Son of a clerk attached to the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius. He studied at Trinity Seminary and Moscow University. He taught mathematics at Trinity Seminary, was a translator at the Academy of Sciences from 1766, and later served in the Senate. He published Old Russian classic literary works, and assisted August Lüdwig Schlözer with the publication of “Russian Chronicle from Nikon's manuscript” (“Russkaia letopis po Nikonovu spisku”). He is the translator of works by Montesquieu, Voltaire, Marquis d'Argent, etc.
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