ed in the triumph of "the beloved," Israil himself
deemed the time to be ripe for his promotion in the ranks of sanctity.
He proclaimed himself to be Jesus Christ.

On Holy Thursday he washed the feet of his disciples, blessed the bread
and wine, and distributed it to the assembled believers.

But, alas, by this time dreams of a strangely sensual nature had seized
upon him, and seemed to pervade his whole being.

In one of these dreams he found himself in an empty temple, and on
approaching the altar, perceived a dead woman lying there. He lifted
her up, and as he touched her she showed signs of life. Suddenly,
slipping from his grasp, she leapt upon the altar, and, radiating
heavenly beauty, threw herself into his arms. "Come, come, my spouse!"
she said. "Come, that I may outpour for thee the wine of my love and
the delights of my Eternal Father!"

On hearing these words from the Queen of Heaven, Israil dissolved into
tears. He was filled with boundless rapture, and in his excitement
could not forbear from sharing this joyful experience with his
disciples.

His Golgotha was drawing near. The new religion was openly denounced,
and rigorously suppressed. The apostles were imprisoned, and the Jesus
Christ of Krivoziersk was sent for to the town of Kostroma, that he
might give account of himself, his visions, and his crimes. Ultimately
he was condemned to a spell of confinement, and forced to perform the
most humiliating duties. His asceticism, his many virtues, his fasting
and prayers, the love which God had manifested for him--all were
forgotten, and Israil, who had held the Queen of Heaven in his arms,
was in future obliged to clean out the stables of the monastery of
Makariev, to light the fires, and prepare the brothers' baths for them.

The "beloved of the Lord" fully expected to see the earth open and
engulf his impious judges in its yawning depths--but no such thing
happened. His spirit grew uneasy, and, taking advantage of the Russian
Government's appeal for missionaries to convert the Siberian peoples,
he set forth to preach his own religion to them instead of that of
Tsarism. Arrived at Irkutsk, he sought first of all to save the souls
of the chief authorities, the Governor-General and the Archbishop. But
his efforts beat in vain against the indifference of these high
dignitaries.

"Happy are those who follow me," he assured them, "for I will reveal to
them the secrets of this world, and assu