But soon the senior of Volynian princes, that same Ingvar who in Roman’s day had reigned in Kief, though very briefly, claimed Volynia, and was established in it, though for a short period only. The Polish guardians changed their minds quickly. The place returned to Bailski, and Ingvar was sent back to Lutsk.
To Vassilko, Roman’s second son, his Polish guardians gave Brest at the urgent demand of its people, who, alarmed that Poles had taken possession of Russian land so near them, wished to have their native princes. When the mother went to Brest with Vassilko, the people met her with joy, and declared that in the boy they beheld the great Roman. The widow complained with bitterness: “They have given Bailski all our lands; only one town is left for my son.” In view of this complaint Leshko, who had given much to Bailski, commanded him to yield Bailz to Daniel and his brother.
Sviatoslav, son of Igor, once captured in Volynia, was sent to his brothers in Galitch, neither to his own good nor theirs, as became evident later. In Galitch the boyars made prince quarrel with prince, and brother rise against brother. Each son of Igor wished to take all that his brothers had, each wished to rise at the expense of the others; each of them fled more than once from his portion, and returned to it eagerly. More than once was complaint made in Hungary against all three of them. The king wished at last to be rid of these quarrelsome princes, so he placed in Galitch his own viceroy, Benedict Bor, a noted magnate, to whom he gave great authority.
Big Nest, Prince of Vladimir, now suddenly decided to cast aside his policy of non-interference and take active part in Southern Russia. When his son Yaroslav, driven from Pereyaslavl, returned home and described Chermny’s accession, and the general predominance of Oleg’s descendants, even in Galitch, Big Nest inquired: “Is all that land theirs, or is it ours as well?” And these words of the Grand Prince went whirling through Russia. [[167]]They encouraged the descendants of Monomach and confused the Chernigoff princes. A great army soon moved from the North toward the South. Command was given to the troops of Ladoga, of Pskoff, of Nova-Torg and Tver to march with it. All these forces were led by Constantine, the eldest son of the Prince of Vladimir, who waited for his father at Moscow. Big Nest advanced with the men of Rostoff and Suzdal and the Vladimir regiments, led by his second and third sons, Yuri and Yaroslav; with him also was Vladimir, his youngest son. The troops of Pronsk, Ryazan and Murom had received commands to join the expedition at Moscow.
In Moscow the two main divisions met. The Grand Prince gave a week for rest. He praised the posadnik of Novgorod and the boyars of that city for obedience, and gave a great feast to them. In general, the Moscow halt was gladsome for the warriors. From Moscow they went to the Oká, where, in the meadows opposite the Chernigoff-Ryazan bank, they pitched their camp. There they were soon joined by the remaining forces, but still they did not advance. This caused general surprise in the army, and men began to complain of delay and indecision.
It was said that Big Nest’s eldest son, Constantine, had quarreled with his father over this question. It was also stated that there was treachery in the army, that two princes of Ryazan, Roman and Sviatoslav, sons of Glaib, had betrayed their uncle and cousins, and had promised to go over to Chermny’s side and deliver Big Nest into his hands. It seems true that Ryazan princes had been brought into this campaign against their wishes, that they did not desire success for Big Nest, and in case of his failure would have gone over, in all likelihood, to his opponents.
The cautious Prince of Vladimir acted in his own way. He sent to his capital as prisoners all the princes who had come to him from Ryazan, and all their boyars, with command to keep them carefully under guard. Then he turned toward Ryazan. First he attacked Pronsk, which after desperate resistance surrendered. He then appointed his own men to places throughout the principality, and moved on Ryazan. He was within twenty versts of that city and about to pass the Pron River, when a large company of penitent Ryazan men came, bringing with them envoys [[168]]from the bishop. They bowed down and humbly implored the Vladimir prince not to ruin their city. Arseni, the Ryazan bishop, had sent more than once remonstrating letters, and now he spoke through envoys: “Grand Prince and lord, do not ruin noble places. Do not burn God’s holy churches; sacrifice is offered to the Lord in them, and prayers for thee. We promise to accomplish thy will as thou wishest precisely.”
Big Nest, pleased with this obedience, turned his anger into mercy. He ordered the army to withdraw to Kolomna, where the petitioners were to meet him for final negotiations. It was late in the year, inclining to frost. The Oká was not firmly frozen, but there was ice on it. Big Nest had to wait two days in tents near the river; the third day heavy frost came; the whole army crossed the Oká on the ice, and entered Kolomna. The night after a tremendous storm rose; next morning came a violent rainfall, and the ice broke. The bishop, Arseni, and the Ryazan men crossed in boats, with great peril. The bishop thanked the Grand Prince for his clemency, and begged him to be gracious to the end, to return the captured princes, and he, the bishop, would answer for their loyalty.
“Cast aside thy anger against those men,” said he; “take them into thy favor and the Most Holy will cast aside thy faults. Turn thy ear from calumniators, for they, with feigned loyalty and fawning, are working not for the good of the country, but for their own profit. God has placed thee, O great prince, as a ruler to judge and give justice to His people. It is proper for thee to punish the guilty, God himself commands thee to do so, but there is need also for mercy, and not of punishment in anger. I, thy lowly petitioner, have been sent to thee at the prayer of all the Ryazan men. I have not come with power to command, that is not given from God to me, but with mildness and tears I implore and pray thee to accept my beseeching.”
Big Nest was moved by these speeches, and declared to the bishop, that because of his pastoral intercession, and the penitence of the Ryazan men, he was willing to give complete peace, if they would promise not to conspire against him or oppose him in future. The bishop took this promise on himself, and engaged to bind the whole people to it by an oath. Big Nest agreed to think of the captive princes, but later on,—not that day. In this, however, [[169]]he did not yield to the prayers of Arseni, offered in the name of Ryazan. On the contrary, he demanded that they should without delay send the remaining princes and princesses to him in Vladimir, so that there should be no further disturbance.