Eight chapters from Herberstein's "Commentaries" are printed in the Elzevir edition of the work, "Russia sive Moscovia." Lugd. Bat. 1630, 16mo., p. 79-100.

It only remains for the editor to express his great obligations to his friend William Brenchley Rye, Esq. of the British Museum, both for his obliging contribution of the etching of the grand-prince, which forms the frontispiece of the second volume, and also for most valuable assistance in this introduction, and more especially in the bibliography, which forms so considerable a portion of it.

CERTAINE LETTERS IN VERSE,

WRITTEN BY MASTER GEORGE TURBERUILE,

OUT OF MOSCOUIA,

Which went as Secretaire thither with Master Tho. Randolph, her Maisties Embassadour to the Emperour, 1568, to certaine friends of his in London, describing the manners

of the countrey and people.

(Referred to at p. cxxvii of the Introduction.)

TO HIS ESPECIALL FRIEND, MASTER EDWARD DANCIE.

My Dancie deere, when I recount within my brest,

My London friends, and wonted mates, and thee above the rest:

I feele a thousand fittes of deepe and deadly woe,

To thinke that I from land to sea, from bliss to bale did goe.

I left my native soyle, full like a retchlesse man,

And unacquainted of the coast, among the Russies ran :

A people passing rude, to vices vile inclinde.

Folke fitting to be of Bacchus' trayne, so quaffing is their kinde, Drinke is their whole desire, the pot is all their pride,

The sobrest head doeth once a day stand needfull of a guide.

If he to banquet bid his friends, he will not shrinke

On them at dinner to bestowe a douzen kindes of drinke:

Such licour as they have, and as the countrey gives,

But chiefly two, one called Kuas, whereby the Mousike lives,

Small ware and waterlike, but somewhat tarte in taste,

The rest is Meade of honie made, wherewith their lippes they haste.

And if he goe unto his neighbour as a guest,

He cares for litle meate, if so his drinke be of the best;

No wonder though they use such vile and beastly trade,

Sith with the hatchet and the hand their chiefest gods be made;
Their idoles haue their heartes-on God they never call,
Unlesse it be (Nichola Bough1) that hangs against the wall.

1 Nicholas of Bari.

The house that hath no god or paynted saint within,
Is not to be resorted too-that roofe is full of sinne.
Besides their priuate gods, in open places stand

[hand; Their crosses, unto which they crooch, and bless themselves with Devoutly downe they ducke with forehead to the ground,

Was neuer more deceit in ragges and greasie garments found.
Almost the meanest man in all the countrie rides;

The woman eke, against our use, her trotting horse bestrides:
In sundry colours they, both men and women goe,

In buskins all, that money haue on buskins to bestoe.

Eche woman hanging hath a ring within her eare,

Which all of auncient vse, and some of very pride doe weare;
Their gate is very brave, their countenance wise and sadde,
And yet they follow fleshly lustes, their trade of living badde.
It is no shame at all accounted, to defile

Anothers bedde, they make no care their follies to concile;
Is not the meanest man in all the land but hee,

To buy her paynted colours, doth allow his wife a fee,
Wherewith she deckes herselfe, and dyes her tawnie skinne,
She prankes and paints her smoakie face, both browe, lippe,
cheeke, and chinne.

Yea those that honest are, if any such there be

Within the land, doe use the like; a man may plainely see
Upon some womens cheekes the paynting how it lies,
In plaister sort for that too thick, her face the harlot dies.
But such as skilfull are, and cunning dames indeed,
By daily practise doe it well, yea sure they doe exceede;
They lay their colours so, as he that is full wise,

May easly be deceiv'd therein, if he doe trust his eyes.

I not a little muse, what madnes makes them paint

Their faces, waying how they keepe the stoove by meere constraint;
For seldome when, vnlesse on church or marriage day,

A man shall see the dames abroade that are of best aray;
The Russie meanes to reape the profit of her pryde,
And so he mewes her to be sure she lye by no mans side.
Thus much, friend Dancie, I did meane to write to thee,
To let thee weete in Russia land what men and women bee.
Hereafter I perhaps of other things will write

To thee, and other of my friendes, which I shall see with sight;
And other stuffe besides, which true report shall tell,

Meanewhile I ende my louing lines, and bid thee now farewell.

TO SPENCER.

If I should now forget, or not remember thee,

Thou, Spencer, mightest a foule rebuke and shame impute to mee; For I to open shew did loue thee passing well,

And thou wert he at parture whom I loathed to bid farewell;

And as I went thy friend, so I continue still,

No better proofe thou canst then this desire of true good will.

I doe remember well when needes I should away,

And that the poste would licence us no longer time to stay;
Thou wrongst me by the fist, and holding fast my hand,

Didst crave of me to send thee newes, and how I liked the land.
It is a sandy soile, no very fruitfull vaine,

More waste and woodie grounds there are then closes fit for graine : Yet graine there growing is, which they untimely take,

And cut or eare the corne be ripe; they mowe it on a stake;

And laying sheafe by sheafe, their haruest so they drie;

They make the greater haste for feare the frost the corne destroy. For in the winter time, so glarie is the ground,

As neither grass nor other graine in pastures may be found:

In coms the cattel then, the sheepe, the colt, the cowe,
Fast by his bed the mowsike then a lodging doth allowe,
Whom he with fodder feedes, and holds as deere as life,
And thus they weare the winter with the mowsike and his wife.
Seuen months the winter dures, the glare it is so great,

As it is May before he turne his ground to sowe his wheate;

The bodies eke that die, unburied lie they then,

Laid up in coffins made of firre, as well the poorest men,

As those of greater state; the cause is lightly found,

For that in winter time they cannot come to breake the ground;
And wood so plenteous is, quite throughout all the land,

As rich and poor, at time of death, assur'd of coffins stand.
Perhaps thou musest much, how this may stand with reason,
That bodies dead can uncorrupt abide so long a season;
Take this for certaine trothe, as soon as heate is gone,

The force of colde the bodie binds as hard as any stone,
Without offence at all to any living thing:

And so they lye in perfect state till next returne of springe.
Their beasts be like to ours, as farre as I can see,

[be;

For shape and shewe, but somewhat lesse of bulke and bone they