Eta istoriya proizoshla togda, kogda Kiev byl pol'skim gorodom, i vsya Ukraina tozhe prinadlezhala Pol'she. Verstah v shestidesyati ot Kieva zhil pol'skij pan, Romual'd Sventickij. Ego schitali koldunom, on ne hodil v cerkov', ne soblyudal postov, vodil druzhbu s tatarami i kazakami, i starye lyudi rasskazyvali pro nego, budto on prodal svoyu dushu d'yavolu, otreksya ot Cerkvi i poklyalsya, chto na meche ego nikogda ne vysohnet hristianskaya krov'. S uzhasom smotreli na nego i hlopy, i gordye pany, potomu chto poyavlenie ego vsegda znamenovalo kakoe-nibud' zlodejstvo, kotoroe sovershalos' potom i zastavlyalo trepetat' samoe muzhestvennoe serdce. Vsya zhizn' ego proshla v grabezhah i razboyah. On ne shchadil ni bogatyh, ni bednyh. No odnazhdy proizoshlo takoe, chto izmenilo ne tol'ko zhizn' pana, no i vsego ego okruzheniya. ©& IE Vorobev V.A.; ©& Publishing House Soyuz