A Brief Description of the Whole World, Part 6
Of Russia, or Moscovia.
ON the East side of Sweden, Russia s…tuate.beginne…h the Dominion of the Em…eror or R…ssia, although Russia or Moscovia it self, do lye somewhat more into the East, which is a great and mighty Monarchy, extending it selfe even from Lapland, and Finmarke, m…ny thousand miles in length, unto the Caspian sea: so that it containeth in it a great part of Europe, and much of Asia also.
The Governour there, callethEmperor of Russia. himselfe Emperour of Russia, Great Duke …f M…scovia, with many other Titles of Princedomes and Cities, whose Dominion was very mu…h inlarged by the Emperor not long since dead, whom in Russia they …ll Ivan Vasiliwich, in the Latine, Iohannes Basilides, who raigning long, and being fortunate in warre, did ve…y much inlarge this mighty Dominion.
This man, …s in his younger … he was ve…y fortunate, and added very much unto the Glory of his Ancestors, winning something from the Tartars, and something from the Christi…ns in Livonia, and Litua…ia, and o…her confines of his Countrey: so in his latter age growing more unweld…, and lesse beloved of his Subjects, he proved as unfo…tunate, whereby it came to passe, that Stephen Bacour, King of …, had …very great hand of him, winning from him▪ large Provinces, which he before had conquered. Greg…ry the thirteenth Bishop of Rome, thinking by his in…reaty for peace, between those two Princes, to have won the whole Russian Monarchy, to the subjection and acknowledgment of the Papacy, sent Rober…us Possevin. a Iesuit sent by the Pope to the Emperor.Possevi…us, a Jesui…e (but yet a great States-man) as his Agent to take up Controve…sies▪ between the Moscovit…, and the King of Polone, who prevailed so farre, as that …e d…ew them to torlerable conditions, for both parties; but when he began to exhort him to the accepting o… the Romish Faith, the … being therefore informed by the English Embassadors (who he very much favoured, for his Lady, and Mistresse, Queen Elizabeths sake) that the Bishop of Rome was … proud Pr…late, and would exercise his pretended authority so far, as to make Kings▪ and Princes hold his stirrop, yea to kisse his very feet; he utterly and with much scorne rejected all obedience to him. Whereunto, when Possevinus did reply,A fine excuse for the Popes pride that the Princes of Europe indeed in acknowledgement of their sub…ection to …im, as the Vi…ar of Christ, & successor of S. Peter, did offer him that service, as to kisse his feet, but that the Pope remembring himselfe to be … mortall man, did not take that honor as due unto himself b… did use to have on his Part…phie the Caucifix, or Picture of Christ, hanging upon the Crosse, and that in truth he would have the Reverence don… thereunto; the Emperor…he Emperours rage … the P…pe. did grow into an exceeding r…ge, reputing h…s pride to be so much th… greater, when he would put th… Cruci…ix upon his shooe; in as much as the Russians do hold, that so h…ly a thing as that is highly prophaned, if any resemblance of it be worn above th… girdle.
Possevinus in a Treatise written of his Embassage into that Country where he discourseth this whole matter, confesseth that he was muchPossevinus fear of the Emperor. afraid, lest the Emperor would have strucken him, and beaten out his brains with a shrewd staffe which then he had in his hands, and did ordinarily carry with him: & he had the more reason so to fe…r, because that Prince was such a Tyrant, that he had not only …laire, and with cruel torture put to death very many of his subjects, and Nobility before, shewing himselfe more brutishly cruel to them, than ever Nero and Caligulu were among the Romanes; but he had with his owne hands, and with the same staffe, upon a small occasion of anger, ki…led his eldest Son, who should have succeeded him in his whole Empire.
The people of this Countrey are rude and unlearned, so that there i… very little or no knowledge amongst them of any liberall or ingenious Art: yea, their very Priests & Monks (whereof they have many) are almost unlettered▪ so that they can hardly do any thing more then read their ordinary Service: And the rest of the People are, by reason of their ignorant Education, dull and uncapable of any high understanding; but very superstitious, having many Ceremonies, and Idolatrous Solemnities; as the consecrating of their rivers by their Patriarch at one time of the yeare, when they think themselves much sanctified by the receiving of those hallowed waters; yea, and they bathe their horses and Cattell in them; and also the burying of most of their people with a paire of shooes on their feet, as supposing that they have a long journey to go, and a letter in their hand to St. Nicolas, whom they reverence as a speciall St. and think that he may give them entertainment, for their readier admission into heaven.
The Moscovites generally have received the Christian Faith; but yet so, that rather they do hold ofDifference between the Greek and Latine Church. the Greek and the Eastern, then of the Western Romane Church.
The doctrines wherein the Greek Church differs from the Latine, are these. First, they hold that the holy Ghost proceeds from the Father alone, and not from the Sonne. Secondly that the Bishop of Rome is not the universall Bishop. Thirdly, that there is no purgation. Fourthly, their Priests do marry: and fifthly, they do differ in divers of their Ceremonies, as in having 4 Lents in the yeare, whereof they do call one Lent, their great Lent.
At the time of the Councill of Florence, there was some shew made by the Agents of the Greek Church, that they would have joyned in opinion with the Latines: but when they returned home, their Countrey-men would in no sort assent thereunto.
In the Northern parts of the Dominion of the Emperour of Russia, which have lately been joyned unto his Territories, as specially Lapland, The people of Lapland very heathenish.Biarmia, and thereabouts, they are people so rude and heathenish, that (as Olaus Magnus writeth of them) looke whatsoever living thing they doe see in the morning at their going out of their doors, yea, if it be a bird, or a worm▪ or some such other creeping thing, they do yield a Divine W…ship, and Reverence thereunto for all that day, as if it were some inferiour God. Damianus à Goes h…th written a pretty Treatise, describing the manner of those Lappians: The greatest part of the Country of Russia, is in the winter so exceeding cold, that both …he Rivers are frozen over, the land covered with snow, and such is the sharpnesse of the aire, that if any go abroad bare-faced it causeth their flesh in a short time to rot, which befalleth to the fingers and toes of divers of them: therefore for a great part of winter, they live in stoves and hot-houses, and if they be occasioned to go abroad, they use many furs, whereof there is great plenty in that Country, as also wood to make fire; but yet in the summer time, the face of the soyle and the aire is very strangely altered, insomuch, that the Countrey seemeth hot, the birds sing very merrily, and the trees, grasse and co…n, in a short sp…ce do appear so chearfully green, and pleasant, that it is scant to be beleeved, but of them which have seen it.
Their building is most of wood, even in the chiefe City of Mosco, insomuch, that the Tartars (who lie in the North-east of them) breaking oft into their Countries, even unto the very Mosco, do set fire on their Cities, which by reason of their woodden buildings, are quickly destroyed.
The manner of government which of late years hath been used in Russia is very barbarous, and little less than tyrannous: for the Emperour that last was, did suffer his people to be kept in great servility, and permitted the Rulers and chief Officers at their pleasures, to pil and ransack the common sort; but to no other end, but that himself might take occasion when he thought good to call them in question for their misdemeanor, and so fill his own coffers with flee cing of them: which was the same course the old Roman Empire did use, calling the Deputies of the Provinces, by the name of Spunges, whose property is to suck up water, but when it is full, then it selfe is crushed, and yi ldeth forth liquor for the behalfe of another.
The passage by Sea into this country,The passage by sea into this Country. which was wont to be through the Sound, and so afterward by land, was first discovered by the English: who with great danger of the frozen Seas, did first adventure to saile so far North, as to compass Lapland, Finmark Scricfinia & Biarmia, and so passing to the East by Nova Zembla, halfe the way almost to Cathaio, have entred the River called Ob, by which they disperse themselves for Merchandize both by water and land, into the most parts of the dominion of the Emperor of Russia.
The first attempt which was madeThe first attempt. by the English, for the entrance of Moscovia, by the North seas, was in the daies of King Edw. the sixt, at which time the Merchants of London procuring leave of the King, did send forth Sir Hugh Willoby, with shipping and men, who went so far toward the North, that he Coasted the corner of Scricfinia & Biarmia, and so turned toward the East: but the wheather proved so extream, the snowing so great, and the freezing of the water so vehement, that his ship was set fast in the ice; and there he & his people were frozen to death, and the next year some other comming from England, found both the ship, and their bodies in it, and a perfect Remembrance in writing of all things which they had done and dis covered; where amongst the rest, mention was made of a land which they had touch'd, which to this day is known by the name of Sir Hugh Sir Hugh Willobies Land.Willobies Land. The Merchants of London did not desist to pursue this discovery, but have so far prevailed, as that they have reached one halfe of the way toward the East part of Chyna and Cathaio; but the whole passage is not yet opened.
This Empire is at this day one ofThis Empire one of the greatest in the world. the greatest dominions in the world, both for compasse of ground, & for multitude of men; saving that it lyeth far North, and so yieldeth not pleasure for good Traffick, with many other of the best situated nations.
Among other things which do argue the magnificence of the Emperour of Russia, this one is recorded by many who have travelled into those parts, that when the great Duke is disposed to sit in his magnificence, besides great store of Jewels, and abundance of massie plate, both of Gold and Silver, which is openly shewed in his Hall, there do sit as his Princes, and great Nobles, cloached in very rich and sumptuous attyre, divers men, ancient for their yeares, very seemly of countenance, and grave, with white long beards, which is a goodly shew, besides the rich state of the thing. But Olaus Magnus, a man well experienced in those Northern parts, doth say (how truely I cannot tell) that the manner of their sitting is a notable fraud and cunning of the Russian, in as much as they are not men of any worth, but ordinary Citizens of the gravest, and seemliest countenance, which against such a solemnity, are picked out of Mosco, and other places adjoining, and have robes put on them, which are not their own, but taken out of the Emperours Wardrobe.