Finland, and Eningia. falsly taken nonia. Finlandia is as much to saye as a fayre land, or fyne lande, so named for the fertilitie of the ground. Plinie seemeth to call it Finnonia: for he saieth that, about the coastes of Finland are many Ilands without names, of the which there lyeth one before Scithia called Pannonia. The Pannonia gulfe called Sinus Finnonicus, is so named at this day of the for inland of Finnonia. Finnonia confineth with Scithia, and runneth without all Tanais, (that is to say) without the lymittes of Europe to the confines of Asia. But that the name of Finlande seemeth not to agree hereunto, the cause is, that this place of Plinie is corrupted, as are many other in this aucthour. So that from the name of Finnonia, or Phinnonia, it was a lykely errour to call it Pannonia, forasmuche as these wordes doo not greatly differ in wrytyng and sounde: so that the counterfect name was soone put in the place of the true name, by hym that knew Pannonia, and read that name before, beyng also ignorant of Phinnonia. Eningia had in the olde tyme the tytle of a kyngdome; it Eningia. is of such largenesse, but hath now only the title of an inferiour gouernor, beyng vnder the dominion of the Slauons, and vsyng the same tongue. In religion, it obserued the rytes of the Greekes of late yceres, when it was vnder the gouernance of the Moscouites. But it is at this present vnder the kyng of Suecia, & obserueth thinstitutions of the Occidentall churche. wines. Spanyshe wynes are brought thither in great plentie, which Spanishe the people vse meryly and cheerefully. It is termined on the North side by the South lyne of Ostrobothnia, and is extended by the mountaynes. Toward the West, it is termined with the sea of Finnonia, accordyng to this description, and hath degrees 71. 66. &c. The History, written in the Latin Tongue by Paulus JOUIUS, BYSHOP OF NUCERIA IN ITALIE, OF THE LEGATION OR AMBAS- the ambas sadour of Moscouia. I intend first briefly to describe the situation of the region which we plainely see to have ben litle knowen to Strabo and Ptoleme, and then to proceede in rehearsing the maners, customes and religion of the people. And this in maner in the like simple stile and phrase of speach as the Demetrius same was declared unto us by Demetrius the Ambassadour, a man not ignorant in the Latin tongue, as from his youth brought up in Liuonia, where he learned the first rudiments of letters, and being growne to mans age, executed thoffice of an Ambassadour into dyuers Christian prouinces. For whereas by reason of his approued faithfulnesse & industrie, he had before ben sent as Oratour to the kynges of Suecia and Denmarke, & the great maister of Prussia, hee was at the last sente to Themperour Maximilian, in whose courte (beinge replenyshed with all sortes of men) while he was conuersant, if any thyng of barbarous maners yet remayned in so docible & quiet a nature, the same was put away by framyng hym selfe to better ciuilitie. The cause of his legacie or ambassade, was given by Paulus Centurio a Genuese, who when he had receiued letters commendatory of pope Leo the tenth, & came to Moscouia for the trade of marchaundies, of his owne mynde Paulus conferred with the familiars of Duke Basilius as touching the conformation of the rites of both churches. brought to Moscouia. Indus. Hoxína, a Asia, through the Sythia. Hircanum called Mare Abacuk, or Sala. or Astracan. He furthermore of great magnanimitie, and in maner outragious desire, sought how by a new and incredible viage, spices myght be browght from India. For whyle before hee Spices had exercised the trade of marchandies in Syria, Egypte, from India & Pontus, he knewe by fame that spices myght be conueighed from the further India up the riuer Indus against The ryuer the course of the same, and from thence by a small vyage by land passing ouer the mountaines of Paropanisus, to be oxus or caried to the riuer Oxus in Bactria, which hauing his origi- ryuer of nall almost from the same mountaynes from whence Indus runneth doeth spryng, and violently carying with it many other desartes of ryuers, falleth into the sea Hircanum or Caspium, at the The sea porte cauled Straua. And he earnestly affirmed that from is now Straua, in an easy and safe nauigation unto the marte-towne Mare de of Citrachan or Astrachan and the mouth of the ryuer Citrachan, Volga, and from thence ouer against the course of the ryuers, as Volga, Occha and Moscho, unto the citie Moscha, and from thence by lande to Riga, and into the sea of Sarmatia and all the West regions. For he was vehemently and more then of equitie, accensed and prouoked by the iniuries that great of the Portugales, who hauyng by force of armes subdued wherein is a great parte of India, and possessed all the marte-townes, Russia. Litakyng holy into theyr handes all the trade of spyces to Tartaria, bryng the same into Spayne, and neuerthelesse to sell them at a more greeuous aud intollerable price to the people of Europe then euer was hard of before: And furthermore kepte the coastes of the Indian sea so straightly with con- spices in tinuall nauies, that those trades are thereby left of, which were before exercised by the gulfe of Persia, and towarde the ryuer of Euphrates, and also by the streightes of the sea of Arabia, and the ryuer of Nilus, and in fine by our sea: by which trade all Asia and Europe was aboundantly satisfied and better cheape than hathe been since the Portugales VOL. II. H H Sarmatia is countrey conteyned vonia, and and the North and East part of owld tyme. had the trade in theyr handes with so many incommodities Spyces cor of such long viages, whereby the spyces are so corrupted rupted. Sea. by thinfection of the pompe and other filthnesse of the shippes, that theyr naturall sauour, taste, and qualitie, as well hereby as by theyr long reseruyng in the shoppes, sellers, and warehouses in Lusheburne, vanysheth and resolueth, so that reseruynge euer the freshest and newest, they sell only the woorst and most corrupted. But Paulus, although in all places he earnestly and vehemently argued of these thinges, and styrred great malice and hatred agaynst the Portugales, affyrmyng that not only thereby the customes and reuenues of princes should be much greater, if that vyage might be discouered, but also that spyces myght bee better cheape bought at the handes of the Moscouites, yet could he nothyng auayle in this suite, forasmuche as Duke Basilius thought it not good to make open or disclose vnto a straunger and vnknownen man, those regions which gyue The Caspian enterance to the sea Caspium and the kyngdomes of Persia. Paulus therefore excludyng all hope of further traueyle, and become nowe of a marchaunte an Ambassadour, brought Basilius letters (Pope Leo beyng now departed) to Adrian his successour, in the which he declared with honourable and reuerende woordes, his good will and fauorable mynde towarde the Bysshopp of Rome. For a fewe yeeres before, Basilius (then keepyng warres agaynst the Polones, at suche tyme as the generall counsayle was celebrate at Laterane) requyred by John, Kynge of Denmarke (the father of Christierne who was of late expulsed from his kyngdome) that safe passage myght be graunted to the Ambassadours of Moscouia to goe to Rome. But wheras it so chaunced, that kynge John and pope Julius dyed both in one day, whereby he lacked a conuenient sequester or solicitour, he omitted his Warre be consultation as touchyng that legacie. After this, the warre Polones and waxed hot betweene him and Sigismunde the kyng of Połonie who obteynyng the victorie agaynst the Moscouites Basilins wrote to Pope Adriane. tweene the Moscoutes. viage of Paulus to persuadeth acknow Romane at Boristhene, supplications were decreed in Rome for the ouerthrowe and vanysshyng the enemyes of the Christian fayth, whiche thing greatly alienated both kyng Basilius him selfe, and all that nation from the Bysshoppe of Rome. But when Adriane the VI departed from this lyfe, and lefte Paulus now readie to his seconde vyage, his successour, Clement VII, perceyung that Paulus styll furiously re- The seconde uolued and tossed in his unquyet mynde that vyage towarde Moscouia. the Easte, sente hym agayne with letters to Moscouia, by the whiche with propense and friendly persuations, hee exhorted Basilius to acknowledge the maiestie of the Romane The Pope churche, and to make a perpetuall league and agreement in Basilius to matters of religion, which thyng should bee not only for the ledge the health of his soule, but also greatly to the increase of his churche. honour: And further promysed, that by the holy aucthoritie of his office he would make him a kyng, and gyue him kyngly ornamentes, if reiectyng the doctrine of the Greekes, hee would confourme him selfe to the aucthoritie of the Romane churche. For Basilius desyred the name and tytle of a kynge by thassignation of the bysshoppe of Rome, forasmuch as he judged that to apperteyne to the catholyke right and the bysshoppes maiestie, of whome (as he knewe ryght well) euen Themperours them selues by an auncient custome haue receaued there insignes of honoure with the diademe The Empeand scepter of the Romane Empire: althowghe it is sayde diademe of that he required the same of Themperour Maximiliane by shoppes of many ambassades. But Paulus, who with more prosperous iourneyes then great vauntage, had from his youth traueyled a great parte of the worlde, although hee were nowe aged and sore vexed with the strangurie, came with a prosperous and speedy iourney to Moscouia, where he was gentelly receyued of Basilius, and remayned in his Courte for the space of twoo monethes. But in fine, mystrustyng his owne strength, and deterred by the difficultie of so greate a iourney, when he had utterly put away all his imaginations and hope of this roures receaue there the bys Rome. |