household was numbered by hundreds. But this sensual barbarian began
to be conscious of a soul. He was troubled, and revived the worship of
the Slav gods; erected on the cliffs near Kief a new idol of Perun,
with head of silver and beard of gold. Two Scandinavian Christians
were by his orders stabbed at the feet of the idol. Still his soul was
unsatisfied. He determined upon a search for the best religion; sent
ambassadors to examine into the religious beliefs of Mussulmans, Jews,
Catholics, and the Greeks. The splendor of the Greek ceremonial, the
magnificence of the vestments, the incense, the music, and the presence
of the Emperor and his court, filled the souls of the barbarians with
awe--and the final argument of his _boyars_ (or nobles) put an end to
doubts: "If the Greek religion had not been the best, your grandmother
Olga, the wisest of mortals, would not have adopted it."

Vladimir's choice was made. He would be baptized in the faith of Olga.
But this must be done at the hand of the Greek Patriarch; so he would
conquer baptism--and ravish it like booty--not beg for it. He besieged
and took a Greek city. Then demanded the hand of Anna, sister of the
Greek Caesar, threatening in case of refusal to march on
Constantinople. Consent was given upon condition of baptism, which was
just what the barbarian wanted. So he came back to Kief a Christian,
bringing with him his new Greek wife, and his new baptismal name of
Basil.

Amid the tears and fright of the people, the idols were torn down;
Perun was flogged and thrown into the Dnieper. Then the old pagan
stream was consecrated, and men, women, and children, old and young,
master and slave, were driven into the river, the Greek priests
standing on the banks reading the baptismal service. The frightened
Novgorodians were in like manner forced to hurl Perun into the Volkhof,