A Brief History of Moscovia and Other Countries, Title page – Advertisement
A Brief HISTORY OF MOSCOVIA: AND Of other less-known Countries lying eastward of Russia as far as Cathay.
Gather'd from the Writings of several Eye-witnesses.
By IOHN MILTON.
LONDON, Printed by M. Flesher, for Brabazon Aylmer at the Three Pigeons against the Royal Exchange. 1682.
The Authour's PREFACE.
THE study of Geography is both profitable and delightfull; but the Writers thereof, though some of them exact enough in setting down Longitudes and Latitudes, yet in those other relations of Manners, Religion, Government and such like, accounted Geographical, have for the most part miss'd their proportions. Some too brief and deficient satisfy not; others too voluminous and impertinent cloy and weary out the Reader; while they tell long Stories of absurd Superstitions, Ceremonies, quaint Habits, and other petty Circumstances little to the purpose. Whereby that which is usefull, and onelyonly worth observation, in such a wood of words, is either overslip't, or soon forgotten: which perhaps brought into the mind of some men, more learned and judicious, who had not the leisure or purpose to write an entire Geography, yet at least to assay something in the description of one or two Countreys, which might be as a Pattern or Example, to render others more cautious hereafter, who intended the whole work. And this perhaps induc'd Paulus Jovius to describe onelyonly Muscovy and Britain. Some such thoughts, many years since, led me at a vacant time to attempt the like argument; and I began with Muscovy, as being the most northern Region of Europe reputed civil; and the more northern Parts thereof, first discovered by English Voiages. Wherein I saw I had by much the advantage of Jovius. What was scatter'd in many Volumes, and observ'd at several times by Eye-witnesses, with no cursory pains I laid together, to save the Reader a far longer travaile of wandring through so many desert Authours; who yet with some delight drew me after them, from the eastern Bounds of Russia, to the Walls of Cathay, in several late Iourneys made thither overland by Russians, who describe the Countreys in their way far otherwise than our common Geographers. From proceeding further other occasions diverted me. This Essay, such as it is, was thought by some, who knew of it, not amiss to be published; that so many things remarkable, dispers'd before, now brought under one view, might not hazard to be otherwise lost, nor the labour lost of collecting them.
J. M.
ADVERTISEMENT.
This Book was writ by the Authour's own hand, before he lost his sight. And sometime before his death dispos'd of it to be printed. But it being small, the Bookseller hop'd to have procured some other suitable Piece of the same Authour's to have joyn'd with it, or else it had been publish'd 'ere now.