Tsar Angéy and the Fall of Pride

In the city of Filuyán there once lived a Tsar named Angéy, who was very famous.

One day, as he stood in the church during the Divine Service, the priest read from the sacred Gospel the words: "He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble and meek." When the Tsar heard this, he grew angry and declared, "This writing is falsely written; the word of the Gospel is untrue. I am very rich and famous. How shall I be put down from my seat and the humble and meek be exalted?" Filled with fear and pride, he ordered the priest to be confined in a dungeon and had that page torn out of the Gospel Book. Then he returned to his palace and began to eat, drink, and be merry.

One day, while hunting with his young men, the Tsar spotted a beautiful deer in the fields. He pursued it eagerly, and when he was close, he told his companions, "Wait here. I will go alone and take the deer alive." He chased the deer across a stream. On the other side, he tied his horse to an oak, took off his garments, and swam naked across the water, thinking to catch the deer by surprise. But the deer vanished, and an angel of God appeared in the form of Tsar Angéy, standing by the horse. The angel spoke to the youths, "The deer has swum across the stream," and then rode with them into the Tsar's city and entered the palace.

Meanwhile, the real Tsar Angéy returned for his horse, but found neither steed nor apparel. Naked and bewildered, he walked toward the city. He came upon shepherds tending oxen and asked, "Lesser brothers, shepherds, have you seen my horse and my garments?" They replied, "Who are you?" He said, "I am Tsar Angéy." The shepherds scoffed, "Wicked boaster! How dare you call yourself the Tsar! We have just seen Tsar Angéy ride into the city with five youths." And they beat him with whips and scourges, driving him away. Weeping, the Tsar continued on, naked and humiliated.

In the city, some traders met him and asked why he was naked. He lied, "Robbers stole my garments." They gave him a poor, tattered dress. He took it, bowed, and went on. He stopped at a widow's house and asked to stay the night. "Mistress," he asked, "who is the Tsar here?" She replied, "Are you not a man of our country? Our Tsar is Tsar Angéy." He asked, "For how many years has he reigned?" She said, "Five and thirty years."

He then wrote a letter with his own hand to the Tsarítsa, saying he had secret things to speak with her, and signed it as her husband, Tsar Angéy. He gave the letter to a woman to deliver. When the Tsarítsa received it and had it read, she was frightened.

"How can this poor man name me his wife? I must tell the Tsar and have him punished." Without informing the Tsar, she ordered him to be beaten mercilessly. He was so badly whipped that he was barely alive and could hardly leave the town. As he wept, he remembered the Gospel words: "He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble and meek." He told a priest how he had profaned the sacred Book and sent the priest to the dungeon, and then he wandered far, far away.

In the palace, the Tsarítsa said to the angel who looked like the Tsar, "My dear lord, for a whole year you have not slept with me. How can I be yours?" The angel replied, "I have made a covenant with God that for three years I will not share your bed." And he left her and went into the Tsar's palace.

Meanwhile, the real Tsar Angéy arrived in an unknown town. He hired himself out to a peasant to reap the harvest, but he did not know how to do such work. The peasant dismissed him, and he wept and continued on his way. Soon he met some poor men on the road. He said to them, "Will you take me with you? I am a poor man now and do not know how to work, and I am ashamed to beg. I will do whatever you bid me." They accepted him and gave him a burden to carry. That night, they told him to heat the bath, carry water, and prepare the beds. Tsar Angéy wept bitterly, saying, "Woe is me! What have I done! I was angry with the Lord, and He has taken away my kingdom and brought me to ruin. All this has happened because of the Gospel's word."

The next morning, the poor men rose and traveled on, and by midday they arrived at the city of Filuyán. They went to the Tsar's palace and begged for alms. The Tsar was holding a great feast and ordered the beggars to be brought in and fed well. Their food was placed in a special room. After the feast, when the boyárs and guests had gone, the angel who had been disguised as Tsar Angéy came to the room where the real Tsar was dining with the beggars. He asked, "Do you know of a proud and mighty Tsar who profaned the Gospel?" Then he taught and instructed him before all the world: he must not profane the word of the Gospel, must respect the priests, must not exalt himself, and must be kind and inclined to peace.