In London, not far from the banks of the Thames, stands the monumental building of the Secret Intelligence Service, or MI6, a mysterious organization, as befits an intelligence service. The secrets of Great Britain have always been a taboo subject, and it was a sacred tradition, like many other customs and rules of the British nation - something like the habit of washing in stagnant sink water (for the sake of economy!) or driving on the left side of the street. Before becoming quite a respectable structure, the “cloak and dagger” department survived the times when almost every case could become the plot of a fascinating spy novel. Let us just remember the episode when the English secret service sent agent Bomelius, a specialist in drawing up horoscopes, to the Moscow Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible. Star divination, magic and alchemy were widely used by the English; Double agents were also in use. In ancient times, adventurers, criminals, and the dregs of society were often attracted to work for the benefit of the Crown. However, among the motley spy crowd there were also quite decent Britons: sailors, students, clergy, representatives of “blue” blood. This is precisely what the book of the famous historian E.B. is about - about the most interesting and mysterious moments in the history of the British intelligence services. Chernyak.