto’oogardiam ?

The government was liinilar to that of the German republics, who acknowledge the Emperor as theirliege-lord, but are under the jurifdidtion of their own magiilraus.

Mofcow,