Now it's 2018. Answer yourself honestly - has something changed?.

It is written about Russia in 1549 (!!) By the Austrian Baron Herberstein-Nejperg-Gyutentag. Now it's 2018. Answer yourself honestly - has something changed?.

“The whole Moscow nation is in the worst slavery. Everyone and everyone without distinction of class, together with the ministers are slaves. High nobles sign their letters to the tsar, “your slave and servant Ivashka or Petrushka” and. If someone signed Ivan or Peter, he would have lost his life.

The Muscovites are convinced that their whole country, with all wealth and all people, is the king’s private property, and he has a divine right to do what he wants with estates and people.

Moscovites do not have simple moral values. They don’t want to learn from strangers, although they consider their best behavior. This nation, born and brought up in slavery, is furious when the despotism of the king weakens a little. Muscovites are submissive only if curbed and in the yoke ... The upper classes, although the slaves themselves, are treated as low as slaves.. Not having the simplest culture, Muscovites consider deception the greatest wisdom.. In a lie they know neither boundaries nor the slightest shame.

Ordinary human virtues are so alien, incomprehensible to Muscovites, that they consider meanness to be a high virtue ... This people hates freedom, protests if they throw it on.

If a king reigned like kings in Europe, that is, he would manage state affairs without interfering in the private and public life of his citizens, then the Muscovites would not obey and probably would have killed ... Moscow warriors of their own will, cruelly loved mock, torture prisoners.

In Muscovy, you can always and everywhere for a little money find false witnesses who swear on the cross and the Gospel in the church.

Even the Turks do not have such a disgusting servility of the highest and such cruel mockery of the lower, defenseless ”.

Alexander Tverskoy.