eface that he selected this romance
for translation because--

"It is the work of an author to whom all the critics have adjudged
the praise of a perfect acquaintance with the epoch which he has
chosen for the scene of his drama. Russian critics, some of whom have
reproached M. Lajetchnikoff with certain faults of style, and in
particular with innovations on orthography, have all united in
conceding to him the merit of great historical accuracy--not only as
regards the events and characters of his story, but even in the less
important matters of costume, language, &c.

"This degree of accuracy was not accidental: he prepared himself for
his work by a careful study of all the ancient documents calculated
to throw light upon the period which he desired to recall--a
conscientious correctness however, which may be pushed too far; for
the original work is disfigured by a great number of obsolete words
and expressions, as unintelligible to the modern Russian reader
(unless he happened to be an antiquarian) as they would be to an
Englishman. These the Translator has, as far as possible, got rid of,
and has endeavoured to reduce the explanatory foot-notes--those
'blunder-marks,' as they have been well styled--to as small a number
as is consistent with clearness in the text."

M. Lajetchnikoff takes occasion, while referring to some anachronisms
which will be found in _The Heretic_, to state, in the following terms,
his opinion of the duties of an historical novelist--

"He must follow rather the poetry of history than its chronology. His
business is not to be the slave of dates; he ought to be faithful to
the character of the epoch, and of the _dramatis personae_ which he
has selected for representation. It is not his business to examine
every trifle, to count over with servile minuteness every link in the
chain of this epoch, or of the life of this character; that is the
department of the historian and the biographer. The mission of the
historical novelist is to select from them the most brilliant, the
most interesting events, which are connected with the chief personage
of his story, and to concentrate them into one poetic moment of his
romance. Is it necessary to say that this moment ought to be pervaded
by a leading idea?... Thus I understand the duties of the historical
novelist. Whether I have fulfilled them, is quite another question."

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