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Peter gave his favorite at the disposal of the upper tier of the Sukharev Tower, where Bruce equipped the observatory. He was seriously interested in astronomy, carried a telescope and astronomical aids with him everywhere, even taught the king himself to navigate the sky, predict solar eclipses. Bruce was engaged in observations at night and at the same time wrote down his calculations, drew maps ...
But popular rumor said that at night the Scot did dirty deeds in the Sukharev Tower: for example, he let out “iron birds with human heads” from its windows, and sometimes he himself flew over Moscow, turning into a crow ...
Another rumor concerned the figurine of a double-headed eagle on the spire of the tower. The bird was said to be able to foresee the future. And this seemed to be confirmed. So, before the war with Napoleon, a tangled hawk was seen between the paws of an eagle. Many considered this an omen of a Russian victory over the French.
The tower basement was also provided to Bruce. In it, the count set up a laboratory, where, again, according to rumors, he conducted alchemical experiments. And they also claimed that the Scot kept in that basement the Black Book, the author of which was supposedly Satan himself. And whoever takes possession of this book will be able to open any locks and any treasures will be opened to him ... According to legend, feeling his imminent death, the count walled up the book in the wall of the tower.
In 1934, Stalin ordered the demolition of the Sukharev Tower because it allegedly interfered with traffic. For some reason, instead of blowing it up, they began to take it apart brick by brick. There were rumors that they were trying to find Bryusov's Black Book, but the search was unsuccessful.
But the most surprising was the legend of living and dead water. As if Bruce owned the secret of water that could heal wounds and revive the dead. And that's how he died. Bruce decided to conduct an experiment, called a Turkish servant and ordered him to cut his body with a sword into four parts. After that, the servant, on the orders of the owner, buried the remains in the garden and for three days and three nights watered the place from the bottle that Bruce had given him before his death. On the fourth day, he was ordered to dig a hole. But everything went wrong. On the third day, for some reason, they began to search for Bruce by order of the king. In the end, the Turk "split" and told what had happened. Peter ordered to dig a hole with the remains. The sorcerer's body turned out to be intact, and he himself was alive, only sleeping. Nevertheless, the emperor considered this "an unclean affair", ordered the count to be cut into pieces again and buried.
On the facade of house No. 2 on Spartakovskaya Street, formerly known as the "House on Razgulay", you can see the remains of a sundial with numbers, astrological symbols and other signs. And it was like that was the case. Count Musin-Pushkin ordered the warlock Bruce a magic clock capable of predicting the future and pointing to treasures. However, even before the order was completed, Musin-Pushkin gave his soul to God. Bruce took the product to the heirs, and they refused to pay for it. Then Bruce left the watch to them, but at the same time he uttered the following phrase: “May this watch be cursed, and let it only show bad things!”
They say that before the revolution, the First and Second World Wars, the stone clock board took on a blood-red color. And from time to time a white cross appeared on its surface. And its top indicated where to look for treasures. But everyone who found them soon died a terrible death ...
In the 20s of the last century, members of the Old Moscow society found out that the sundial was placed on the facade of the building by Abbot Syuryug, the teacher of the Musin-Pushkin children, a highly educated person, the author of works on history, mythology and literature. But they seemed to have nothing to do with Jacob Bruce.
The famous associate of Peter I, Count Yakov Villimovich Bruce is one of the most mysterious personalities in Russian history. An outstanding scientist, military and statesman, reformer and organizer, he made a significant contribution to the formation of Russia. However, the count is famous not only for these undoubtedly great merits, but also for his occult and mystical activities. The figure of Count Jacob Bruce was shrouded in an aura of mystery even during his lifetime.
The name of this man is associated with many secrets and legends. As soon as he was not called: an alchemist, a sorcerer, a sorcerer, a magician and a warlock. There were rumors that he created the elixir of eternal youth, invented the eternal clock and even designed a mechanical bird, on which he flew at night over Moscow. It was rumored that Bruce knew the future and the fate of all people, owned the secret of hypnosis (“averted his eyes”) and comprehended almost all the secrets of the universe.
Bruce drew his extensive knowledge from ancient books and manuscripts, among which were both ancient Russian manuscripts and the works of Western European mystics on astrology, alchemy, black and white magic.
Yakov Villimovich Bruce was born in Moscow on April 19, 1669. The surname Bruce comes from the oldest family of Scottish kings. The most famous in his family was King Robert I the Bruce, the liberator of Scotland, who ruled at the beginning of the 14th century. Robert I's brother, Edward the Bruce, was King of Ireland and one of the most influential Masters of the Knights Templar.
The surname Bryusov took root in Russia after Jacob's father, William Bruce, came to Russia in 1649 at the invitation of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and entered his service. He participated in two wars, was wounded and for his valor he was granted estates, and in 1658 he was promoted to the rank of colonel.
His youngest son, Jacob Bruce, received a good education at home for those times and already in childhood showed a penchant for mathematics and the natural sciences. When Yakov was eleven years old, his father dies, and two years later, Yakov, along with his older brother Robert, decides to follow in his father's footsteps and chooses a military career. Thus, before reaching the age of fifteen, the brothers are recorded as privates in the royal "amusing regiments" invented by young Peter. Apparently it was then that he met the young sovereign.
In the future, Bruce will participate in most of the military campaigns of Peter I (including the Crimean (1687, 1689) and Azov (1695, 1696) companies of Peter I), reform the Russian army and all artillery, by the age of thirty-five he will become a marshal and for successful command Russian artillery in the Battle of Poltava in 1709 - a victory that Peter I would call a triumph of Russian artillery - will be awarded the highest award of the Russian Empire - the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, and Peter himself was only the seventh cavalier of this order. His brother, Robert Bruce, will also make a brilliant military career and become the chief commandant of St. Petersburg with the rank of lieutenant general.
Peter I highly appreciated and favored Jacob Bruce, brought him closer to the secrets of the Russian state and generously granted him lands, money and titles. And indeed: the list of titles and authorities granted to Bruce by the sovereign is impressive - count, senator, president of two colleges, governor-general of both capitals, field marshal - almost forty years until the death of Peter the Great, Bruce was one of the closest and most confidants of the sovereign. Peter I, who usually severely punished his subjects for wasting public money, nevertheless, for some reason, forgave Bruce a lot, even free treatment of the sovereign's treasury. Of course, all this can be explained by the fact that Peter needed a scientist and an outstanding person, who undoubtedly was Jacob Bruce, but some researchers believe that this was not the only thing.
A number of sources claim that there was some kind of occult-mystical connection between Peter I and Bruce. It's no secret that Peter I was a passionate supporter of everything Western and traveled a lot around Europe, accompanied by people close to him, in order to adopt the European way of life and science, in order to then introduce all this in his homeland in Russia. So, along with the exact sciences - for example, such as mechanics, astronomy and mathematics, in the enlightened Europe of the time of Peter there were mystical sciences - alchemy, astrology, magic, etc. Many prominent scientists, the founders of the exact sciences, were seriously fond of esoteric sciences at that time knowledge. It was an age when chemistry and physics coexisted with alchemy, and astronomy and mathematics with astrology. This was the heyday of the Masonic movement, which literally swept over the whole of Europe. Many prominent minds of that era, famous scientists, were in such Masonic lodges. And in 1697, Peter I sent Jacob Bruce to London "for mathematical science in the English state", where the count stayed for about a year, mainly doing astronomy, mathematics, navigation and alchemy. However, there is an opinion that Bruce had another secret mission in England. He was instructed to prepare everything necessary for the initiation of Peter I into the Masonic lodge.But why exactly was Bruce entrusted with such an important and delicate task? The answer lies in the history of the Bryus family, which stood at the origins of the birth of European Freemasonry. Indeed, at one time it was the royal house of the Bruces that provided the salvation and protection of the Templars, who fled after the defeat and prohibition of their order to Spain and Scotland. The royal family of the Bruces provided all kinds of patronage to both the Templar movement and the freemasonry that grew out of it. Therefore, James Bruce had a certain influence and was highly respected by the Masons and, being a Freemason himself, had some connections among the high-ranking persons of this closed organization, and therefore it was not difficult for him to organize everything necessary for the arrival of Peter in London.
It was then that Bruce makes new acquaintances with influential members of the Masonic lodge, including such prominent scientists as Sir Isaac Newton and Sir Christopher Wren. In the future, Bruce will conduct active correspondence with them. Soon, after everything was arranged for the initiation of the sovereign into the members of the "Great Lodge", at the personal invitation of the English King William III, Peter I visited England in early 1698 and in the city of London was admitted to the Masonic Lodge by the famous high-ranking Freemason Sir Christopher Wren.
Shortly after this event, in the same 1698, Peter, having received news of a riot in Moscow, hurries to his homeland. Together with him, Bruce returns to Russia. In fact, Freemasonry was brought to Russia, after these expeditions of Peter I to England, in which he was accompanied by Bruce. It is believed that the founders of Freemasonry in Russia are Peter I and his associates - Patrick Gordon, Franz Lefort and, as we already know, Jacob Bruce.
Immediately after the arrival of the Great Embassy of 1697-1698 in Russia, Bruce proposed to the tsar, inspired after visiting Europe, to design and build the first secular educational institution in Moscow, the school of mathematical and navigational sciences. Among other things, this building was to serve as the headquarters of the first Masonic lodge in Russia, established by Peter shortly after his return from England, the so-called "Neptune Society".
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A great many legends go about this mysterious structure - its walls were simply saturated with mysticism. In 1700-1701, a school of mathematical and navigational sciences was created here, headed by Peter I appointed Yakov Bruce. In the tower, Bruce equipped his alchemical laboratory and observatory, in which in 1709 he was the first in Russia to observe a solar eclipse. In the laboratory, among the many alchemical devices and flasks, Bruce spent his many experiments and most of the time, often working at night. Soon, the most fantastic gossip and rumors spread among teachers and students regarding the mysterious figure of their leader and his mysterious experiments. “Night is in the yard, but the light still does not go out in the count’s office, - again Bruce conjures, he got in touch with wickedness,” they whispered. At that time, rumors quickly spread throughout Moscow, and soon the fame of a sorcerer and warlock was firmly established behind the count.
The common people especially shied away from the Sukharev Tower. It was said that at night terrible inhuman groans were heard from the count's laboratory, and at midnight Bruce released his mechanical monsters from the observatory - iron birds with human heads that flew over Moscow and terrified passers-by who were late. And sometimes the count himself, turning into a raven, flew over the sleeping city. It was rumored that he created these monsters using black magic, and locked himself in his laboratory at night, conducted terrible experiments on people - connecting them with mechanisms and using his alchemical knowledge, he tried to get a homunculus.
Of course, all these are mostly urban legends and scary stories, here is what Leo Tolstoy wrote about this: “All the miraculousness of Bruce consisted in versatile encyclopedic knowledge, which frightened the common people, who had no idea how an ordinary person could know so much wisdom! »
But, as you know, any legend, as a rule, contains at least some grain of truth. In Bruce's case, that truth was that he was indeed an alchemist and practiced white and black magic. Documentary evidence remained to prove this, surviving manuscripts and books from Bruce's library, among which were books on witchcraft, black and white magic, as well as various alchemical devices and devices from the Earl's laboratory. As for mechanical monsters, there is some truth here, the fact is that Bruce, being a brilliant mechanic, created aircraft that were very unusual for those times, similar to airplanes. This is evidenced by the surviving drawings found in the Sukharev tower.
He also had other amazing mechanisms. Being an outstanding alchemist and mechanic, among other things, he actually tried to create a homunculus and, apparently, succeeded in this. This is how this “artificial man” was described by eyewitnesses who visited Bruce:
...At dinner, the assembled guests were served by a young beautiful girl.
“What a wonderful maid,” one of the guests remarked, “but why is she silent all the time, is she really mute?
- Not at all. Bruce replied. “It’s just that it’s not born, I created it myself.”
At the same time, all the movements of the girl were graceful and soft, it would be difficult for an outside observer to suspect that in front of him was not a living person, but a mechanical one. But as soon as the count removed the hairpin from her hair, the maid immediately froze motionless.
In addition, like any other self-respecting alchemist, Bruce was busy searching for the elixir of eternal youth and longevity, as well as obtaining the Philosopher's Stone, some kind of solid or liquid substance capable of turning simple metals into noble ones, such as gold and silver. One of the legends about the count says that he managed to get the elixir of immortality - "living water", which worked real miracles. According to this legend, Bruce, experimenting with living and dead water, once ordered his Turkish servant to cut himself into four parts with a sword, bury him in the garden and then water this place for three days and three nights from a bottle that he would give, and on the fourth day to dig out . The servant obeyed and carried out the order of the count. But on the third day, the king urgently needed Bruce. They searched for him, but could not find him anywhere. Then the king summoned his servant to him, and he, falling on his knees, confessed everything. We went to the garden, dug a hole, and there a real miracle awaited the audience - the count was not only alive, but absolutely not harmed, - the body of the sorcerer grew together, - he lay and slept peacefully.
In his observatory, located at the very top of the Sukharev Tower, in addition to purely scientific observations, the count compiled astrological horoscopes, predicted fate and future events from the stars. He was called the royal “astrologer” and they said that Bruce: “he was engaged in magic, and he knew everything: he knew how to predict the fate of a person about the month, the sun, and the stars. He will point a telescope at the sky, look, then unfold his books and say what will happen to you. And as he says, so it will come out - point to point ... "
Perhaps the greatest fame for Bruce the astrologer was brought by his famous Bruce Calendar. Generally speaking, it was more than just a calendar, rather a real encyclopedia. It seemed that it was written for absolutely all occasions, indicating various events, signs, predictions and advice for many years to come. The divinatory nature of this astrological calendar predetermined its tremendous popularity and strengthened the rumors about Bruce as a soothsayer.
The first pages of the calendar came out three years later, after Peter I handed over to Bruce the Moscow civil printing house in 1706. This "eternal" calendar contained predictions for every day for 112 years ahead! Therefore, it is not surprising that the Bryusov Calendar became the most popular in Russia and remained so for more than two centuries - it was known even in Soviet times. According to contemporaries, it contained surprisingly accurate predictions, and although initially these predictions covered time frames only up to 1821, in subsequent reprints they were supplemented up to the 20th century. Even in our time, some healers use this calendar to calculate destinies.
Long before the death of Tsar Peter the Great, Bruce, having compiled his astrological horoscope, warned the tsar against water, but how could such a wayward person like Peter I listen to anyone? Years later, Peter climbed into the icy water, rescuing a stranded boat with soldiers, shortly after this incident, he fell ill with pneumonia and died. However, Bruce himself did not believe that banal pneumonia was to blame, which so quickly carried away the physically strong king, because in his horoscope there was no mention of such a quick and unexpected death, only a serious illness that could undermine the sovereign's health, but should was to end in his recovery. The count believed that they intervened in the fate of Peter and helped him die, simply put, they poisoned him. The count also predicted his own death.
Already, after the Sukharev Tower was demolished, they remembered how Bruce predicted that after his death it would be destroyed. He predicted with great accuracy the date of the fire in his Glinka estate, which by that time belonged to the Musin-Pushkins, predicted the assassination of Emperor Paul I and the victory over Napoleon. Muscovites recalled that the day before Napoleon's army entered Moscow, a hawk was entangled in the paws of the copper double-headed eagle that crowned the Sukharev Tower, and it died in front of the assembled people. Then people remembered Bruce's predictions, and the hawk that died from the double-headed eagle was considered a sign, which for many Muscovites then became a symbol of victory over Napoleon.
Bruce also had a magic mirror through which he allegedly communicated with the dead and could see the future. A similar mirror (or maybe the same one?), made by the count, is stored in the Hermitage, although no one has been able to communicate with the dead through it or see the future, as Bruce did, and hardly anyone has tried. And yet, even as a museum piece, the mirror with the mark of Jacob Bruce surprises. The fact is that in those days all mirrors were made of metal, which was polished to a shine and, as a rule, it was possible to use them for no more than two or three years, and Bruce's mirror is as if bewitched, for more than two hundred years it has retained its original appearance. and is still usable.
There is also a fragment of the once huge 18-meter telescope of Jacob Bruce, through which he, being an astronomer and astrologer, observed celestial bodies and stars. It is difficult to imagine how long it took to prepare such a large astronomical instrument for work, however, apparently, Bruce, being a brilliant mechanic and inventor, easily coped with this task.
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They say that before his death, Bruce walled up the Black Book, somewhere in the Sukharev Tower, in a secret room on which he placed a special spell, a “magic lock”, so that the book and the secret knowledge contained there would not fall into the hands of strangers. Perhaps this legend was given rise to by a cast-iron board on which the names of the members and the rules of the mysterious "Neptune Society" were listed, and which was supposedly walled up in the eastern wall of the hall.
After all, it was in the Sukharev Tower that the “Neptune Society”, the secret royal council and the first Russian Masonic lodge, gathered at night, whose members were fond of magic, sorcery and astrology, and which, in addition to Peter I, included his confidants, the first persons of the state. Among them were Menshikov, Sheremetiev, Golitsyn, Lefort, Apraksin and, of course, Bruce. It was he, Jacob Bruce, who, according to legend, headed the "Neptunian Society" immediately after the death of Lefort in 1699. The people whispered that the king, having surrounded himself with foreigners, was now doing “blameful” and “impious” deeds with them in the tower, communicating with Satan and practicing witchcraft. Nevertheless, it was believed that the Sukharev Tower protected the Masons, and as if to confirm this, almost a century after the events described, within the walls of the Sukharev Tower, at the court that then sat there, Novikov was acquitted, accused by Catherine II of organizing against her Masonic conspiracy.
However, what could the “Black Book” actually be and was it at all? Of course, until she is found, it is difficult to say whether she possessed the magical properties that legends attribute to her, this is not known for certain. Yet it is almost certain that the book existed. After all, the astrologer and alchemist should have had a notebook in which he wrote down the results of his experiments, alchemical recipes and formulas. Perhaps the "Black Book" was such a "notebook" of the sorcerer Jacob Bruce, and perhaps, in addition to the research of Bruce himself, it contains other more ancient knowledge of his predecessors? Well, it is quite possible, since it is known that witchcraft books were often passed down in the family of sorcerers from generation to generation, or from teacher to student. It is difficult to say what sacred knowledge could be contained in this book, if it is really as ancient as the legends ascribe to it. However, its pages probably contain descriptions of the count's experimental attempts to obtain a philosopher's stone, a homunculus, an elixir of longevity, and much more ... Who knows, perhaps the count managed to reveal the secret of life and death, then all this should be written on the pages of his Black Book.
But if so, where could Jacob Bruce hide his witchcraft book? Her search began immediately after the death of Bruce, and now they are looking for her, alas, so far without success. One of these places may be in St. Petersburg, the city where Yakov Bruce lived for about ten years. The count's testament has been preserved, in which he asked to give his huge scientific and esoteric archive, the largest private library of that time, to the library of the Russian Imperial Academy of Sciences, but something also fell into the Hermitage. Most of Bruce's library - translations and originals of ancient scientists, astronomers, alchemists and poets, old manuscripts - has been preserved. But, unfortunately, among the many hundreds of volumes from the surviving library of Bruce, the "Black Book" was never found.
Already in 1763, Empress Catherine II herself became interested in the library of Jacob Bruce and his "Black Book", she wished to order some of the count's manuscripts. However, at her request, the academic librarian Taubert replied that: "... he did not find a bundle with books and papers ...", and some records were completely destroyed, according to the vague excuses of the then librarians, "as if they were not suitable." Catherine did not believe Taubert and in the margins with his explanations, ironically wrote: “Who stole it?”. Who stole it is unknown to this day, but it is possible that the Black Book was among the missing manuscripts. It was never found in the library of the Academy of Sciences, but it should have been a notebook of a researcher, alchemist and magician. Bruce had to keep records of his valuable discoveries and observations, obtained recipes and secret knowledge somewhere. After all, he had books on witchcraft, black and white magic, and magical objects, such as a magic mirror through which the count communicated with long-dead people and could see the future, or Solomon's seal, a pair of crossed triangles in which not pure spirits were enclosed . Of course, one can doubt the existence of all these items, but not the Black Book.
However, there are several other places where Bruce could hide his magic book.
Firstly, as we already know, this is the Sukharev Tower itself, within the walls of which, they say, the warlock bricked up his book. It is a pity, because if this is so, then, most likely, the "Black Book" is lost forever. The fact is that, as Bruce predicted, the Sukharev Tower was destroyed. This event took place in 1934, when, by decision of the Soviet government, it was decided to demolish the tower, since it allegedly interfered with traffic. The initiators of the demolition were Stalin and Voroshilov. Despite the protests of many architects, demolition began immediately and with unusual haste. The obvious artificiality of the reason for the demolition of this rare monument of the architecture of the Petrine era, and the way the demolition itself took place, caused a lot of gossip. The fact is that the Sukharev Tower was not blown up, as happened in those days with many other buildings and temples that were demolished, but they were dismantled, literally brick by brick ... The conclusion suggested itself, - they were obviously looking for something, - something very important. And found. But, alas, among the various manuscripts, books, manuscripts, esoteric works that belonged to Bruce, as well as devices and mechanisms, alchemical utensils and drawings, there was no the most important thing - the Black Book.
In general, scientists paid close attention to the Sukharev Tower nine years before its demolition. It was then that the young Soviet authorities began to look for something in the Sukharev Tower and its dungeons. In December 1925, members of the Old Moscow commission: archaeologist I. Ya. Streletsky, who devoted his whole life to searching for the library of Ivan the Terrible, local historian O. I. Penchko and architect N. D. Vinogradov surveyed the dungeons of the Sukharev Tower and found five immured underground passages that allegedly led to Bruce's house on 1st Meshchanskaya Street. However, the research was interrupted.
However, it has been suggested that the lost manuscripts of Bruce and his witchcraft books and objects, among which could be the "Book of Saville", "Black Magic", "Russian Sorcery" and the legendary "Black Book", as mentioned in legends, immured somewhere in these underground passages. Bruce's arcane items, such as the magic divination mirror and Solomon's seal, may have been hidden there as well.This changed things, because if the "Black Book" was immured in the wall of the Sukharev Tower, then it probably died along with the building, but if Bruce hid it somewhere in the dungeons under Sukharev Square, then it and other lost manuscripts could survive. All these conclusions gave hope to scientists and black archaeologists, who in the 90s of the last century again made an attempt to find both Bruce's library and the legendary library of Ivan the Terrible. According to legend, one of these underground passages was dug during the reign of Ivan the Terrible and connected the Kremlin with the Sretensky Gate, that is, with the very place where the Sukharev Tower was later erected. But the search turned out to be fruitless, none of the libraries was found.
The search for the lost "magic" books and objects of Bruce, and in particular his "Black Book", continues to this day. Modern researchers identify other places where these items can be hidden.
The house in which Yakov Bruce lived was located on Meshchanskaya Street - today it is Prospekt Mira. This is the same house that was located near the Sukharev Tower and was connected to it by an underground passage. However, the house itself was rebuilt many times and there is practically nothing left of the old place where Bruce lived today. There was also another Bruce's own house in Moscow, where the Black Book, popularly known as the house on Razgulay, could be hidden. Although in fact the house is listed on Spartakovskaya Street (the old name is Elokhovskaya) and in all Moscow reference books the address of the house was Elokhovskaya-2. But even then and today, Muscovites stubbornly continue to call it home on Razgulay. And although Bruce did live in this very place, the house that is on Razgulyai today was built after his death. However, many secrets and legends are connected both with this place and with Bruce's house on Razgulay.
One of the Moscow legends says that just before the death of Peter the Great, Bruce, at his command, invented a magical perpetual clock that supposedly showed when to start wars promising victory and glory, and where to look for riches and treasures. He started them, and threw the key into the river. And since then the hours have been going on without stopping, for a long time they went. Peter the Great, for whom they were made, was no longer there, their inventor himself passed away, but they did not stop. But those first hours were gone and no one knows where to look for them. They say that they disappeared after Empress Catherine the Great became interested in them. They say she ordered her best watchmakers to disassemble them in order to find out the secret of this eternal, magical clock. The clock was dismantled, but they failed to put it back together.
However, it is known that there were other watches that one rich gentleman from Razgulay ordered from Bruce. He wanted an enchanted clock, similar to those that the king had, and that they did not show time, but the path to fame and fortune. Bruce initially refused, but the master continued to insist and was ready to give any money for the work. Rumor has it that Bruce nevertheless took up this order, but conjured over the clock for so long that the customer died by the time they were ready, but bequeathed to his heirs to pay off the count when the clock was ready. However, the heirs refused to pay Bruce and ridiculed him. Then Yakov got angry and said: “Let these watches be cursed and only show bad things.” Since then, these watches began to bring only misfortunes to those who looked at them. The clock was installed on Bruce's house, in a special board with astrological and magical symbols applied to it. It was said that this rebus board was nothing more than a map showing the way to the count's innumerable treasures. There were also rumors that a person who guessed the symbols on the board would be able to find a hidden room in Bruce's house, where his treasures, the Black Book and other lost manuscripts of the count are located. Legends say that there may even be the body of Bruce himself. Many attempts were made to find the room, but to no avail.
Be that as it may, the legend of the count's treasures hidden somewhere haunted many Muscovites. Such adventurers came to this house and for a long time, as if enchanted, looked at the damn clock and the rebus board, trying to solve this riddle. We looked, and then went crazy, never finding anything. As a result, the Moscow authorities, seriously frightened by such rampant mental illness, ordered the board to be removed, and the place where it hung whitewashed so that there would be no trace left. But they say that the trace still remained, and those who looked for a long time at the place where the board with the clock used to hang, as if they saw how the rebus signs appeared right on the plaster.
Another place where Bruce's "Black Book" could be hidden is his estate in Glinka. Bruce acquired this remote estate due to certain life circumstances that developed after the death of Peter the Great and the redistribution of power that began.
On January 28, 1725, Bruce acts as the chief steward at the funeral of Peter I. Immediately after the death of the tsar, the struggle for power in the country and localities begins, Bruce's interests are hurt, he is Peter's closest ally, he understands that he has become dangerous and undesirable for the new government, too he knows a lot of palace secrets. In the country, Catherine I recently established a new state body, the Supreme Privy Council, which includes the gray cardinals of Russia, headed by Menshikov. In fact, this council, and not Catherine I, governs the country and decides the most important state affairs. Bruce is not included in the council and thus eloquently makes it clear that he is not needed by the new government. A year after Peter's death, Bruce retires with the rank of Field Marshal. Together with his wife, he hastily leaves the capital, moves to Moscow, and on April 24, 1727, he buys from Prince Dolgorukov the village of Glinkovo, located 42 versts from Moscow, "with a votchinkovy yard, with a good humus and with every structure, the village of Vochuten, Kabanova, Mishukov, Gramlikov."
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The scientific research and inventions of the count, his reclusiveness and isolation in the last years of his life, aroused curiosity and superstitious fear among the surrounding residents, they began to say that a dragon had been brought to Bruce from somewhere overseas, but one day Jacob got angry with him and turned him into stone. Indeed, in the park of the count's estate Glinka there was a stone sculpture of a mythical creature covered with scales, but, unfortunately, today the traces of the dragon, like many other sculptures from the count's estate, could not be found - in the 30s they were destroyed, and the materials were used for construction dams.
Another legend says that Bruce surprised guests when, in the hottest weather, with the help of some conspiracy word, he suddenly turned a pond into a skating rink. Modern scientists tried to explain this spectacular trick as follows: in winter, the ice was covered with a layer of sawdust and clay, then it was carefully cut down along the perimeter of the pond, the water was drained, and the ice sank to the bottom where it was stored until the summer. In the summer, the ice was cleared of sawdust and clay, and thus, on a hot summer day, it was possible to skate.
There are other secrets in Bruce's Glinka estate. For example, this is a system of underground passages, which are apparently located under the estate, but were walled up forty years ago. Therefore, research has not yet been carried out there, and perhaps the dungeons still contain many mysteries - who knows, maybe the "Black Book" is located there. The only place where there is a descent into the dungeon is the cellars under the ruined temple of the estate, but further the passage is walled up.
Yakov Bruce lived in Glinka for about ten years. All this time, he was afraid that Menshikov and Catherine I would not just leave him alone, because he, being close to Peter I, remained faithful to the sovereign until his death and now became dangerous for them. The count, being a man versed in medicine, did not believe that the king died due to illness and believed that there was a conspiracy against Peter.
Soon after Peter's death, some mysterious events began to occur around Bruce - all the count's close associates died in a completely mysterious way.
Departure to the remote estate of Glinka was partly an attempt to change his fate. After all, he is an astrologer and predictor, Jacob Bruce, he knew how his life would end. Many years ago, Bruce cast his horoscope and "calculated" his fate and death. But once another horoscope, compiled by him no less carefully for Peter I, misfired, because, as Bruce believed, they interfered in the fate of the sovereign. Before his death, Peter I did not have time to name a successor, he wrote only “I leave everything” and died. There is an assumption that Bruce was the only person among the close associates of the sovereign who knew the name of the heir.
So, to the number of our previous assumptions about the content of the Black Book, we can add possible records about the causes of the unexpected death of Peter the Great, the tsar's horoscope and, of course, the horoscope of Bruce himself, the prediction of his own fate.
In principle, the count could be poisoned at any moment, for example, one of the servants on the estate. And indeed, Bruce died under very mysterious circumstances, it is not clear from what. Jacob Bruce died on the day of his birth on April 19, 1735 and was buried in the German settlement in the church of St. Michael.
In the 30s of the 20th century, the construction of TsAGI, an aerohydrodynamic institute, was underway in Lefortovo, and suddenly the workers stumbled upon an unfamiliar ancient crypt. When the lid was lifted, they found the remains of a man - he was wearing a camisole embroidered with gold threads and a star - the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. In all likelihood, this was the crypt of Jacob Bruce himself. Bruce's remains were given to Gerasimov's anthropological laboratory, but they mysteriously disappeared from there. During the work and systematization, the label with the name of Bruce was simply lost, and it became impossible to find his remains among hundreds of others.
Well, maybe most of the rumors about the Count are nothing more than urban legends. The outstanding scientist, alchemist and naturalist Bruce was too ahead of his time, and popular rumor, superstition and prejudice formed the basis of numerous myths and legends about the sorcerer and warlock Jacob Bruce. Be that as it may, the whole life of the count was shrouded in a mysterious and mystical halo. The legendary "Black Book" and other lost manuscripts of Bruce fuel the interest of researchers to this day - and who knows what other surprises and mysteries the sorcerer from Sukharevka can present us in the future.
Izhevsk Cosmocenter,
There were times when Russia for the inhabitants of Western Europe looked like a land of great opportunities and a place where one could hide from the bloody political storms of the “civilized world”.
In 1647, representatives of an ancient Scottish family Bryusov — Jacob and his son William- Together with the household, they fled from the horrors of the civil war that unfolded in Britain.
The Bruces settled in Moscow, in the German Quarter. Yakov and William were accepted into the Russian military service. The elder Bruce led the Pskov regiment and died in 1680 with the rank of major general. His son William rose to the rank of colonel and died in one of the Azov campaigns.
But before this sad event, William, or Vilim, as he was called in Russia, managed to acquire offspring. In 1668, his son Robert was born, in Russia he was called Roman, and on May 11, 1669 - James Daniel, in the new homeland was called Jacob.
The Bruce brothers were destined for a successful career, and Jacob was also destined for the glory of a "warlock and sorcerer."
Jacob Bruce, like his older brother, received an education at home, absolutely brilliant by the standards of that time. Already in his early youth, Jacob showed a craving for science, especially for mathematics and natural disciplines.
Faithful Jacob
Vilim Bruce saw the future of his sons in a military career, and in 1683 Yakov and Roman were enrolled in a "funny regiment" assembled for the young prince Petra. Service in the “amusing regiment” and closeness to Peter predetermined the entire future life of the Bryus brothers.
Roman and Jacob were older than their future king - by more than three and two years, respectively. By the standards of that time, this difference was quite significant, therefore, while Pyotr Alekseevich was still just playing in the war, Yakov Bruce, in the rank of ensign, had already participated in the campaign against Azov under the command of Princess Sophia’s favorite, Prince Golitsyn, and even received an award for diligent service.
Jacob Bruce did not delve too deeply into the depths of political intrigues, but when Peter fled from people Sophia to the Trinity-Sergeev Lavra, brought him to the aid of the “amusing regiment”. This was not the initiative of Bruce - he only carried out the order of the king. However, Peter remembered this act, and Jacob Bruce became one of the close associates of the young monarch.
Peter at that time, and even now, was often reproached for giving preference to foreigners over Russians. This was explained, however, quite simply - the tsar, who was undertaking major transformations, desperately needed well-educated people who were able to implement large projects, but at the same time they were not “related” to any boyar or princely family, which pursues not state, but their own interests. In Russia at that time, there was a catastrophic lack of such, so Pyotr Alekseevich clung to the Russified immigrants from the German settlement.
"Generalist"
Jacob Bruce again participated in the campaigns against Azov in 1694 and 1695, now under the command of Peter. In 1696, Bruce showed his scientific skills by compiling a map of the territories from Moscow to Asia Minor, subsequently printed in Amsterdam. The king appreciated the work of Bruce the cartographer by raising him to the rank of colonel.
In 1697, the “Great Embassy” set off from Moscow to Europe, in which Peter himself, keeping a formal incognito, followed. Of course, he needed those who could speak the same language with Europeans, recruit specialists to work in Russia, and negotiate. Among those who had the greatest burden during the trip to Europe was Jacob Bruce.
Bruce improved his home education in Europe by taking accelerated courses with the best professors, primarily leaning on mathematics and the organization of artillery. The struggle for Azov was a thing of the past - ahead of Russia was a fierce battle with Sweden for access to the Baltic. According to Peter's idea, Yakov Bruce was to create and lead a new Russian artillery capable of surpassing the Swedish one.
Bruce entered that select circle of courtiers who, together with Peter, reached England. Yakov Vilimovich participated in the meetings of the tsar with himself Isaac Newton.
Tsar Peter, whose interests touched practically all spheres of life, needed, as they say, "specialists of a wide profile." Such was Jacob Bruce, who combined in one person a military man, a diplomat, a scientist, a lawyer, and so on and so forth ...
Secrets of the Sukharev Tower
But his soul most of all gravitated toward science. In the newly built Sukharev Tower in Moscow, Yakov Bruce was engaged in astronomical observations, and the secret “Neptunian Society” gathered there under the leadership of Franz Lefort who combined pure science with astrology. In 1702, the Navigation School was opened in the same Sukharev Tower, headed by Bruce.
Patriarchal Moscow was frightened both by the Sukharev Tower itself, which was completely unusual compared to the buildings previously built in the ancient capital, and by the scientific activities that Yakov Vilimovich conducted there. Bruce's experiments were often accompanied by "special effects" that forced devout Muscovites to be baptized. Most likely, therefore, the glory of “the warlock and servant of the devil” was entrenched in Bruce in Moscow - so strong that it outlived Yakov Vilimovich himself and has come down to us through the centuries in the form of urban legends.
The calendar that Bruce didn't invent
If we talk about the merits of Yakov Bruce to Russian science, then they are so great that you can’t list them all. We have already mentioned the "Map of Lands from Moscow to Asia Minor" and the observatory in the Sukharev Tower, which became the first in Russia. In addition, Bruce translated into Russian a number of scientific works by leading scientists of that time, compiled Russian-Dutch and Dutch-Russian dictionaries, wrote the first Russian geometry textbook ...
In 1706, Peter instructed Bruce to be responsible for all Russian book printing, and under him it took a decisive step forward. Under the leadership of Yakov Bruce was the Moscow printing house, and all the books that were published there were published with a note that they were published under the supervision of Bruce. It is because of this note that the famous calendar issued in 1709, compiled by Vasily Kipriyanov, which for 200 years became the desktop reference book of Russian farmers, received the popular name "Bryusov Calendar".
Jacob Bruce had one of the largest libraries of that time, numbering about 1500 volumes, and the vast majority of scientific, technical and reference content.
In addition, Bruce had his own collection of rarities, known as the "cabinet of curious things", after his death, by will, attached to the Kunstkamera.
Order for Poltava
Jacob Bruce had to do science in short breaks between military campaigns. Bruce, who commanded the artillery, did not miss a single one of them under Peter.
He took Nienschanz, participated in the laying of St. Petersburg, stormed Narva and Ivangorod.
But the highest point of his military career was the Battle of Poltava in 1709. Bruce's brilliant leadership of the Russian artillery predetermined the defeat of the Swedish army. For this victory, Jacob Bruce from the hands of Peter received the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called.
After the Battle of Poltava, Bruce increasingly began to receive diplomatic missions from Peter. Russia had proved its strength on the battlefield, and now it was time to consolidate what had been achieved with treaties and agreements. In addition, Bruce regularly goes on business trips to Europe to purchase works of art, hire craftsmen, and recruit officers to serve in the Russian army.
Mister "No"
In 1718, the Åland Congress began - lengthy Russian-Swedish negotiations to end the war between the two countries, which by that time had dragged on for almost two decades. The main negotiators from Russia were appointed Andrey Osterman and Jacob Bruce. The Swedes tried at all costs to minimize their losses from the conflict - there was no longer any talk of acquisitions. The Russian diplomatic tandem worked on the principle of a “good and evil investigator” - Osterman offered the Swedes option after option, expressed his willingness to compromise, and when they began to argue, the unshakable Bruce turned on, driving the Russian “no” like piles into the ground.
Osterman and Bruce managed to achieve favorable conditions for Russia already in 1718, but King Charles XII was offended and refused to sign them. Bruce shrugged and returned to his guns, which very soon reminded the Swedes who was the winner and who was the loser in this war. Soon King Charles died from a stray bullet during a campaign in Norway, and the Swedes returned to the negotiating table.
Osterman and Bruce managed to finally break the stubbornness of the Swedes in 1721, when the Treaty of Nystad was concluded, which secured for Russia all its main territorial acquisitions achieved during the war, and access to the Baltic Sea.
For this diplomatic victory, Jacob Bruce, who was elevated to the dignity of a count at the beginning of 1721, received from the tsar five hundred households in the Kozelsk district, as well as the Glinka estate near Moscow.
Funeral Marshal
When the Senate was established by Peter, of course, Jacob Bruce became one of its members. In 1719, Senator Bruce was appointed head of the Berg Collegium and Manufactory Collegium, responsible for the development of mining and Russian industry. Bruce headed the Manufactory College until 1723, the Berg College until 1726, and coped with his tasks quite successfully. Particularly serious successes were achieved in mining, where Yakov Vilimovich organized the first laboratory in Russia for assay analysis and research of ores and metals.
By the early 1720s, Jacob Bruce was among the most influential people in Russia. In 1723, he was the manager of magnificent celebrations in honor of the next anniversary of the marriage of Peter I with Catherine. In 1724, during the coronation of Catherine, Bruce carried the imperial crown in front of her, and Bruce's wife was among the five state ladies who supported the train. Catherine.
Bruce turned out to be almost the only person from the inner circle of Peter the Great who did not take part in the struggle for power after the death of the emperor. He began to retire in the last months of Peter's life and, although he was present in the palace before his death, did not join any of the warring parties. Therefore, Bruce was given the title of supreme chief marshal of the sad commission and instructed to organize the funeral of Peter. He coped with this task, as always, successfully.
He flew away, but promised to return ...
Empress Catherine I, having established a new order of St. Alexander Nevsky, was among the first to award them to Jacob Bruce. However, Bruce did not return to public activity, in June 1726 he submitted an official letter of resignation. It was satisfied - he was fired with the rank of Field Marshal.
Yakov Bruce settled in the Glinka estate near Moscow granted by Peter, which he fell in love with, and devoted all his time to scientific work.
In 1728 Yakov Vilimovich's wife, an Estonian German, died. Marguerite Zege von Manteuffel, which became in Russia Marfa Andreevna Tseeva. Bruce's two daughters died in early childhood, and he spent the last years of his life in solitude.
As once in Moscow, legends soon began to tell about him in Glinka. Someone allegedly saw that a fire dragon flies to Bruce at night. It was also said that once in the month of July he froze a pond in the park and invited his guests to go skating.
Bruce bequeathed all his scientific instruments and collections to the Academy of Sciences, the title of count and estates to his nephew Alexander Bruce, son of older brother Roman. Roman Vilimovich Bruce, who rose to the rank of lieutenant general, in 1704 became the first chief commandant of St. Petersburg and, remaining in this position until his death in 1720, did a lot to equip the new capital.
Yakov Vilimovich Bruce, a man who devoted his life to the honest service of Russia, died on April 30, 1735 and was buried in the Lutheran Church of St. Michael in the German Quarter.
But in Moscow they did not really believe in his death. It was said that the "warlock" Bruce built a flying ship and flew somewhere on it ... Muscovites believed that, among other things, Jacob Bruce knew the secret of reviving the dead and the recipe for eternal youth. Therefore, you look, and the eternally young Yakov Vilimovich will fly back. But he will no longer find his beloved Sukharev Tower in its place ...
Booker Igor 01/23/2019 at 19:00
The most mysterious associate of Peter I, Count and Field Marshal Yakov Bruce, took part in military campaigns, created Russian artillery and commanded it in the Poltava battle. The commander and scientist, statesman and diplomat - whoever he was. Common people and less educated contemporaries considered him a sorcerer and warlock.
What can be said about a person whose library contained books written in 14 languages, including 233 books on physical and mathematical sciences, 116 books on medicine, 71 folios on geography and geology, more than 90 volumes on military sciences, publications on biology , history, philosophy, linguistics, arts and crafts, genealogy and heraldry, home economics and gardening, cooking, pyrotechnics, catalogs of several museums and other non-fiction. At the same time, a small collection of fiction: however, Ovid's Metamorphoses is not in Latin, but in Dutch, Moliere in the original and in German.
Among the extraordinary personalities of the "chicks of Petrov's nest" - the head of the Artillery Order and a participant in the Most Joking Councils (grand royal drinking parties) - the mystic Jacob Bruce was distinguished by the fact that so many legends and myths were not composed about anyone else. Along with others, Bruce was interested in science and took part in all activities (diplomatic, military, etc.), but only he was directly suspected of dealing with evil spirits. Despite the fact that the schismatics considered Tsar Peter himself to be the Antichrist.
From his contemporaries and descendants, the cavalier of the almost unattainable award of the Russian Empire - the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called - was awarded the title of warlock, alchemist, sorcerer and sorcerer. He was credited with not only real, but also fictional events, such as, for example, the creation of a living doll and flights on a mechanical bird over Moscow at night, the development of an eternal clock mechanism and an elixir of eternal youth.
A descendant of a noble Scottish family, Yakov Vilimovich Bruce ( Jacob or James Daniel bruce) was born in 1670, according to some sources, in Moscow, according to others - in Pskov.
"The Bryus family is one of the most ancient and eminent in Europe. Natives of Normandy, they have been leading their genealogical line since the 1st millennium of our era. One of the Bruces took part in the campaign of the Duke of Normandy William the Conqueror as a "companion" and received the Cleveland estate as a reward in North Yorkshire. His son Robert owned the Lordship of Ennandale in Scotland. From the Ennandale branch came the dynasty of the Scottish kings of the XIV century, and from the middle of the XVII century - the Russian family of the Earls of Bruce, "says the director of the House-Museum of J. V. Bruce in his book Glinkakh A. N. Filimon.
His father William came to Muscovy at the invitation of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. Almost nothing is known about his childhood years. Having received an excellent home education (the boy had a special propensity for the exact and natural sciences, which he was engaged in until the end of his life), around 1683 he was recorded together with his older brother in one of the royal amusing regiments.
In 1687 and 1689, as an ensign, he took part in the Azov campaigns under the leadership of the favorite of Princess Sophia, Prince Vasily Golitsyn, and was awarded an estate of 120 quarters of land and money in the amount of 20-30 rubles. Apparently, he fought excellently, since he received a considerable reward for each of his campaigns.
Since 1689, Bruce has become an inseparable companion of Tsar Peter Alekseevich in his campaigns, and every time he was generously rewarded by the tsar who loved him. During the siege of Azov in 1696, Bruce was engaged in compiling a map of the lands from Moscow to the coast of Asia Minor, which was subsequently printed in Amsterdam. In the same year, Tsar Peter granted him the rank of colonel.
In January 1695, Bruce married Margarita von Manteuffel (Marfa Andreevna), the daughter of General Tsoge von Manteuffel, a native of the Baltics. The planted father at the wedding was Tsar Peter himself.
Bruce sailed for England in 1697 and stayed in London for about a year, and perhaps more, mainly occupied with mathematics and astronomy. Or as it was inscribed on the king's prescription "for mathematical science in the English state." But lovers of everything mysterious are not content with this information and hint that the Freemason Bruce supposedly initiated Peter himself into the lodge.
In the book "Freemasonry in its Past and Present" published in 1914 under the editorship of S.P. Melgunov and N.P. Sidorov, we read: upon his return from his first trip abroad: Christopher Wren himself, the famous founder of New England Freemasonry, allegedly initiated him into the sacraments of the order, Lefort was the master of the chair in the lodge founded by Peter, Gordon was the first, and the tsar himself was the second overseer. devoid of any documentary basis, finds only indirect confirmation in the high respect that the name of Peter enjoyed among the Russian brothers of the XVIII century.
As you can see, there is no mention of Bruce's Freemasonry (and even this information is called into question). What has been said does not mean that Yakov Vilimovich was not a first-class freemason, perhaps he was simply superbly encrypted. But you must admit that in order to talk about this, it is necessary to have at least some information.
Bruce's stay in England also influenced the future symbolism of Russia. St. Andrew's flag, introduced in Russia in 1698, appeared as if thanks to the efforts of the Scot Bruce. In the same year, Bruce was the first Russian scientist to write a scientific treatise on the law of universal gravitation - "The Theory of Planetary Motion". Another result of the trip to England was the development of military articles together with Adam Weide. Upon returning to Russia, Bruce constantly received instructions from Peter to perform various scientific works: he translated foreign authors and published books, and was engaged in astronomy.
The failure at Narva (in November 1700) brought the wrath of Peter to Major General Bruce, who dismissed him from the post of Feldzeugmeister General, in other words, commander of the Russian artillery, but a year later returned him to his former place and, in addition, made head of the Novgorod order. In this capacity, Bruce was with the army in the first years of the Northern War, participated in the capture of Noteburg, Nienschanz, Narva, commanded the left flank of the army in the battle of the village of Lesnoy.
In the battle near Poltava, commanding all the then Russian artillery, which consisted of 72 guns, he was awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. Only once the Order of St. Andrey was granted several people at once. For the Poltava Victory, he was received by combat generals Bruce, Gallard and Renzel. The statute of 1720 for the first time mentioned the maximum number of holders of the order - 24, but even during the life of Peter the Great there were 38 of them.
One of the most famous deeds of our hero is the creation of the "Bryusov calendar", published in the Moscow civil printing house, established by Bruce. From 1709 until the beginning of the 20th century, this calendar remained the reference book of the Russian farmer, according to which he checked the dates of sowing and harvesting, followed the instructions on how to care for crops. It was used to determine the timing of Easter and the distance from Moscow and St. Petersburg to other cities of the Russian Empire. Subsequently, it turned out that the Russian educator Vasily Onufrievich Kipriyanov played a big role in the creation of the Bryusov Calendar.
Jacob Bruce is again in the heat of military battles, takes part in the siege and capture of Riga, accompanies Peter in the Prut campaign. Around 1714, there were rumors about the theft of state money by him, which was later fully confirmed, but Peter not only did not punish the embezzler, but three years later appointed Bruce president of the Berg and Manufactory Collegium, with the title of senator. In 1718, the emperor sent Bruce as the first minister to the Åland Peace Congress. In 1721, Bruce was elevated to the dignity of an earl and received an estate of 500 peasant households.
After the death of Peter the Great, Bruce worked for a short time in the collegiums and in the artillery department. In 1726, Bruce retired with the rank of field marshal and settled in his estate Glinka, Bogorodsky district, 42 miles from Moscow (now within the city of Losino-Petrovsky), where he lived until the end of his days, occasionally running into Belokamennaya.
Jacob Bruce died on April 19 (30), 1735, leaving no offspring. Buried in the German Quarter.
Astrological calendar-reference
Compiler G. V. Gaiduk
Deciphering and reconstruction of the technique of J. Bruce G. V. Gaiduk
Cover design CHKPUP "Avestan school of astrology"
ISBN 978-5-4483-2417-8
Created with the intelligent publishing system Ridero
About the Reference Calendar
We offer the reader an unusual calendar. This is our attempt in an entertaining way to immerse you in observing yourself, others, nature. Using fragments of ancient manuscripts and books in a form accessible to the modern reader, you can make a short journey through time by reading the astrological characteristics for the signs of the zodiac of Jacob Bruce, get acquainted with the agricultural skills of our ancestors, methods of observing the moon, weather, and other useful information. , the value of which can be tested on your own experience.
The calendar has two parts. In the first part, the observations of our ancestors are given, and in the second, a calendar with astrological data is given. You can use the calendar either to cheer up, maintaining a healthy skepticism and sense of humor, or, using your own researcher's vein on the principle of "trust but verify" when studying it, try to observe yourself and others in the rhythm of the dance of the Sun and the Moon.
And we will start with the calendar of Jacob Bruce, which is often called the "Bryusov calendar" and with which many mysteries and legends are associated. The first edition of the legendary calendar was engraved on copper plates in 1709. It was the first printed calendar in Russia, which contained astronomical and astrological information, consisted of a reference and a predictive part.
Yakov Vilimovich Bruce (English Jacob (James) Daniel Bruce, 1669 or 1670, Moscow - April 19 (30), 1735, Glinka's estate) - Russian statesman, military man and scientist, one of the closest associates of Peter I, a representative of the noble Scottish family of Bryusov . The ancestors of J. Bruce lived in Russia since 1647. Participated in the Crimean (1687, 1689) and Azov (1695, 1696) campaigns of Peter I, in the formation of Russian artillery during the Northern War. For the command of Russian artillery in the Battle of Poltava in 1709, he was awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. In 1714, he was charged with embezzlement of the treasury and released from punishment by the personal instructions of Peter I. In 1716 he was involved in the preparation of a military article, and from 1717 he was appointed senator and president of the Berg and Manufacture colleges. In 1721, Bruce received the title of Count of the Russian Empire. Field Marshal General (1726). In the same year, he resigned and devoted himself entirely to science. Bruce was one of the most educated people in Russia, a naturalist and astronomer, he owned the largest library, numbering about 1500 volumes almost exclusively of scientific, technical and reference content. In 1696 he compiled a "Map of Lands from Moscow to Asia Minor", and in 1702 he opened the first observatory in Russia at the Navigation School in Moscow. The school was housed in the Sukharev tower, built in 1695, which contrasted strongly with the architecture of patriarchal Moscow. Perhaps that is why popular rumor attributed to Bruce the glory of a warlock and sorcerer. Bruce was fluent in six European languages, and his "cabinet of curious things" was the only one of its kind in Russia, and after Bruce's death, it merged into the Kunstkamera of the Academy of Sciences. Participated in the laying of St. Petersburg (May 16, 1703). He is the author of the zodiacal radial-circular layout of Moscow. Compiler and publisher of reference and astrological "Bryusov calendar".
The descriptive part of the "Bryusov calendar" gives a description of a person born in the period related to one or another zodiac sign. The characteristic feature is slightly different from the modern interpretation. Here is a description of appearance, special signs, problematic traits of a person’s character, a tendency to certain passions, the most common diseases, in some cases life expectancy is also indicated, which in modern conditions is already a little different. Favorable and unfavorable directions in space, favorable and unfavorable colors will seem unusual for the modern reader. But the interpretation of comparability with other signs of the zodiac and the houses of the horoscope almost completely coincides with the modern one.
In parentheses, we have indicated modern dates corresponding to the passage of the Sun in each sign, which according to the calendar from year to year can change by one day. We invite the reader to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of the colorful Russian speech of the early 18th century. and see the image of your zodiac sign from the time of Peter the Great.
A boy born between the 12th day of March and the 12th day of Aprillia, there is an inclination sign Aries from nature Mars hot, dry. Unhumble, we are driven by good conversations. A masculine fair body, a longish face and neck, has little blood, a round image, great eyes, great veins on his forehead, curly and many-haired, quickly and kindly speaking, bold in heart, proud, impatient, quick mind, sense, quick to anger, vindictive, says in anger with his eyes, and then he himself repents and is pitiful, stingy, boring, soon angry and then packs of Good, from there he has great veins on his forehead. But he once had a mark on his head, he was afraid of the eyes of the great, he would fall from above, he was unclean, unchaste, he soon loved his wives and soon left. His nature requires three honest wives. The first - a young maiden, the second - a widow or otherwise not a virgin. Younger beings will reach science and spiritual things, but later on, they will have a worldly rank. You will suffer a lot in your youth. Willingly manages in military deeds, and they are not unhappy. And with this, he gains great honor among the people, eats and drinks good, and is often weak, sleeps poorly. Honor lover, seeker of glory, to things. Many people have good things for him, and in great deeds he has mercy. In his anger, he is firm, unmerciful, strong insubordination of his meaning. Inclined to kill flesh, to see human blood. He often loses his possessions and property, or his stomachs, but in some other way he acquires packs. He often wants death for himself, and besides, he will not be greatly impoverished and not very rich. He spends his life in his homeland, his highest march is happiness, joy, crawling and gain of virtues, an increase in his honor.
Leaning towards the ground east sun and to noon . West there is money for him. His greatest misfortune is loss, humiliation of honor, attack, need, prison, labor, not friendship with any opposition. Contents will show the lands to north . His paint tends to yellow and red. Cherno or gray mixed blue-green- they will show him the essence of a disease or a mortal attack. The greatest happiness of his gain will be shown to him by the feat of the earth of growth, his greatest misfortune, loss at a loss comes to him from the use of water heritage. Disease or disease of the body is often in the legs, in the head or hearing in the left side of the inner. Death will happen for courage and swelling through the stone of poisonous drinking of water matter or poisonous thick burnt blood. When the sun is in Corpuscle- has profit and happiness in all things, although on water and on dry land. The best will be among his brethren and outlive his father. Have honest children. When the sun is in virgins let him shave off evil drinks and food, and let him not start much. AT scales is lucky to get married. AT scorpia he almost falls ill with a fatal disease. AT Sagittarius has happiness to create a journey, and everything happens to him well, in Aquarius good comes to him. AT Pisces has little happiness. Bude will survive 24 years, then he will live until 71 years.
