forth from one of its pockets the king’s deed, raising it high into the air so the whole gathering might see it.
“Hide your grant, Boyarin,” said Zakhar quietly, “We wouldn’t know how to read it and the seal of your king does not mean anything to us. Rather tell us yourself, who is this king of yours?”
“What!” exclaimed the amazed boyar, “You don’t know king Danilo Romanowich?”
“No, we acknowledge no king.”
“Ruler of all the lands, towns and cities from the river Scian (pron. Shon) to the Dnieper, from the Carpathians to the mouth of the river Buh?”
“We have never seen him and to us he is not a ruler. For instance, when a shepherd is the ruler of a herd, he protects it and defends it against wolves and other wild beasts, driving it at mid-day heat to a cool stream and in the chill of evening to a warm, safe pen. Does your king do all this for his subjects?”
“The king does even more for them,” replied the boyar. “He gives them wise laws, sage governors and sends them his faithful servants to defend them against enemies.”
“That is not true, Boyarin,” interrupted Zakhar. “You see, even the sun in the sky has hidden its bright face so as not to hear your deceitful statements. Just laws were handed down to us not by your king but our ancestors and forefathers. The king’s wise governors we have never seen and have lived in concord and peace governing ourselves by our own principles of cooperative self-rule. Our forefathers taught us long ago that a man alone is not sufficient unto himself any more than a single individual is wise enough to equitably dispense just judgment to all, but that the people’s government administered for their collective good is the only just and honest government. Without the king’s warlords lived our forefathers and we have lived up until now and as you can see our homes have not
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