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as Peter, whether in his works or in his personality. Hewas an unheard-of tsar—for some no tsar at all, butAntichrist (see pp. 191-192). He brought the tsar to earthand entwined himself in the hopes and fears and groansand memories of his subjects as a dark and terrible force,rooting up the past, putting to rout the Swedes; as a rulersuch as they had never conceived before, to be seenthroughout the length and breadth of the land, immensein stature, with his tireless stride that was more of arun and his huge calloused hands of which he was soproud; a ruler who went into battle as a bombardier,who wielded an axe as well as any of his subjects, whocould kill a man with a single blow of his fist—and onoccasion did. The Russian people have never forgottenhim. "That was a Tsar—what a Tsar! He didn'teat his grub for nothing: he worked harder than one ofus." Such was the tribute of a peasant who had beenwith Peter and shared his sweat. He gave all his powerfulmind and powerful body to Russia: he bestrode herimplacably and spurred her too fast; but it was to highpurpose. He made Russia conscious of great destiny,and ever since Europe and Asia have had to reckon withher."Ah, lord of doomAnd potentate, 'twas thus, appearingAbove the void, and in thy holdA curb of iron, thou sat'st of oldO'er Russia, on her haunches rearing." 1During the half-century following Peter's death (1725)the landed class reacted strongly and successfully againsthis conscription of them, and against his extremely unpopularedict (1714) substituting for division of estatesby will bequeathal to one son or heir only (abolished1731). What most of the landed class wanted was notdirect political control of government, but full powerin their estates over their serfs and a privileged positionfor themselves: under Catherine the Great they securedtheir full desires in her charter of 1785, establishing themas an ' estate' (see pp. 85 and 143-145).1 Pushkin, The Bronze Horseman (1833; translated by ProfessorOliver Elton in his Verse from Pushkin, 1935), in part inspired byFalconet's imperious equestrian statue of Peter (1775).105