It is these very Northmen who reigned in England as Danish kings from 

 1014 to 1044, and then under the name of Normans from 1066 to 1 1 d4, 

 who settled) aiso in Iceland in 861 a'nd in Russia in 862. They wore the 

 some coat of mail, the same pointed helmets, and spoke the same language, 

 probably with a few distinctions of dialect. 



These Northmen would impose their rule on the nations whom they sub- 

 dued; sometimes they would share the power along with the assembly of the 

 people as in the Republic of Novgorod in Russ or Russia of to-day; some- 

 times they would form a corps d'elite or a pretorian guard of more powerful 

 rulers as in the instance of Constantinople, and would help these monarchs in 

 their campaigns against other powers. 



NESTOR'S CHRONICLE. 



It would be very interesting now to hear the first historic record known 

 by the Ruthenians and the Russians of their origin as a kingdom. This docu- 

 ment is the chronicle of Nestor, the Monk, who lived in Kiev, South Russia, 

 and who died about the year 1115. 



The Chronicle of Nestor, written in Slavonic, reads thus: 



"In the year 6367 (— 859), the Varingians sailed over the sea and 

 took tribute from Chud and Slovens from Meria from Ves' and from the Kri- 

 vichi, but the Khozars took tribute from the Polanes and from the Severians 

 and from the Ventichi." 



Then Nestor continues: "In the year 862 three tribes chased the Var- 

 ingians over the sea; they refused to pay them any tribute and they governed 

 themselves and they did evil in the administration of justice. One clan rose 

 against another clan and party-spirit and discord were prevailing among them 

 and they began to make war among themselves. 



And they said then to each other: Let us seek for a prince who could 

 rule over us and who could judge in righteousness. And they went over the 

 sea to the Varingians, to Rus', for so were these Varingians called: Rus', 

 even as others were known as Swedes, others Normans, others Angles, others 

 Goths. 



And the clans of Chud, of Slovens, of Krivitchi, and of Vess, said to 

 <Pvus: "Our land is vast and rich, but order is not found there. Come over 

 to rule and govern us." 



And three brothers were chosen with their escort and they took with 

 them all Rus and they came. And the eldest, Ruric, settled in Novgorod, and 

 the second, Sineus, in White Lake, and the third, Truvor, in Izborsk (south 

 of Peipus Lake), and the land of Rus, namely Novgorod got its name after 

 these Varingians; these are the men of Novgorod of the Varingian stock. 

 Aforetime the Novgorod people were Slavs. And in these towns did the 

 Varingians settle; the earlier dwellers in Novgorod were Slavs, in Polotsk Kri- 

 vichi, in Rostov Meria in Murom Muroma, and over all these Ruric became 

 ruler." 



