SECOND PERIOD.

From the majority of Peter the Great, A.D. 1689, to Lomonosof, A.D. 1741.

The history of the genuine Russian literature begins only with the adoption of the language of the people for all civil writings.  It was Peter the Great, who raised this language to be the language of public business, in which all transactions of the courts of justice henceforth were to be held, and all ordinances to be issued.  Ere this energetical man was able to establish a Russian printing office in his own empire, in order not to lose time, he gave a privilege for fifteen years to the Dutch printer Tessing for Russian works.  It was in Amsterdam, in 1699, that the first Russian book was printed.  About the year 1704, Peter himself invented some alterations in the Slavic letters, principally so as to make them more similar to the Latin.  He caused a fount of these new types to be cast by Dutch artists; and the first Russian newspaper was printed with them at St. Petersburg in 1705.  These letters, with some additional alterations during the course of the following ten years, were generally adopted for the Russian language, and are in use at the present time.  The same letters, with a few slight variations, are also used by that portion of the Servians who belong to the eastern church; the other portion making use of the Latin alphabet.  In all theological writings, however, the ancient forms of the letters are preserved.  This is the difference between the grashdanskii and tzerkvennii, or the civil and church alphabet.[18]

The energy with which this emperor, a real autocrat, proceeded, caused his people to overleap a whole century.  If there is something revolting to a liberal mind, in the despotic haste with which he deprived a great nation at once of a part of their nationality, through his arbitrary decision in all that he deemed best for them; still it serves greatly to allay this feeling, to observe that the resistance which he experienced did not proceed from the people, but almost exclusively from the obstinate pride of a spoiled nobility, and the narrow-minded policy of an ignorant and jealous priesthood.  The Russian nation itself is indeed, more than any other people, susceptible of deep impressions.  Hence they are in general not averse to innovations; and were in Peter’s time, as now, willing to be conducted by a hand acknowledged as that of a superior.  In consequence of these very national qualities, good or bad, they are capable of being readily moulded into any new form.

Whether the rapidity, nay, vehemence of the Tzar’s improvements were a real benefit to the nation, this is not the place to examine; but for the free development of the language and literature, it is evident, that his proceedings were injurious, notwithstanding their apparently wonderful effect.  Although the language possesses all the elements of completeness, and notwithstanding the not inconsiderable mass of talent which has developed