GOVERNING RUSSIA'S PROVINCES 243and even think of introducing it next summer in my own village,
which has no woods but is blessed with fertile fields."l Nor did he
neglect his intellectual development, for as must have become ap-
parent, Speransky was an eternal student, always learning, seeking new
information, broadening his knowledge a<nd deepening his under-
standing of the first principles of things. In his spare time at Penza,
he completed the translation of St. Thomas a Kempis' lmitatio Christi
and had it published with the help of government subsidy. To under-
stand German idealistic philosophy better and to help his daughter in
her own literary studies, he decided to learn German. In the process
of learning the language he became well acquainted with its literature
and quite fond of some of its writers, especially of Schiller, his preferred
poet. To achieve fluency in the language more rapidly, Speransky with-
drew to his study literally for several weeks, refused to have any contact
with people except for the absolute minimum necessary in his official
capacity. When he left Penza, Speransky could read fluently the most
abstruse German authors and by the time he returned to St. Petersburg,
he possessed a speaking knowledge of the language as well. Nor were
his old favorites, the ancient classics, forgotten by him. For instance,
when his appointment to the Governor Generalship of Siberia reached
him, he was engrossed in his beloved pastime, reading Homer in
Greek.^2
In spite of what might appear to have been a rewarding period,
Speransky came to feel that he had exhausted his usefulness to the
province of Penza. His task had been to restore efficiency and order-
liness in the routine of administrative business. He had accomplished
this task and yearned to return to more active participation in the
central government. In particular, he wished to resume his previous
work at giving stable and clear laws as a foundation of a thorough
reorganization of the political life of the Empire. He was still ambi-
tious for an appointment to the Senate as a member of the Commission
on Laws. As his petitions and requests for this appointment, trans-
mitted by friends and wellwishers in St. Petersburg, did not produce
any results, Speransky applied for a leave to attend to his personal
affairs in the capital. He hoped to accomplish his purpose by pushing
the matter in person. Should this fail too, he wrote to his daughter, he
would resign from government service altogether and retire to his
estate in the Penza province. Whether or not this was an empty threat
1 Letter to D. M. Poltoratskii, 12 March 1818 from Penza, Russkaia $tarina, III
(1902), pp. 50-51.
2 On this, see the remarks scattered in his letters to his daughter (Russkii Arkhiv
1869 and in Pamiati).