A Geographical Description of All the Countries in the Known World, Part 1 · Subpart 173 – Subpart 176
The City of Mosco Described.
Mosco, the Regal City in Russia is almost round, and bigger it is than London, environed with three strong walls, circling the one within the other, and having many streets lying betwixt them. The inmost wall, and the buildings within it being fenced, and watered with the River Moschua, that runneth close by it, is all accounted the Emperors Castle. The number of houses (as they were formerly reckoned) amounted to forty one thousand, and five hundred. The streets of this City, instead of paving are planked with great Firr trees, planed, and laid even together, and very close the one to the other.
The houses are of Timber without Lime, and stone, built very close and warm, of Fir trees, which are fastened together with notches at each corner: and betwixt the Timber they thrust in Moss, to keep out the air, which makes them very warm: The greatest danger is their aptnesse to take fire, which being once kindled is hardly quenched, and hereby much hurt hath been done, and the City miserably defaced sundry times.
The whole Countrey of Russia, in the Winter lyeth under snow a yard, or two thick, but greater in the Northern parts, from the beginning of November to the end of March: in which time the Air is oft so sharp, that water thrown upward congeales into Ice before it comes to the ground: If you hold a pewter dish in your hand, it will freeze so fast to it, as that it will pull off the skin at parting: divers in the Markets are killed with the extremity of cold: Travellers are brought into towns sitting dead, and stiff in their sleds: some loose their Noses, some their Ears, Fingers, Toes, &c. which are frozen off: and yet in the Summer you shall see a new face on the Countrey: the woods, which mostly are Firr, and Birch, so fresh and sweet, the Pastures, and Medows so green, and well grown: such variety of Flowers: such melody of the Birds, especially of Nightingales, that you cannot travel in a more pleasant Country: The Summer is hotter than with us in England.
For Fruits, they have Apples, Pears, Plums, Cherries red, and black: Deens like Muskmelons, but more sweet and pleasant, Cucumbers, Gourds, Straberries, Hurtleberries, &c. Wheat, Rie, Barley, Oats, Pease, &c. Their cheif Commodities are Furrs of all sorts, as black Foxes, Sables, Lufernes, dun Foxes, Martrons, Gurnstales, or Armines, Minever, Beaver, Walverines, a great water Rat, whose skin smels like Musk: Squirrels grey and red: foxes white, and red: as also Wax, Honey, Tallow, Hides of Beeves, and Buffs: Train Oile, Caviare, Hemp, Flax, Salt, Tar, Salt-Peter, Brimstone, Iron: Muscovy slate, Fallow Deer, Roe-bucks, and Goats great store: For Fowl, they have Eagles, Hawks of all kinds, swans tame and wild, Storks; Cranes, Fesants, white Partridges, &c. For fresh water fish, they have Carp, Pike, Pearch, Tench, Roach: as also Bellouga of four or five ells long, Sturgion, Severiga, Sterledy, which four sorts breed in Volga, and of all their Roes they make Caviare, &c.
The streets in their Cities and Towns instead of paving, are planked with Firr trees planed, and laid even together. Their chief Cities are, Mosco, Novograd, Rostove, Volodomire, Plesco, Smolensco, Jaruslave, Perislave, Nisnovograd, Vologda, Ustiuck, Colmigroe, Casan, Astracan, Cargapolia, and Columna.
Its governed by an Emperour, or great Duke▪ with most absolute authority (after the manner of the Eastern Countries) though it lye very near the North. The Muscovites follow the Greek Religion, under a Patriarch, though yet it bee mingled with very many superstitions, which are not like to bee amended, because the Great Duke suffers none of his subjects to travel, and see other Countries. They are much tormented by the Turks, and Tartars. They have waged great wars with the Poles, and Swedes, but with many losses.
A Description of the state and magnificence of the Emperour of Russia.
Sir Thomas Smith being sent Ambassador from King James to Boris, Emperour of Russia, Anno Christi 1604. one of his company thus relates their entertainment. When (saith hee) wee entr…d the presence, wee beheld the excellent Majesty of a mighty Emperour, seated in a chair of gold, richly embroidered with Persian stuffe: In his right hand hee held a golden Scepter, had a Crown of pure gold upon his head, a coller of rich stones, and Pearles about his neck, his outward garments of Crimson Velvet, embroidered very fair with Pearles, precious Stones, and Gold: On his right…hand stood a very fair Globe of beaten Gold, or a Pyramis with a Cross on it: Nigh that stood a fair Bason and Ewre, which the Emperour used daily. Close by him on another Throne sate the Prince, in an outward Garment like his Fathers, but not so rich, with an high black Fox cap on his head, worth there five hundred pound, having a golden staffe in his hand. On the Emperours right hand stood two gallant Noble men in cloath of silver, high black Fox Caps, with great long gold chains hanging to their feet, with Poleaxes of gold on their shoulders; and on the left hand of the Prince stood two other such, but their Poleaxes were of silver: round about on benches sate the Council, and Nobility in golden and Persian Coats, and high black Fox Caps to the number of two hundred, the ground being covered with cloath of Arras. After dinner (saith hee again) wee were led to have audience through many Chambers to a very fair and rich room, where was infinite store of massie plate of all sorts, where wee again viewed the Emperour, and Prince seated under two Chairs of state, each having a scul of Pearl upon their heads. In the midst of the room stood a great Pillar, round about which for a great height stood wonderful great peeces of Plate very curiously wrought, with Beasts, Fishes, and Fowles, besides other ordinary peeces of serviceable Plate. The Emperour at dinner was served in rare dishes of silver, but most of Massie gold, &c. Sic transit gloria mundi. Pur. Pil. v. 3. p. 748.
The Permians, and Samoeds described.
The Permians lie North from Russia, and are now subject to the Emperor thereof: they have broad, and flat faces like the Tartars, from whom probably they had their original: they live by hunting, and trading with their Furrs.
The Samoeds live more towards the North Sea; they are very brutish, eating all manner of raw flesh, even to the very carrion that lyeth in the ditch: they are also subject to the Russees: they acknowledge one God, but represent him by such creatures as they have most good by, and therefore they worship the Sun, the Ollen, the Losh, &c. They are clad in Seals-skins with the hairy side outward, that reaches as low as the knees; with their breeches and stockings of the same, both men, and women; they are all black-haired, and beardlesse: the women are known from the men by a lock of hair hanging down by their ears: they are ever roving about from one place of the Country to another, without property either of house, or land: Their leader in every company is a Priest.
Lapland described.
On the North of Russia next to Corelia, lyeth Lappia, about three hundred forty and five miles in length, in breadth fourscore and ten. The whole Country almost is either Lakes or Mountains: those on the outside are barren craggie Rocks: but in the inland they are well furnished with woods, the Lakes being in the Vallies: their diet is very mean; bread they have none, but feed only upon Fish, and Fowle: they are subjects, part to Russia, part to Sweden, and the other part to Denmark, which all exact tribute of them: but the Emperor of Russia the most. They are wholly unlearned, not having so much as the use of the Alphabet amongst them: They pass all Nations in witch-craft, and sorcery: Their weapons are long-Bows, and hand-guns wherein they are very nimble, and excellent marks-men through their continual practise in shooting at wilde fowle: For our English cloath they give Fish, Oil, and Furs, whereof they have store: when their fishing is done, they draw their boats to shore, turning the keel upwards, and so let them lye till the next spring-tyde: They travel upon sleds drawn by Olen-Deer, which they use to turn a grazing all the Summer time in an Island called Kilden, and towards Winter, when the Snow begins to fall, they fetch them home for their use.
Anno Christi 1611. VVilliam Purseglove, a servant to our English Muscovy company, makes this relation of his travels in these Countries: wee travelled (saith hee) in sleds, each of them drawn by two Rain Deer, the Snow was so hard frozen, that it did bear sleds and Deer. Two hundred and fifty Sleds were in this Argeshey, or company, with whom wee travelled some dayes: then chusing the best Bucks; I, with seven Sleds more, rid Post, only staying now, and then for an hour, where the Samoed, our guide, knew that there was store of white Moss, wherewith to refresh our Deer, so that in eight and forty hours space wee rode three hundred and fifty miles.
These Samoeds, by their frequent travel, know the wayes, though the weather bee thick, and foggy, as also where store of white Moss grows: at which places, if it bee night they pitch their Tents made of Deer, or Elks-skins, which work is done by the women; and in the mean time the men unyoak the Deer, and turn them loose to dig through the Snow, though it bee very deep, to seek for their food and sustenance. Pur. Pil. v. 3. p. 548.
When a rich Samoed dies, because hee should not travel on foot, his friends will kill three Deer to carry him into the new World, they will also strangle a slave to attend on him. If a young child dye under seven years old, they use to hang it by the neck on some tree, saying, it must flye to Heaven.
The women are very hardy, and at their labour the Husband plaies the Midwife; as soon as the child is born, they wash it with cold, or Snow-water, and the next day the woman will bee able to conduct her Argish of Sleds. The men are stout, and bold of spirit, not very tall, but broad breasted, broad faced, with hollow eyes: their weapons are Bows, and Arrows, long Spears, and short Swords.