Muscouites

haue not felt

the commodities of

peace.

guage.

the great Cham: And haue hereby obtayned great victories and triumphes, aswell agaynst the Turks, as the Tartars, by the exceeding multitude of theyr horsemen, and continuall experience in warres. At such time as Themperour Maximilian made a league with them, they kept warre against the kyng of Polonie. They vse not onely bowes and dartes, after the maner of the Parthians, but haue also the vse of gunnes Gunnes. as we haue. And to be briefe, only the Moscouites may only the seeme that nation which hath not felte the commodities of peace: Insomuch that if theyr region were not strongly defended by the nature of the place, beyng impreignable, it had or now been oftentymes conquered. Theyr language Theyr lanagreeth much with the tongue of ye Bohemians, Crotians, and Sclauons, so that the Sclauon doth playnely vnderstande the Moscouite, although the Moscouian tongue be a more rude and hard phrase of speech. The historiographers wryte that the Sclauons tongue tooke the name of the confusion whiche was in Babell in the tyme of that stoute hunter Nemroth, of whom mention is made in the Genesis. But I can not enough marueyle at this thyng, that whereas betweene Dal- Dalmatia. matia (now called Sclauonia) and Moscouia, both the Panno- Pannonia. nies are situate, yet this notwithstandyng, the Hungarians Hungarie. tongue nothyng agreeth with the Moscouites. Whereby we may coniecture that these nations were sometymes diuided by legions, and that they came out of Dalmatia thyther: whiche thyng also Volateranus affirmeth, saying that the language of the Ruthenians (which are the Moscouites) is Semidalmatic (that is, halfe Sclauone); howe so euer it be, this is The Sclacertaine, that the Bohemians, Crotians, Sclauons, and Mos- reacheth couites, agree in language, as we perceiued by thinterpretours whiche your maiestie had then in your courte. For whereas the sayd interpretours were borne among the Croatians and Sclauons, and none of them had euer been in Moscouia, or before that tyme had any conversation with them, yet dyd they well vnderstande the ambassadours woordes.

uion tongue

farre.

Great woods,

white beares

woolues.

of hony and

waxe.

Rych furres.

Theyr ma

ner of bargayning.

There are in Moscouia, wooddes of exceedyng byggenesse, and blacke in the whiche blacke woolues and whyte beares are hunted. The cause whereof may bee thextreme colde of the North, whiche doth greatly alter the complextions of beastes, and is the mother of whitenesse, as the Philosophers affirme. They Abundance haue also great plentie of Bees, wherby they haue such abundaunce of hony and waxe, that it is with them of smale price. When the commoditie of theyr countrey is neglected by reason of long warres, their chiefe aduantage wherby they haue all thynges necessarie towarde theyr lyuynge, is the gaynes whiche they haue by theyr ryche furres, as Sables, Marternes, Luzernes,' most whyte Armins, and such other, whiche they sell to merchauntes of dyvers countreys. They bye and sell with the simple fayth of woordes, exchaungyng ware for ware, without any curious bondes or cautels. And albeit they haue the vse of both golde and siluer mynes, yet do they for the moste parte exchaunge theyr furres for fruites, and other things necessarie to mainteine their life. There are also some people under the dominion of this Emperour, which haue neither wyne nor wheate, but lyue only by fleshe and mylke, as do the wylde Tartars theyr borderers, which dwell in wods by the coastes of the frosen sea. These people are bruitishe and lyve in maner lyke wylde beastes. But they of the citie of Mosca and Nouigrade, and other cities, are ciuile people, and agree with vs in eatyng of fyshe and fleshe, although theyr maner of coquerye is in many thynges differyng from ours. Volaterane wryteth that the Ruthenians vse money vncoyned.

Rude & wylde people.

Tartars.

Ciuile

people in cities.

They em brase the Christian

faith which they receyued of the Apostles.

And enquiryng further, I was infourmed that the money of Hungary is much current with them. But this is cheeflye to be considered, that they embrace the Christian fayth, whiche they affirme to haue been preached to them fyrst by Sainct Andrewe the Apostle, and brother to Simon Peter. Suche doctrine also as vnder Constantine the great, in the

Lupus cervarius, a kind of wolf, called the stag-wolf.

sayle of

Magnus.

mus.

stancie in

gion.

define con

yeere .ccc.xviii., was concluded in the fyrst generall coun- The counsayle holden in the citie of Nicene in Bethynia, and there Nicene. determined by ccc.xviii. Byshops, and also suche as hath been wrytten and taught by the Greeke Doctours Basilius Basilius Magnus and Chrisostomus, they beleeue to be so holy, fyrme, Chrisostoand syncere, that they thynke it no more lawfull one heare to transgresse or go backe from the same, then from the Gospell of Christ. For theyr constancie and modestie is suche, that no man dare call those thynges into question whiche Their conhave once been decided by holy fathers in theyr generall the relicounsailes. They do therfore with a more constant mynde perseuer in theyr first faith, which they receiued of Sainct Andrew thapostle, and his successoure and holy fathers, then do many of vs, beyng diuided into scismes and sectes, which thing neuer chaunceth among them. But if any difficultie chaunce to rise as touching the faith or custome of religione, all is referred to the Archebyshop and other byshops, as to be The bishops defined by theyr spirite: not permyttyng any iudgement to is in the inconstant and ignoraunt people. Their Archbishop is resident in the citie of Mosca, where also the Emperour keepeth his court. They haue lykewyse diuers other Byshops: as one Theyr in Nouigradia, where also Isodorus was Byshop vnder pope Eugenius. They haue an other in Rosciuia [Rostov], an other in Sustali, an other in Otiferi, also in Smolne, in Resan, in Colmum, and in Volut [Vologda], all whiche haue theyr Dioces. They acknowledge theyr Archebyshop as the cheefe. Before The archthe Patriarche of Constantinople was oppressed by the tiranny The patriof the Turkes, this Archebyshop recognised hym as his stantinople. superiour Insomuche that this Duke of Moscouia, and Emperour of Russia, not vnmyndeful hereof, but a diligent obseruer of his accustomed religion, doth at this daye yeerely sende a certayne stypend, in maner of almes, to the Patri- A notable arche of Constantinople, that he may with more quiet mynde Prince. looke for the ende of this his Egyptian seruitude, vntil it shall please almightie God to restore hym to his former

religion.

bishops.

bishop.

arke of Con

example of a

Christian

Theyr religion.

rie of ccc.

Munkes.

Priestes.

churche and aucthoritie. For he iudgeth it muche impietie, if he shoulde nowe forsake hym whose predicessours haue ruled and gouerned so many churches, and of whom the fayth and religion of so many regions and prouinces haue depended.

But to speake briefly of theyr religion, they agree in manye thynges with vs, and in some thynges folowe the Greekes. They haue Munkes and religious men. Not farre from the citie of Mosca, they haue a great Monasterie, in the whiche A monaste- are three hundred Munkes, lyuyng vnder the rule of Basilius Magnus, in the whiche is also the sepulchre of S. Sergius the Abbot. They obserue theyr vowe of chastitie, whiche none may breake that haue once professed. Yet such as haue maried Virgins of good fame, may be admitted to thorder of priesthood, but may neuer be a Munke. The priestes and Byshops whiche are admitted to orders vnmaried, may neuer after be maried: nor yet such as haue wiues marry agayne when they are dead, but liue in perpetual chastitie. Such as commit adulterie or fornication, are greuously punissed by the Byshops, and depriued of the benefices. They celebrate masse after the maner of the Greekes, whiche differeth from ours in dyuers thynges, as in fermented bread, after the maner of the Greekes. They put in the Chalice as muche water as red wine, which water they vse to heate, because (not withA misterie. out a great mysterie) there ishued foorth of the syde of our Lord, both blood and water, which we ought by good reason to thynke was not without heat: for els should it scarcely haue been iudged for a miracle. In fine, they affirme that al theyr customes and rites are according to the institutions There, of the primitive church, and the doctrine of Basilius Magnus, A strange and Chrisostomus. In this thyng they differ greatly from vs, that they minister the communion to young chyldren of three yeeres of age, which they do with fermented bread dypt in a sponefull of wine, and geue it to them for the bodye and blood of Christ.

Masse.

tiue churche.

custome.

A Briefe Description of Mosconia, after the Later

WRITERS, AS SEBASTIAN MUNSTER, AND JACOBUS GASTALDUS,"

Asiatica.

"thian Ocean.

The prouince of Moscouia, is so named of the ryver Mosca, whiche passeth by the metropolitane citie of Moscouia, called Mosca by the name of the ryuer Mosco. This prouince was called of the olde writers, Sarmatia Asiatica. The borderers Sarmatia or confines to the Moscouians on the one syde towarde the East, are the Tartars, called Nogai, and the Scianbanians, with the Zagatians. Towarde the West, the prouinces of Liuonia and Lituania. Towarde the South the ryver of Tanais, and the people confining with the ryver of Volga, The Sey called of the olde wryters Rha. And towarde the North, the Ocean sea, called the Scythian sea, and the region of Lapponia. Moscouia is in maner all playne, and full of Maryshes, wooddes, and many very great ryvers, whereof the ryver of The ryuer Volga is the principall. Some call this Ledib, as the olde authours named it Rha. It begynneth at the great lake called Lacus Albus (that is) the white lake, and runneth into the Lacus albus. sea of Bachau, named of the auncient wryters, the sea of Caspian or Hircanum. Under the dominion of Moscouia, are The Caspian certayne regions and Dukedomes: as Alba Russia (that is whyte Russia). Also Colmogora, Plescouia, Basrida, Nouogradia, with also manie places of the Tartars, whiche are subiecte to the Duke of Moscouia. The chiefe cities of Mos- Theyr couia, are Mosca, Plescouia, Nouogradia, Colmogora, Oto

1 Sebastian Munster, a learned Hebraist, born at Ingelheim in 1489, whose Cosmographei, published at Basle, 1550, fol., is well known. For his notice of Russia, see Introduction, under article Nicolaus Cusanus.

2 Jacobus Gastaldus, a native of Villafranca, in Piedmont. His geographical observations are inserted in the first Italian translation of Ptolemy, published by Pier Andrea Mattioli, Venice, 1548, 8vo.

VOL. II.

DD

Volga.

Sea.

chiefe cities.