Whoever called the famous associate of Peter the Great, Count Jacob Bruce - and a magician, and an astrologer, and an alchemist, and a warlock … There were many shocking rumors about this man, and today it is not so easy to find out which of them are genuine and which are all only legends …
Bruce came from a line of Scottish kings
This is not a legend, but a documented fact. The father of the future Petrine comrade-in-arms, Willim Bruce, emigrated to Russia in 1647, where he rose to the rank of colonel. The son Jacob (although it was more correct to call him Jacob in Scottish) followed in his father's footsteps. He performed so successfully in military campaigns that at 35 he was already awarded the rank of marshal. But the military career was not limited to. Bruce was also involved in government activities: he was in the Senate and at the same time headed the Manufacture Collegium and the Berg Collegium.
He practiced witchcraft
Peter gave his pet the upper tier of the Sukharev Tower, where Bruce equipped an observatory. He was seriously fond of astronomy, everywhere he carried a telescope and astronomical aids, even taught the king himself to navigate in 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 Scotsman did black 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 …
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Another rumor concerned a figure of a two-headed eagle on the tower spire. 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 saw this as an omen of a Russian victory over the French.
The tower basement was also given 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 Scotsman kept in that basement the "Black Book", the author of which was allegedly Satan himself. And whoever takes possession of this book will be able to open any locks and any treasures will open to him … According to legend, feeling his imminent demise, the count walled up the book in the wall of the tower.
In 1934, Stalin ordered to demolish the Sukharev Tower, as it allegedly interfered with the traffic. For some reason, instead of blowing it up, they began to take it apart brick by brick. There were rumors that they tried to find Bryusov's "Black Book", but the search was unsuccessful.
But the most amazing thing was the legend about living and dead water. As if Bruce possessed the secret of water that can heal wounds and revive the dead. And that he died like that. 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, by order 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 it all went wrong. On the third day, for some reason, they began to search for Bruce by order of the king. In the end, the Turks "split up" and told what had happened. Peter ordered to excavate a pit with the remains. The sorcerer's body turned out to be whole, and he himself was alive, only asleep. Nevertheless, the emperor considered it "an unclean thing," 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 Razgulyai, you can see the remains of a sundial with numbers, astrological symbols and other signs. And it seemed like it was. 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 his heirs, and they refused to pay for it. Then Bruce left the watch for them, but at the same time he uttered the following phrase: "Let this watch be damned, and let it only show bad things!"
It is said that before the revolution, the First and Second World Wars, the stone clock plate acquired 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 1920s, members of the Old Moscow Society found out that the sundial had been placed on the facade of the building by Abbot Suryug, the educator of the Musins-Pushkin children, a highly educated person, the author of works on history, mythology and literature. But it seems that they had nothing to do with Jacob Bruce.
According to the "Bryusov calendar" one can predict the future for many years ahead
Most of all, Jacob Bruce became famous thanks to the "Bruce calendar" he compiled for posterity. It was first published in 1709, or rather, engraved on copper plates. Although the calendar itself was designed for a century, it could be used for calculations that allowed for astrological predictions up to the year 2000.
Researchers claim that the Bruce Calendar predicted market reforms in 1992, the 1998 financial crisis and the 1999 abdication of President Boris Yeltsin.
Bruce hid his books and tools in a dungeon
Sources say that Bruce had an extensive library, which included works on history, science, astrology, occultism. But after his death, books, astronomical instruments, and laboratory equipment disappeared somewhere.
According to one of the versions, the count moved everything in advance to his estate near Moscow Glinka (now Monino) and hid it in a safe place in the underground. Enthusiasts conducted research there using biolocation. They managed to fix the presence of metal, wood and glass under the foundation of the house. But getting to these objects is impossible. Apparently, the "sorcerer" categorically did not want someone else to use his "inheritance" …
Diana Merlin