all these Obligations And for all these new causes and upon those good and auncient grounds his most Serene Majesty declares in your own Imperial words than which none could be either more significant in themselves or more consonant to his sense That his most Serene Majesty taking into consideration the flourishing estate of his Kingdomes that intire brotherly love and amity and frequent correspondency which was inviolable held and continued from the beginning of the Reign of his Royal Father Charles the First of blessed memory with Your Imperial Father of blessed memory the great Lord Emperour and great Duke Michael Pheoderovith of all Russia self-upholder and the happiness and tranquillity thereby accruing to both Dominions doth most earnestly and heartily desire not only the continuance thereof but a nearer and dearer and firmer affectionate brotherly love and frequent correspondency with Your Imperial Majestie His deare and loving Brother than formerly For Conclusion wishing and praying to the Omnipotent God His and Your only King and Sovereign that he will grant you length of daies tranquillity of Reign perpetuity of friendships and all other Imperial blessings beyond the atchievements of all Your immortal Ancestors and that there may never want of Your most Illustrious line to sit upon your Imperial Throne so long as the Sun and Moon endure His most Serene Majestie likewise returnes his most affectionate salutations and friendly congratulations to the great prince Alexey Alexevich the Heir of your Imperial Dominions and the great Pheodor Alexevich Those two Shafts of the Imperial Quiver which at what so ever glorious marke Your Majestie shall draw them you can miss with neither Those two Pledges of peace to Your Subjects and a double terrour to your Enemies His most Serene Majestie had long since heard of their hopefulness and virtues worthy of so Illustrious a parantage and therefore was highly delighted to understand by Your Ambassadors that in their affection to Him also they did so well follow their Fathers pattern which he therefore thankfully accepts as an Obligation on Himself and a Treasure for his Successors Certainly augurating that those two Sonnes of the Russian Eagle as they are now sharpning their sight daily at the most clear eyes of Your Imperial Majestie so will also in due time extend their wings after Your example and soar to the highest pitch that true virtue and indefatigable labour can carry the magnanimous offspring of Princes And now for what concerns my self as I can receive no command from His most Serene Majestie my most Gracious Lord Master but what places a new honour upon me so must I acknowledg that in chusing me for this Embassage He has done me as great an honour as He could command me For whereas from the supreme munificency of Himself and His immortal Ancestors I have and inherit several possessions and dignities but of which other men might also be equally capable may it be spoken without vanity the Sun only that posts on a daily Embassage betwixt both Your Dominions can justly dispute the precedence with me in this Employment So that having been thus farr made a partaker and witness of the Glorie and Serenity of Your Imperial Majestie which may it long continue I can have nothing further in my wishes than that You will still vouchsafe me the same favour toward the happy expedition of His most Serene Majesties affaires for the mutual Advantage of both Your Crowns and the good of posterity Unto which ends as I am bound by all the Obligations of dutie to my most Gracious Prince Lord and Master so shall I bring all the affection Zeale and diligence which may befit so laudable an undertaking In order to which I doubt not but Your Imperial Majestie likewise will appoint me such Commissioners as shall bring the same â—andor and inclination together with â—hat dispatch and expedition which is necessary for the furthering of so great â—nd good a design My Lord Ambassador having made an end of his speech which was well approved of His Tzarskoy Majestie told him that he would do him the honor to let him kisse His hand therefore he went up again to the Throne and kissed His hand according to the custom of Christian Ambassadors For it is a ceremonie that they must be subject to in this Court though indeed it is a thing much inferior to the dignity of an Ambassador who under that Character should rather keep themselves equal with the Princes Majestie than to condescend to such a low submission Nor do I doubt but that my Lord Ambassador had rather accepted of such a condition as they put to Infidels Ambassadors who are not admitted to the performance of this Ceremonie because the Tzar counts it a great favour and therefore He does reserve it only for Christians He did also the same honour to my Lord his Gentlemen who all kissed his hand decently and in good order while his Excellency sate upon a forme that his Tzarskoy Majestie Himself called for to that purpose The mean while there was a Boyar to uphold the Tzars right hand that was kissed lest He should come to be tired and with the left hand He held His heavy Scepter In this conjuncture my Lord recommanded from the King to his Tzarskoy Majestie Sir John Hebdon who was come along with my Lord from England where he had been of late his Tzarskoy Majesties Agent And therefore because being in that employment he had bestowed a great care and prudence in promoting the common good of both Crowns His Majestie thought fit to acquaint upon this occasion his Tzarskoy Majestie with the singular esteem He had for his person These are the words my Lord spoke in the said Knights behalf as he was stepping next to my Lord of Morpeth to kisse the Tzars hand This Gentleman saies he is I suppose well known to Your Imperial Majestie He hath done Your Imperial Majestie very good service in the Court of England and therefore his Majestie hath a particular esteeme for him and has commanded me to recommend him more particularly when I shall next have the honour to be admitted to Your Imperial presence The Gentlemen having all kissed the Tzars hand the Presents that were sent by the hundred and thirty men came in and passed in very good order on one side of the great pillar and so went about into a room next to the hall Thereupon my Lord Ambassador stood up and said to his Majestie His most Sèrene Majestie hath sent a Present as a token of His affection to Your Imperial Majestie which whatsoever it is the value thereof will be multiplied by the kind acceptance of Your Imperial Majestie The First thing that came in was a Gun of King Charles the First and therefore his Excellencie presented it with this Compliment This Gun was delivered to me by his Majesties own hand being excellent in its kind the same which his Royal Father of blessed and glorious memorie used to
after the Divorce I call it Fornication and not Adultery because the Moscovites believe there is no Adultery but marrying another mans wife They do not believe there is a Purgatorie but they hold there are two distinct places where the Souls that are separated from their bodies do remain in expectation of the day of Judgment One of them is the Mansion of the Blessed where they enjoy as they believe the conversation of Angels with all sort of Pleasure and Delight the Other of the Wicked in a dismal Valley where they have no other associates but Divels Notwithstanding they believe the Souls of the Wicked are not altogether uncapable of Comfort but that by the prayers and the perfumes of their Priests they may be forced back out of the very jaws of Hell And for this cause their Priests will pray over their Sepulchers morning and night for forty days which is the term of their Mourning in memory of their departed Friends and on the Eve before the Pentecost they perform certain annuall Ceremonies in their behalf which though very formal are altogether most ridiculous In their Hierarchie they have for their chief a Patriarch elected by the Tzar and it is this Patriarch that judges in all Causes Ecclesiasticall and disposes absolutely in all matters of Religion He hath his pallace in Mosco in the great Dukes Castle After him there are several Metropolitans and Bishops disperst into sundry parts of the Country The rest of the Clergy is composed of Proto-popes and Popes or simple Priests which are obliged contrary to all other Ecclesiasticall Persons to marry before they receive Orders but if their wife dies they are to remaine widdowers as long as they live because say they the Apostle would have a Bishop to be the husband but of one wife in the 1 Tim. ch 3 whereas Saint Pauls meaning is that a Bishop should have but one wife at a time Poligamy being in his time a very Ordinary vice And hence it is that one of these Priests being a widdower is not permitted to administer the Sacrament nor to marry he has only liberty to assist at Morning and Everning service not at Noon at which time they usually Communicate as I have said before Nevertheless if one of these Priest be unsatisfied with his Condition he may freely relinquish his charge and lay by his vest and his Cap which they put upon him at his Consecration and after that become a Mechanick if he thinks it for his advantage Of the Ambassadors stay at Archangel HAving given a sufficient description of Moscovie it is time we return now to speak againe of our Voiage But before we leave Archangel it will be convenient to say something of the Town and that little Residence we made there The Town of Archangel so called from St. Michael the Arch-angel is situated on the bank of the River Duina on the left hand as you pass from the White Sea When we were there it was not very great but yet so populous by reason of the great trading thither that it was scarce capable of all the Inhabitants And indeed it is in respect of the Commerce especially that this Town is so considerable for hither it is that the English the Hollander amongst other Commodities transport Cloth Velvets Damask Spices Tinn Lead Wine and strong Waters But because the Moscovites swallow down small Wines like River water therefore they send them no French nor Rhenish Wines as being not strong enough for them On the Moscovites side there is great store of Corn exported of Cavyar Furs Hemp Russia-leather and Wax It is above an hundred years since this trade was brought hither by the English from Narve in the time of Edward the sixth King of England and Ivan Basilovitz Emperour of Moscovie For Edward the sixth having set out a Fleet for the establishing a Trade in some unknown Country the Fleet having followed the Northern passage was at length brought into this Port. And hence it was that Ivan Basilovitz to recompence the generous designs of the English whose pains and industry had opened a Trade into these parts gave them a Priviledge of Commerce to that Town without any Custome or Impost And this was the occasion upon which the great Amity betwixt the two Crowns was established to the no small Advantage both of the one and the other After we that made our Voyage in the Merchant-man were arrived at Archangel his Excellence inquired particularly into the causes of our delay and of Mr. Watsons desertion who was parted from us Upon which the Master of the Ship made a great Apology for himself laying the fault upon the winds and taking occasion of Mr. Watson's absence he accused him also besides many particular points of being partly the cause that our Expedition had been no greater But it was answered sufficiently against the Masters Calumnies both by the Sea-men and us And indeed had the Master come to an harbour either in Norway or Scotland as he was often desired by Mr. Watson rather than stay till the Ship was bruised to pieces to get her repaired in England sixty or seventy Leagues out of our way it is very likely we might have been two or three Weeks sooner at our Port. And so it was doubtless rather the Master of the Ships than Master Watsons fault that we had stayed so long behind my Lord Ambassador and that his Excellency had not only the apprehension we should have been cast away but the continuation of his Voiage differred very long to some great disadvantage However while the Ambassador stayed at Archangel he had all manner of good Entertainment which tasted very pleasant to us who newly had made an end of a long and very hard Voiage amongst the troubles of the Sea Therefore we took our good share of it and in the mean time we took also a view of the Town while we had opportunity during one Weeks time his Excellency stayed in it since our arrival As for the Entertainment given us in this Town it was indeed so great and plentiful with all kind of Provision that we wanted nothing but a great number of Cooks to get it dressed and more People to consume it And that we took to be a good Omen for the rest of our Travails thorough that Country but we were mistaken in it for we experienced the contrary in several places upon a very bad account Howsoever the Ambassadors meat was alwaies dressed after the English and French way by his own Cooks and all the bread that was eaten at his Table was made also by his own Baker What was eaten besides was after the Moscovite fashion which seemed at first something strange to us for they bake it in such manner that it hath scarce any crust at all As for Drink we were plentifully provided with Beer Mead Aqua-vitae divers sorts of Wines and Spanish amongst the rest The Ambassadors from the Tzar who about two moneths before had
shoot in and which as a Relique of that renowned Prince he thought could not be better dedicated than to the hands of Your Imperial Majestie Next to the Gun came a paire of Pistolets whereupon my Lord spoke again That pair of Pistolets saith he his Majestie delivered me also with his own hand commanding me to excuse their oldness which he thought would not make them less acceptable when You knew they where those with which after so long adversity He rid in His triumphant Entry into His Metropolitan City of London The Plate came next to those Pistolets and in the first place a great silver-guilt Basin supported upon two mens armes so all the rest passed by without stopping next to the Tzars the presents allowed for the two Princes then the Queenes present to the Dutchess and at last my Lord Ambassadors Thus ended the Audience and my Lord being brought home was treated as it is usual in that Court at Audience-daies with the Tzars own meat and it was therefore sent presently from the Palace There was about an hundred dishes brought publickly in order with good store of wine brandy and meade His Majestie sent also one private Boyar to take a care of all the Ceremonies that were to be observed but the greatest Ceremonie being to drink many healths he made sure to have every health written in a bill in the same order as the Tzar had appointed him His Excellency sate at the middle of the table upon his chair of State at his right hand was my Lord of Morpeth and at his left Sir John Hebdon both at each end of the table so that they were prettie distant from my Lord Ambassador the Moscovites sate together at the other side of the table which was square and crosswise set My Lord having furnished his own plates took occasion to make use himself alone of a dozain of silver-guilt plates he had but the Boyars not liking that Ceremonie seemed to look upon it with a jealous eye yet his Excellency kept them as cheerful as he could both by his graceful presence of spirit and the sweetness of his Musick The Boyar who directed the feast did also play his part with his healths holding the paper in his hand and presently begun his great Lords good health Though indeed I think he liked farr better the King of Englands for my Lord Ambassador presented him with the cup wherein he drunk it being of silver-guilt wherewith he was so much taken that he scarce minded any thing else and so went away with it The 13. of February my Lord had again Audience of the Tzar and also his first Conference with the Commissioners appointed by his Tzarskoy Majestie We went in the same order and manner as we did the first time but my Lord Ambassador was led into another hall much handsomer than the first the inner-roof being fairely guilt with very good pictures there were also fair windows and very rich tapestrie The Tzar was upon a little Throne not above two steps over the ground yet having still the Crown upon his head and the Scepter in his hand and at his right hand there was the Imperial Globe This Audience being a little private and therefore not so copious of Boyars the Tzar inquired of the Ambassadors health and told him besides that having caused the Kings Letter to be translated he knew thereby his Majesties desire and that consequently he had appointed six Commissioners amongst his near Boyars and Counsellors to treat with him about his affaires So my Lord did not stay with the Tzar above a quarter of an hour then he stood very near to him but still with his hat off While he was going to the room appointed for the Conference he was met twice by some of their Boyars wearing great gold chaines about them which I thought to be something like those Aethiopian slaves whose chaines were also of gold My Lord being come to the room he and his Commissioners sate together and he delivered them one paper about the Reparation promised in his Tzarskoy Majesties name before he made his Entrance and another concerning the Restitution of the Privileges enjoyed formerly by the English Company Thus was the first paper written FOr as much as the second day after my arrivall at the Yaws but five versts from this Citie notice having been given me by Offonassie Evanovich Nestrof my Pristaff that his Imperial Majestie expected me the next day being the fifth of February in Mosco and that about nine a Clock I should be ready to set forward I was thereupon before the said houre ready accordingly with all my train and equipage to make my solemn Entry into His said Imperial Citie of Mosco but was nevertheless detained in a noisome wisby the whole day without meat or drink for my self or attendants And when at the last order came to my Pristaff I was after having been for an houres time or more led up and down the Fields out of the way to the Citie instead of entring into the Imperial Citie according to appointment lodged in a mean village three miles distant Which indeed was the same evening in the name of his Imperial Majestie excused to me upon the mistake of the Posts and Messengers sent out for direction Whereupon I thought necessarie to write thence to his Imperial Majestie to inform His said Imperial Majestie of what had passed and of my resolution not to stirr out of that place until satisfaction were given me for so great an indignity as it to me appeared And forasmuch as before the answer to the said Letter there was upon the sixth of February sent from his Imperial Majestie to me the Diack of the imperial Cabinet to desire me by any means to make my Entrance the same day and the said Diack promising that all satisfaction should be given me concerning the said indignitie I did therefore accordingly make my Entry into this Citie the said sixth day of February but have not yet received any sufficient account concerning the occasion the manner and the punishment of the said miscarriage as in so weighty a business appertaines And forasmuch as by reason of the said miscarriage I was which I account a damage irreparable detained one whole day longer from the honor and felicity of seeing His Imperial Majestie and am so much the longer withheld from proposing what I have from the King my Master for the good of both Estates And forasmuch as in the eye and discourse of the whole World the honour of the King my Master has thereby exceedingly suffered and will daily more without a satisfaction as publick and notorious as the miscarriage And forasmuch as otherwise I can give no good account to the King my Master to whom I am responsible with my head should I digest any such indignities I therefore desire that his Imperial Majestie will be pleased to command that a perfect narrative in the most authentick manner of the reason of that disorder
employed a great while when He sent any message to my Lord Ambassador notwithstanding the solemn Declaration made against him at the private Audience and in his stead there was another supplied for a Pristaf who was indeed a civiller man but of lesser quality The Proposition given by my Lord in writing at this Conference was written after this manner HIs most Serene Majesty my Master desiring to fulfil all parts of a most sincere brotherly affection toward his most Serene Tzarskoy Majesty according to His promise in his former Royal Letters and by me his extraordinary Ambassador taking into consideration the present war continued betwixt his Tzarskoy Majesty and the King of Poland to the so great detriment of the Common Christian Interest hath therefore although He knowes that his Tzarskoy Majesty doth neither want sufficient forces nor most prudent counsels whereby He may probably bring that war to a conclusion yet for the better facilitating of a firme and honourable peace betwixt his Tzarskoy Majesty and the King of Poland Impowred me if it may be acceptable and desirable to his Tzarskoy Majesty to offer his Mediation toward so good a work and hath therefore laid aside all respects to the contrary believing that so laudable a design will so much the rather find with his Majesty of Poland all effect and acceptance And this being but as an earnest of all those other counsels and good offices which his Tzarskoy Majesty may promise Himself continually from his Royal Majesty I do no ways doubt but his Tzarskoy Majesty will manifest a just value of his Royal Majesties most sincere constant brotherly affection Vnto which I shall always strive to be in my place instrumental according to my duty to his Royal Majesty and my great devotion towards the service of his Tzarskoy Majesty so great a Prince and so dear a Friend and Brother of his Royal Majesty Given at Mosco 1. June 1664. The Commissioners Answer to this matter was that his Tzarskoy Majesty was well pleased with this profer of his Royal Majesty that his Excellency in prosecution thereof should send a Post to his Majesty of Poland by way of Smolensco and proceed himself in the business as might be meet and fitting But it seemes they did not or would not mind what his Excellency had required before he would ingage his Prince in so long and chargeable a designe Therefore he made them understand that otherwise he could not undertake it because his Royal Majesty took it for granted that he had before this effected his business which was the reason of this His last generous profer The Commissioners postposing any thing to the Customes taken and the English Merchants my Lord took occasion to give over his Profer and to take his Leave of the Tzar having left into the hands of his Tzarskoy Majesties near Boyars and Counsellors some Memorials of remaining business besides that point which he most insisted upon that in time they might be redressed The 24. of June He had his last Audience where he took his Leave of his Majesty in few words Most Serene and most Potent Tzar THe King my Master hath commanded me to make hast from hence about his other affaires committed to me and since your Tzarskoy Majesty hath not been pleased to grant what I was sent for the greatest Kindness You can shew the King my Master and the greatest favour to my self is the allowing me this liberty of taking my leave of your Majesty and permitting me to depart with speed I have nothing to desire of your Tzarskoy Majesty at parting but that as is due and right there may be the same liberty to all other his Majesties Subjects whensoever the respective time of their Obligations shall be expired and that to those who must in the mean time remain speedy and equal justice may be afforded which hath not been hitherto I return my thanks for the plentiful enâ—ertainment I have had in your Country 〈◊〉 shall very truly give the King an acâ—ount of all the honours and favours I â—ave received and with the same â—uth and candor give an account of all â—hings that have passed in my Negotiaâ—ion and shall pray to God to bless your Majesty with a long and happy Government Whereupon the Tzar being on his Throne desired the Ambassador to salute his Brother the King of great Brittaine and delivered the Letter he sent him with his own hand He pretended to be much troubled that the State of his affaires would not permit him to comply with his desires and prayed God for the prosperity of his Voiage Upon which his Excellence kist his hand as did likewise all his Gentlemen after him and being returned they brought him his dinner from the Palace This being the Negociation and success of the Embassie let us now take a prospect of the most memorable passages that hapned during our residence at Mosco The first thing that presents it self is the description of a Feast which the Tzar made to my Lord Ambassador the 19. of February in the hall wherein his Excellence had Audience it was a meale of near nine houres long from two in the afternoon till eleven at night My Lord Ambassador was conducted thither very solemnly but being entred into the hall the Tzar who was sitting upon his Throne forgot not to retain his ordinary gravity and though he had not then his Crown upon his head he thought it too great a condescention for a person of his grandeur to vaile his bonnet to the Ambassador From whence it may be easiely conjectured that his Excellence was not admitted to his table and indeed it was so farr from that that he was plac't at another on his left hand some steps lower than his own whilst his principal Boyars had not only their table on his right hand but at a less distance from his Throne In so much as in that place where my Lord Ambassador ought to have received all honor and civility there it was that they studied as it were to treat him disobligingly He was seated alone on one side next the wall and on the other there was one of the Tzars Councelors and a Stolnick to bear him Company In a direct line and near his table they plac't my Lord Morpeth and with him by express order from the Tzar not only the Gentlemen and Pages but the Footmen also it being his pleasure to regale us altogether Assoon as every one was sate his Tzarskoy Majesty uncoâ—ered himself and put not on his grave â—onnet of black fox again till we went away â—o that he continued bare as we did though is hair was so short that one of our Company â—ook occasion to say he wondered so great 〈◊〉 Monarch should want hair to cover his â—ars But in my judgment we had more reaâ—n to wonder when we saw that we had no â—apkins and that the Table-cloth was no â—ider than the Table In the mean time â—r meat not being