THE THREE PRINCES.

 During the years 6386, 6369, and 6370, [from 860-862] the Varangians crossed the Sea. This time the people who had already submitted to them refused to pay them tribute longer, and wished to govern themselves, but there was no sense of justice among them. One family raised itself against the others, and this foolishness brought frequent disaster. They therefore decided among themselves, "Let us seek a Prince who will govern us and who will give us justice." In order to find him, the Slavs crossed the Sea and sought him among the Varangians. The Chudes, the Slavs, the Krivichs and other peoples together spoke thus to the princes of Varangia: "Our country is large and has everything in abundance except that we lack order and justice; come take possession and govern us." Three Varangian brothers together with their families went, in effect, to occupy Slavonia. They settled among the Slavs, and in the country they built the city of Ladoga. The eldest of the three, Rurik, set up his residence along the banks of the river of that name. The second, Sineous, set up his house in the regions of the Blanc. The third, Trouvor, at Isbosk. That part of Russia was later called Novgorod by the Varangians, but the residents of that country, before the arrival of Rurik, had been known only by the name of Slavs.

There were among the Varangians, two men, Askold and Dir, who were not of the royal family but were important nobles. Without the King's permission, they left with some of their companions and went into the countryside and penetrated along the Dnieper even to Constantinople. Along the way they discovered a city situated on a mountain and they asked, "Whose city is that?" The response was made, "It belonged once to three brothers, Kii, Shchechek, and Choriv, who built it, but actually we who live there pay tribute to the Khazars." Askold and Dir then conquered the city and established themselves there, attracting to them a large number of the Varangians.