Book 2 Chapter 11 An Advocates Views on Judges and Prosecutors

"No, but this is a striking case," said Nekhludoff, and gave a
brief outline of the case of a peasant who began to read the
Gospels to the peasants in the village, and to discuss them with
his friends. The priests regarded this as a crime and informed
the authorities. The magistrate examined him and the public
prosecutor drew up an act of indictment, and the law courts
committed him for trial.

"This is really too terrible," Nekhludoff said. "Can it be true?"

"What are you surprised at?"

"Why, everything. I can understand the police-officer, who simply
obeys orders, but the prosecutor drawing up an act of that kind.
An educated man . . ."

"That is where the mistake lies, that we are in the habit of
considering that the prosecutors and the judges in general are
some kind of liberal persons. There was a time when they were
such, but now it is quite different. They are just officials,
only troubled about pay-day. They receive their salaries and want
them increased, and there their principles end. They will accuse,
judge, and sentence any one you like."

"Yes; but do laws really exist that can condemn a man to Siberia
for reading the Bible with his friends?"

"Not only to be exiled to the less remote parts of Siberia, but
even to the mines, if you can only prove that reading the Bible
they took the liberty of explaining it to others not according to
orders, and in this way condemned the explanations given by the
Church. Blaming the Greek orthodox religion in the presence of
the common people means, according to Statute . . . the mines."