separation from it, the formation of an original existence, about which, by its very geographical location. could not such a far-sighted politician have such a visionary politician as, according to the recognition of all his contemporaries and even his worst enemies, the Cossack Hetman? but everything in this world deal was leading only to this: “The Cossacks stood up only under the ancient freedoms of their Cossacks” (Samo"vids, p. 13). This is indicated by the very words in the title of the “Registers,” in which we read: “Liberties lie (vedlug) of the Eg. Kr. Mn. and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth has long been given to the Zaporozian Army and is now being tested." He believed that in his desire to remain united with the Polish Civil State, the King of this State himself, obliged to the action of the Jeozatsky representatives at the electoral Diet in Warsaw even by the Polish Crown itself, would help the Getmaeu of the Ukrainian people achieve this goal, which was proved by Jan Casimir by his very deed, standing up strongly for his agreement with the Cossacks before the Polish Gentry, and did not want to hear about the agreement “with vile claps.” In such well-intentioned views, the Leader of Southern Rus' discouraged even the Muscovite Sovereign from seeking the Polish Throne after the death of Vladislav II, calculating that, with the help of his brothers and sisters of the same faith, it would be easier to deal with the restless Nobles, who were already taking into their hands the entire administration of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Fortunately for us, the Lyak puff and blindness spoiled the good intentions of Khmelnytsky: The gentry did not approve of the Zborovsky treaty, as a khlopsky treaty, a treaty with the claps of the noble lords of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and therefore a new war was coming, which soon opened and which, having dissuaded the valiant Hetman from the possibility of bringing the Lyakhs to reason and agreeing to them to a peaceful life united by the force of circumstances once with them, as equals with equals and free with free, turned his gaze to where he should have turned, if he
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wished the cause and people he raised true goodness and good fortune in all future days and years, which, as is known, took place at the eternally memorable Yeozatskaya Rada in Pereyaslavl, on the 8th of January, 1054, which united into one the two most important parts of Rus', which had been (and had gained something at that time and not to its own advantage) for entire centuries previously separated, living for a long time with a special life, but not having lived their ancestral journey, not having forgotten that they are both bone from bones and flesh from one flesh, live and move with the same spirit. This event was a decisive revolution in the existence of our Rus', a revolution, the equal of which, due to the importance of its consequences, we would have sought in vain in its previous life, and at the same time an irrevocable turn to a better life in the form of a huge, powerful and majestic All-Russian State; for Poland, until that time the strongest Central European Power, from that time on its days began to decline to the west. Nowadays, Polish writers often say that the main reason for the fall of their Kingdom was the Eozakis, namely: the rejection of the proposal of the Eozadsky Leader to live forward in a common fraternal life. So it was rightly noted by the ancients: “D) from rgiiiaae iiiiiiiiiiiiiig, sotsho (1shp shgiiegyayit regsShshch" And the Polish Gentry, it is known, only thought about themselves alone, about their own good, and that’s why they reaped in the end that they had eaten: "(k^ie ziae yayae zeshipa ]ac!a teiei." One should not complain about others, neighbors and non-neighbors: it is in vain to accuse known and unknown people of treachery, dishonesty, if we ourselves have lived and live in bad faith. However, always "eiepiiz zidMogisch t§і§ieg. 1
I turn to some of the particulars offered!, “Registers.” Among the General Foreman we read: “Ioann Ostafievich Troop Clerk,” This is none other than the same “Troop Clerk” that he wrote and signed under the very “Register:”, Doap \Iuyu livki Rizagya
XXVIII
PREFACE.
]e§h) Kg. Mvs. “2arorogkie§o;” only here he did not show his last name, but only his first and patronymic. Therefore, Vygovsky was actually a Polished Ruein-gentry, which is why he so quickly and easily parted with the Lyakhs and joined his own people, among whom, with their excellent talents, it was easy for him to rise to the top.