Attributed to Nestor the Chronicler · Complete work
1068–1070: The Cumans and the Kyiv Uprising
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В лѣто 6576. Придоша иноплеменьници на Рускую землю, половци мнозѣ. Изяславъ же, и Святославъ и Всеволодъ изиидоша противу имъ на Льто. И бывши нощи, поидоша противу собѣ. Грѣхъ ради нашихъ попусти Богъ на ны поганыя, и побѣгоша русьскыя князи, и побѣдиша половци.
Наводить Богъ по гнѣву своему иноплеменьники на землю, и тако скрушенымъ имъ вьспомянуться к Богу; усобная же рать бываеть от сважения дьяволя. Богъ бо не хощеть зла въ человѣцѣхъ, но блага, а дьяволъ радуеться злому убийству, кровопролитью, вьздвизая свары, зависти, братоненавидѣния, клеветы. Земли же согрѣшивши которѣй любо, то казнить Богъ смертью, или гладомъ, или наведениемь поганыхъ, или ведромъ, или гусѣницею, или инѣми казньми. Аще ли покаавшеся будемь, в немже ны Богъ велить быти, глаголеть бо намъ пророкомъ: «Обратитеся ко мнѣ всимъ сердцемь вашимъ, постомъ и плачемь». Да аще сице творимъ, всихъ грѣхъ прощени будемь, но мы на злое възвращаемься, аки свинья в калѣ грѣховьнемь присно валяющеся, и тако пребываемь.
Тѣмже и пророкомъ намъ глаголеть: «Разумѣхъ, — рече, — яко жестокъ еси, и шия желѣзна выя твоя», того ради «удержах от васъ дождь, предѣлъ единъ одождихъ, а другаго не одождихъ, исьше»; «И поразихъ вы зноемь и различными казньми, то и тако не обратитеся ко мнѣ». Сего ради винограды ваша, и смоквие ваша, нивы и дубравы ваша истьрохъ, глаголеть Господь, а злобъ вашихъ не могохъ истерти. «Послахъ на вы различныя болезни и смерти тяжькы», и на скотѣ ихъ казнь свою послахъ, «то и тако не обратистеся», ко мнѣ, но рѣсте: «Мужаимъся». Доколѣ не насытистеся злобъ ваших? Вы бо уклонистеся от пути моего, — глаголеть Господь, — соблазните многы, сего ради «свидитель скоро на противьныя, на прелюбодѣица, и на кленущаяся именемь моимъ во лжю, и на лишающая мьзды наимника, и насильствующе сиротѣ и вдовици, и на укланяющая судъ криво. Почто не здерьзастеся въ грѣсѣхъ вашихъ? Но уклонисте законы моя и не схранисте ихъ. И обратитеся ко мнѣ — и обращюся кь вамъ, — глаголеть Господь, — и азъ отверзу вамъ хляби небесныя и възвращю от васъ гнѣвъ свой, дондеже все обилуеть вамь, и не имут изнемощи виногради ваши и нивы. Но вы отяжасте на мя словеса ваша, глаголюще: суетень работая Богу».
Тѣмже усты чтуть мя, а сердце ваше далече отстоить от мене», — глаголеть Господь. Того ради, ихже просимь и не улучимъ. «Будет бо, рече, егда призовете мя, и азъ не послушаю васъ». Взищете меня злии и не обрящете: не вьсхотѣша бо ходити по путемь моимъ. Да того ради затворяеться небо, ово злѣ отвѣрзаеться, градъ в дождя мѣсто пущая, ово ли сланою плоды узнабляя и земьлю зноемь томя, нашихъ ради грѣхъ. Аще ли ся покаемь о злобахъ своихъ, то «аки чадомъ своимъ подасть намъ вся прошения, и одождить намъ дождь ранъ и позденъ. И наполняться гумна ваша пшеници, и прольються точила виньная и маслиньная. И вьздамъ вамъ за лѣта, яже пояша прузи, и хрустове, и гусиница; сила моя великая, юже послахъ на вы», — глаголеть Господь вседержитель.
И си слышаще, вьстягнемся от зла на добро: вьзищете суда, избавите обидимаго, на покаяние придемь, не вьздающе зла за зло, и ни клеветы за клевету, но любовию прилѣпимся Господѣ Бозѣ нашем, постомъ и рыданиемь, слезами омывающе вся прегрѣшения, не словомъ нарѣчающеся крестьани, а поганьскы живуще. Се бо не поганьски ли живемь, аще въ стрѣчю вѣрующе: аще бо кто усрящеть чернорисца, то вьзвращаеться, или единець, или свинью — то не поганьскии ли есть се? Се бо по дьяволю научению кобь сию держать. Друзии же чиханию вѣруют, еже бываеть на здравье головѣ. Но сими дьяволъ льстить и другыми нравы, всякыми льстьми превабляеть ны от Бога: трубами, скомрахы, и гусльми и русальями. Видимъ бо игрища утолочена, и людий множьство на нихъ, яко упихати начнуть другъ друга, позоры дѣюще от бѣса замышленаго дѣла, а церкви стоять. Егда же бываеть годъ молитвы, мало ихь обрѣтаеться въ церкви.
Да сего ради казни приемлемь от Бога всякыя, нахожение ратныхъ; по Божью повелению приемлемь казнь грѣхъ ради нашихъ. И мы же на предлежащее возвратимся.
Изяславу же со Всеволодомъ Кыеву пришедшю, а Святославу — Чернигову, и людье кыевьстии прибѣгоша Кыеву, и створивше вѣче на торговищи, и рѣша, пославшеся ко князю: «Се половци росулися по земли, да вдай, княже, оружья и кони, и еще бьемся с ними». Изяслав же сего не послуша. И начаша людье говорити на воеводу на Коснячька, и идоша с вѣча […] на гору, и придоша на дворъ Коснячьковъ и не обрѣтоша его, у двора сташа Брячьславля и рѣша: «Поидемь, высадимь дружину ис погреба». И раздѣлишася надвое: и половина ихъ иде кь погребу, а половина иде по Мосту, сии же идоша на княжь дворъ. Изяславу сѣдящю на сенѣхъ с дружиною своею, и начаша прѣтися сь княземь стояще долѣ, а кьнязю изо оконца зрящю и дружинѣ стоящи у князя, рече Тукы, Чюдиновь брат, Изяславу: «Видиши, княже, людье вьзвыли, посли, ать блюдуть Всеслава». И се ему глаголющю, и другая половина людий приде от погреба, отворивше погребъ. И рѣша дружина князю: «Се зло есть, посли ко Всеславу, ать призвавше ко оконьцю и проньзут и́ мечемь». И не послуша сего князь. Людье же кликнуша и идоша к порубу Всеславлю. Изяслав же, се видивъ, со Всеволодомь побѣгоста с двора. Людье же высѣкоша Всеслава ис поруба въ 15 день сентября и поставиша ̀и средѣ двора княжа. И дворъ княжь разъграбиша, бещисленое множьство злата и сребра, и кунами и скорою. Изяслав же бѣжа в Ляхы.
По сем же половцемь воюющимъ по земли Рустѣй, а Святославу же сущю в Черниговѣ, а половцемь воюющимъ около Чернигова, Святославъ же, собравъ дружины нѣколико, изыиде на ня ко Сновьску. И узрѣша половци идущя въя и пристрояшася противу. И видивъ Святославъ множьство ихъ и рече дружинѣ своей: «Потягнемь, уже намъ нѣ льзѣ камо ся дѣти». И удариша въ конѣ, и одолѣ Святославъ въ трѣхъ тысящах, а половѣць 12 тысящь; и тако изби я, и друзии потопоша въ Снъви, а князя ихъ руками яша въ 1 день ноября. И вьзвратися с побѣдою въ градъ свой Черниговъ Святославъ.
Всеслав же сѣде в Кыевѣ. Се же Богъ яви крестьную силу: понеже Изяслав цѣловавъ крестъ и я ̀и, тѣмже наведе Богь поганыя, сего же явѣ избави кресть честьный. Въ день бо Вьздвижения Всеславъ […] въздохнувъ, рече: «О кресте честный! Понеже к тобѣ вѣровахъ, избави мя от рова сего». Богъ же показа силу крестьную на показание земли Рустѣй, да не преступають честнаго креста, цѣловавше его; аще ли кто преступить, то и сдѣ приимуть казнь и на преидущемь вѣцѣ казнь вѣчную. Понеже велика есть сила крестьная: крестомъ бо побѣжени бывають силы бѣсовьскыя, крестомъ бо Господь княземь пособить в бранехъ, крестомь огражени вѣрнии человѣци и побѣжають супостаты противныя, крестомъ бо вьскорѣ избавляеть от напасти призывающимъ его с вѣрою. Ничто […] бѣси бояться, токмо креста. Аще бо бываеть от бѣсовъ мѣчтание, знаменавъше лице крестомь, прогоними бывають. Всеслав же сѣде въ Кыевѣ мѣсяць 7.
В лѣто 6577. Поиде Изяславъ с Болеславомъ на Вьсеслава, Всеславъ же поиде противу. И приде к Бѣлугороду Всеславъ, бывши нощи, утаися кыянъ, бѣжа из Бѣлагорода кь Полотьску. Заутра же видивьше людье бѣжавша князя и вьзвратишася Кыеву, и створиша вѣче, послашася кь Святославу и кь Всеволоду, глаголюще: «Мы же зло створили есмы, князя своего прогнавше, а се ведеть на ны землю Лядьскую, а поидете въ град отца своего. Аще ли не хощета, то намъ неволя: зажегши городъ свой […] ступити въ Грѣцискую землю». И рече имъ Святославъ: «Вѣ послевѣ кь брату своему: да аще поидеть на вы с ляхы погубить васъ, то вѣ противу ему ратью, не дадивѣ погубити града отца своего; аще ли хощет с миромъ, то в малѣ придеть дружинѣ». И утѣшиста кыяне.
Святослав же и Всеволодъ посласта кь Изяславу, глаголюще: «Всеславь ти бѣжалъ, а не води ляховъ Кыеву, противнаго ти нѣтуть; аще ли хощеши гнѣвомъ ити и погубити град, то вѣси, яко намъ жаль отня стола». То слышавъ, Изяславъ остави ляхы, иде с Болеславомъ, мало ляховъ поемъ; посла же предъ собою сына своего Мьстислава Кыеву. И, пришедъ, Мьстиславъ исьсѣче кыяны, иже бяху высѣкли Всеслава, числомь 70 чади, а другыя исьслѣпиша, другыя без вины погубивъ, не испытавъ. Изяславу же идущю кь граду, и изиидоша людье противу с поклономъ, и прияша князь свой кыане. И сѣде Изяславъ на столѣ своемь, мѣсяца мая въ 2 день. И распуща ляхы на покормъ, и изьбиваху ляхы отай. Възвратися Болеславъ въ землю свою.
Изяслав же вьзгна торгь на гору и прогна Всеслава ис Полотьска, и посади сына своего Мьстислава въ Полотьскѣ, иже вьскорѣ умре ту. И посади в него мѣсто брата его Святополка, а Всеславу же бѣжавшю.
В лѣто 6578. Родися у Всеволода сынъ, и нарекоша именемь Ростиславъ. Того лѣта заложена бысть церквы святаго Михаила в манастырѣ Вьсеволожи на Выдобичи.
Musean translation
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the Old East Slavic text of the Hypatian Codex (O. V. Tvorogov’s 1997 edition, pinned Russian Wikisource revision), covering the undated introduction and every annal from 6360 to 6625 (852–1117 CE). Worker drafts were checked against the source paragraph by paragraph before publication. Years keep the chronicle’s own reckoning from the creation of the world; subtract 5508 for the approximate year CE, as the chapter titles do.
In the year 6576. Men of alien tribes came upon the land of Rus' — Cumans in great number. And Iziaslav, and Sviatoslav, and Vsevolod marched out against them to the Alta. And when night had come, they moved against one another. For our sins God let the pagans loose upon us, and the princes of Rus' fled, and the Cumans prevailed.
God, in his anger, brings men of alien tribes upon a land, and so, when they are crushed, they remember God; but civil war arises from the devil's stirring up of discord. For God does not will evil in men but good, while the devil rejoices in wicked murder and bloodshed, raising up quarrels, envies, hatred among brothers, and slander. Whatever land sins, God punishes it with death, or with famine, or with an invasion of pagans, or with drought, or with caterpillars, or with other chastisements. But if we repent and keep to what God bids us be, he speaks to us through the prophet: “Turn to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping.” If we do this, we shall be forgiven all our sins; but we turn back to evil, like a pig wallowing ever in the mire of its sins, and so we remain.
Therefore the prophet also speaks to us: “‘I have known,’ he says, ‘that you are stubborn, and your neck is an iron neck’; therefore ‘I withheld the rain from you: I sent rain upon one field, and upon another I sent none, and it dried up’; ‘I struck you with scorching heat and manifold chastisements, and still you did not turn to me.’ Therefore I laid waste your vineyards and your fig trees, your fields and your groves, says the Lord, yet your wickednesses I could not wipe out. ‘I sent upon you manifold diseases and grievous deaths,’ and upon their cattle I sent my chastisement, ‘and still you did not turn to me,’ but you said: ‘Let us be strong.’ How long will you not be sated with your wickednesses? For you have turned aside from my way — says the Lord — and led many astray; therefore ‘a swift witness against the rebellious, against adulterers, against those who swear by my name to a lie, against those who withhold the hireling's wage, and those who wrong the orphan and the widow, and those who bend judgment awry. Why did you not hold yourselves back from your sins? But you turned aside from my laws and did not keep them. And return to me, and I will return to you — says the Lord — and I will open to you the floodgates of heaven and turn my anger away from you, until everything abounds for you and your vineyards and fields do not fail. But you have wearied me with your words, saying: it is vanity to serve God.’”
“With their lips they honor me, but their heart stands far from me,” says the Lord. And therefore we ask and do not receive: “For it shall be, he says, that when you call upon me, I will not hear you.” Seek me, wicked ones, and you will not find me: for they would not walk in my ways. And therefore the heavens are shut — now they open to no good, loosing hail instead of rain, now they strip the fruits with salt gales and torment the earth with scorching heat — because of our sins. But if we repent of our wickednesses, then as to his own children he will grant us every petition, and will send us the early rain and the late rain. And your threshing floors shall be filled with wheat, and the wine vats and the oil vats shall overflow. And I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten, and the cankerworm and the caterpillar — my great host, which I sent among you — says the Lord of hosts.
And hearing these things, let us turn from evil to good: let us seek judgment, let us deliver the wronged; let us come to repentance, rendering no evil for evil, nor slander for slander, but let us cling in love to the Lord our God with fasting and weeping, washing away every transgression with tears — not calling ourselves Christians in word and living like pagans. For do we not live like pagans if we believe in omens of meeting? If anyone meets a monk coming toward him, he turns back; or a wild boar, or a pig — is not this pagan superstition? For this trick is held by the devil's teaching. Others believe in sneezing, which happens for the health of the head. But by these and by other customs the devil beguiles us, luring us from God with every deceit: with trumpets, with jesters, with gusli, and with the rusalia. We see the dancing grounds thronged and great crowds upon them, shoving and jostling one another, putting on spectacles — works devised of the devil — while the churches stand empty. And when the hour of prayer comes, few are found in the church.
And therefore we receive from God chastisements of every kind, the inroads of enemy warriors; by God's command we accept the punishment for our sins. And let us return to what lies before us.
And when Iziaslav came with Vsevolod to Kyiv, and Sviatoslav to Chernihiv, the men of Kyiv fled into the city, and they held an assembly on the marketplace and sent to the prince, saying: “See, the Cumans have scattered over the land; give us, prince, arms and horses, and we will fight them yet.” Iziaslav did not listen to this. And the people began to speak against the voivode Kosniachko, and they went from the assembly […] up the hill, and came to Kosniachko's court, and did not find him; they stood at Briachislav's court and said: “Let us go and set the retinue free from the cellar.” And they divided in two: half of them went to the cellar, and half went along the Bridge, and these came to the prince's court. Iziaslav was sitting on the upper gallery with his retinue, and they began to argue with the prince from below, while the prince looked out through a little window and his retinue stood about him; Tuky, Chudin's brother, said to Iziaslav: “Do you see, prince, the people have risen up? Send men to guard Vseslav.” And while he was speaking, the other half of the people came from the cellar, having opened it. And the retinue said to the prince: “This is evil — send to Vseslav: have him summoned to the little window and thrust through with a sword.” But the prince would not listen to this. And the people shouted and went to Vseslav's cell. Iziaslav, seeing this, fled from the court with Vsevolod. And the people hewed Vseslav out of the cell on the 15th day of September and set him in the midst of the prince's court, and they plundered the prince's court — a countless multitude of gold and silver, and of kuna pelts and hides. And Iziaslav fled to the Poles.
After this, the Cumans made war through the land of Rus', and Sviatoslav was in Chernihiv, and the Cumans were raiding round about Chernihiv; and Sviatoslav, gathering a small force of his retinue, marched out against them to Snovsk. And the Cumans, seeing them coming, drew up arrayed against them. And Sviatoslav, seeing their multitude, said to his retinue: “Let us make our stand — we have nowhere left to go.” And they mounted their horses, and Sviatoslav with three thousand overcame them, Cumans 12 thousand strong; and so he cut them down, and others were drowned in the Snov, and their prince they took alive on the 1st day of November. And Sviatoslav returned with victory to his city, Chernihiv.
And Vseslav sat in Kyiv. Here God made plain the power of the cross: because Iziaslav had kissed the cross and then seized him, for that God brought the pagans upon him; but the honored cross openly delivered this man. For on the day of the Exaltation Vseslav […] sighed and said: “O honored cross! Since I believed in you, deliver me from this pit.” And God showed the power of the cross as a sign to the land of Rus', that men betray not the honored cross after kissing it; if anyone betrays it, he receives punishment even here, and in the age to come punishment eternal. For great is the power of the cross: by the cross are the hosts of the devils overcome; by the cross the Lord aids princes in battle; guarded by the cross, faithful men put their adversaries to flight; by the cross he swiftly delivers from peril those who call upon it with faith. Nothing do the devils fear […] but the cross. For if there is a devilish apparition, they who mark their face with the cross drive it away. And Vseslav sat in Kyiv 7 months.
In the year 6577. Iziaslav marched with Boleslav against Vseslav, and Vseslav marched to meet him. And Vseslav came to Bilhorod; and when night had come, he stole away unnoticed from the men of Kyiv and fled from Bilhorod to Polotsk. In the morning the people, seeing that their prince had fled, returned to Kyiv and held an assembly, and sent to Sviatoslav and to Vsevolod, saying: “We have done evil in driving out our own prince, and now he brings the Polish land against us; come into your father's city. But if you are unwilling, then we have no choice: we shall burn our own city […] and depart into the Greek land.” And Sviatoslav said to them: “We two will send to our brother: if he marches against you with the Poles to destroy you, we two will stand against him in war and not let him destroy our father's city; but if he wishes peace, then he shall come with a small retinue.” And they comforted the men of Kyiv.
And Sviatoslav and Vsevolod sent to Iziaslav, saying: “Vseslav has fled; do not lead the Poles to Kyiv — there is no one against you here. But if you wish to come in wrath and destroy the city, know that we grieve for our father's throne.” Hearing this, Iziaslav left the Poles and went on with Boleslav, taking only a few Poles with him; and he sent ahead of him his son Mstislav to Kyiv. And Mstislav, coming, cut down the men of Kyiv who had hewn Vseslav out — 70 men in number — and others he blinded, and others he destroyed without guilt, making no inquiry. And as Iziaslav drew near the city, the people came out to meet him with obeisance, and the men of Kyiv received their prince. And Iziaslav sat upon his throne on the 2nd day of the month of May. And he sent the Poles out to be quartered for provisions, and the Poles were killed in secret. And Boleslav returned to his land.
And Iziaslav moved the marketplace up the hill, and drove Vseslav out of Polotsk, and planted his son Mstislav in Polotsk, who soon died there. And he planted in his place his brother Sviatopolk, while Vseslav was in flight.
In the year 6578. A son was born to Vsevolod, and they gave him the name Rostislav. In the same year the church of St. Michael was founded in Vsevolod's monastery at the Vydubychi.
Plain English translation
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from the same Old East Slavic text of the Hypatian Codex, paragraph for paragraph, and checked against the source before publication.
In the year 6576. Foreign tribesmen came against the land of Rus' — Cumans, and many of them. Iziaslav, Sviatoslav, and Vsevolod went out against them to the Alta. When night had come, they moved against each other. Because of our sins God let the pagans loose on us: the princes of Rus' fled, and the Cumans won.
God, in his anger, brings foreign peoples against a land, and when they have been crushed, they remember God. Civil war, though, comes from the devil's stirring. God does not want evil among men, but good; the devil rejoices in wicked murder and bloodshed, stirring up quarrels, envy, hatred of brothers, and slander. Whenever any land sins, God punishes it with death, or with famine, or by bringing pagans against it, or with drought, or with caterpillars, or with other punishments. But if we repent and stay where God commands us to be — for he says to us through the prophet: “Turn to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping” — then if we do this we will be forgiven all our sins. But we keep turning back to evil, like a pig wallowing forever in the mire of its sins, and that is how we remain.
That is why the prophet also says to us: “I knew,” he says, “that you are stubborn, and your neck is an iron neck.” For that reason “I held back the rain from you; I rained on one field but not on another, and that field dried up. I struck you with scorching heat and with various plagues, and still you did not turn to me.” Therefore “I destroyed your vineyards and your fig trees, your fields and your groves,” says the Lord, “yet I could not wipe out your wickedness. I sent on you various diseases and grievous deaths,” and I sent my plague on their livestock, “and still you did not turn to me,” but you said: Let us stand strong. How long will you never get your fill of your wickedness? “You have turned aside from my way,” says the Lord, “and led many astray. For that reason the witness comes quickly against the wicked, against adulterers, against those who swear by my name in a lie, against those who hold back the wages of the hired worker, against those who wrong the orphan and the widow, and against those who twist judgment crooked.” Why did you not hold back from your sins? But you have turned aside from my laws and have not kept them. “Turn to me, and I will turn to you,” says the Lord. “I will open for you the floodgates of heaven and turn my anger away from you, until everything yields in plenty to you and your vineyards and fields do not fail. But you have thrown your words against me, saying: It is empty to serve God.”
“So these people honor me with their lips, while their heart stands far from me,” says the Lord. That is why we ask and do not receive. “For it will be,” he says, “when you call on me, I will not hear you.” The wicked will seek me and not find me, for they were not willing to walk in my ways. And so the sky shuts; in one place it opens for evil, pouring hail instead of rain; in another it bruises the fruit with frost and scorches the earth with heat, because of our sins. But if we repent of our wickedness, then “like a father to his children he will grant us every request, and send us the early rain and the late rain. Your threshing floors will fill with wheat, and your vats will overflow with wine and oil. I will pay you back for the years the locust and the grub and the caterpillar ate — my great army, which I sent against you,” says the Lord of hosts.
Hearing this, let us turn from evil to good. Seek justice, rescue the wronged, come to repentance, not paying back evil for evil or slander for slander, but clinging in love to the Lord our God with fasting and weeping, washing away every transgression with tears — not being called Christians in word while living like pagans. Do we not live like pagans, believing in omens of what we meet? If someone meets a monk, or a lone boar, or a pig, he turns back — is this not pagan? People keep this superstition by the devil's teaching. Others believe in sneezes, which happen for the health of the head. With these tricks and other customs the devil deceives us, luring us from God by every kind of deceit: with trumpets, with jesters, with gusli, and with the games of the rusalki. We see the gaming grounds trampled flat, and crowds of people on them, shoving one another, putting on shows — a devil-conceived affair — while the churches stand empty. When the hour of prayer comes, few of them are found in church.
That is why we receive every punishment from God, the invasion of enemies; by God's command we receive punishment for our sins. And now let us return to what lies before us.
When Iziaslav came with Vsevolod to Kyiv, and Sviatoslav to Chernihiv, the people of Kyiv fled into Kyiv. They held an assembly at the marketplace and resolved, sending word to the prince: “See, the Cumans have spread out over the land. Give, prince, weapons and horses, and we will fight them again.” Iziaslav did not listen to this. The people began to speak against the voivode Kosniachko, and went from the assembly […] up the hill. They came to Kosniachko's court and did not find him. They stood at Briachislav's court and said: “Let us go and pull the retainers out of the cellar.” They split in two: half went to the cellar, and half went along the Bridge, and these went to the prince's court. Iziaslav was sitting on the upper porch with his retinue. The people stood below and began to argue with the prince, who looked out through the little window, while his retinue stood beside him. Tuky, Chudin's brother, said to Iziaslav: “Do you see, prince, the people have grown unruly? Send men to guard Vseslav.” While he was speaking, the other half of the people came from the cellar, having opened it. The retinue said to the prince: “This is evil. Send word to Vseslav: let them call him to the little window and run him through with a sword.” The prince did not listen. The people shouted and went to Vseslav's pit. Seeing this, Iziaslav fled from the court with Vsevolod. The people hacked Vseslav out of the pit on September 15 and set him in the middle of the prince's court. They plundered the prince's court — countless gold and silver, and kunas and furs. Iziaslav fled to Poland.
After this the Cumans went raiding through the land of Rus'. Sviatoslav was in Chernihiv, and the Cumans raided around Chernihiv. Sviatoslav gathered a few retinues and went out against them toward Snovsk. The Cumans saw them coming and drew up against them. Sviatoslav saw how many they were and said to his retinue: “Let us charge; there is nowhere left for us to go.” They struck their horses forward, and Sviatoslav with his 3,000 defeated 12,000 Cumans. He cut them down there, others drowned in the Snov, and they took their prince alive on November 1. Sviatoslav returned in victory to his city, Chernihiv.
Vseslav now sat in Kyiv. Here God showed the power of the cross: Iziaslav had kissed the cross and then seized him; therefore God brought the pagans, while the honored cross openly rescued this man. On the day of the Exaltation of the Cross Vseslav […] sighed and said: “O honored cross! Since I believed in you, deliver me from this pit.” God showed the power of the cross as a sign for the land of Rus', so that no one may break the honored cross after kissing it. If anyone breaks it, he receives punishment here, and in the age to come eternal punishment. For great is the power of the cross: by the cross the powers of the demons are defeated; by the cross the Lord helps princes in battle; faithful men, guarded by the cross, defeat their hostile enemies; the cross quickly delivers from trouble those who call on it with faith. Demons fear nothing […] except the cross. If a demon sends an apparition, mark your face with the cross, and the demons are driven away. Vseslav sat in Kyiv for 7 months.
In the year 6577. Iziaslav marched with Boleslav against Vseslav, and Vseslav marched against them. Vseslav came to Bilhorod, and at night he slipped away unseen by the people of Kyiv and fled from Bilhorod to Polotsk. In the morning the people saw that the prince had fled and returned to Kyiv. They held an assembly and sent to Sviatoslav and Vsevolod, saying: “We have done evil: we drove out our own prince, and now he is bringing the Polish land against us. Go into your father's city. If you do not want to, then we have no choice: we will burn our city and […] go to the Greek land.” Sviatoslav said to them: “We will send to our brother. If he comes against you with the Poles and destroys you, we will stand against him in war and will not let him destroy our father's city. If he wants peace, let him come with a small retinue.” And the two comforted the people of Kyiv.
Sviatoslav and Vsevolod sent to Iziaslav, saying: “Vseslav has fled from you. Do not lead the Poles to Kyiv; there is no one standing against you. If you want to come in anger and destroy the city, know this: we grieve for our father's throne.” Hearing this, Iziaslav left the Poles and went on with Boleslav, taking only a few Poles with him. He sent his son Mstislav ahead to Kyiv. Mstislav came and cut down the people of Kyiv who had hacked Vseslav out, 70 men in all; he blinded others; and he put others to death without guilt and without any inquiry. As Iziaslav came toward the city, the people came out to meet him with bows and received their prince. Iziaslav sat on his throne on May 2. He sent the Poles out among the homes to be fed, and people killed the Poles in secret. Boleslav returned to his land.
Iziaslav moved the marketplace up onto the hill and drove Vseslav out of Polotsk. He seated his son Mstislav in Polotsk, and Mstislav soon died there. In his place he seated his brother Sviatopolk, while Vseslav was in flight.
In the year 6578. A son was born to Vsevolod, and they named him Rostislav. In that year the church of St. Michael was founded in Vsevolod's monastery at Vydubychi.