passage to the Boats over the 〈◊〉 Islands The River Volga contains a prodigious Store of Fish of all Sorts a very good Commodity in Musâ—ovy by reason of the great number of their Fast-days which both the Tartars and Muscovites catch with a Cord but in a different manner The Tartars fasten to the end of a long Cord a pretty big Stone which sinks to the bottom several great pieces of Wood being fastn'd to the other end 〈…〉 which swim upon the Water All along this great Cord many littles ones are fastn'd at some distance from one another each of these has at the end a goodâ—ook baited with a certain Fish which they know the rest to be greedy of by which Invention they catch often Fish of ten twelve and more foot long The Muscovites take also a Cord with a â—ook fastn'd to the end of it this Cord is tyâ—d about a piece of a well plainâ—d Board tinn'd over its â—igness about 4 or 5 Inches square which being draggâ—d behind a Boat by the reflection of the Sun resembles the Scales of Fish by which means they draw up Fish of a very great seize to the Bait and into the Snare Among other Fish wherewith this River abounds the Sturgeon is none of the least considerable whose Eggs afford that Ragout which the Italians call Cavayar 〈…〉 and the Muscovites 〈◊〉 the Eggs are put into a Paste being prepar'd 10 or 12 days with Salt This Commodity affords a considerable Trade to Muscovy being exported from thence to all Parts of Europe where it is look'd upon as the best of this kind for which reason the Czar keeps this Trade to himself Some Miles below the abovementioned ruined places the Shoar on both sides of the River is very Mountainous yet not â—o but that the Valleys afford very pleasant Pastures The first that appears on the right hand is a Mountain out of which the Muscovites get great store of Salt which being prepared in certain Huts at the foot of the Mountain is sent from thence by the River to Mâ—sâ—o Almost opposite to this is another Mountain at the foot of which the River Vssa falls into the Wolga On both sides are very fine Meadows bordering upon the Shoar but at some distance from thence are very thick Woods a place of retreat for the Cosacks which makes it very dangerous for Travellors Below this lies the Mountain Diwiagora or Maids-mountain which being divided into several steepy ' Hills of various colours and bearing Pine-trees in so regular an Order as if they had been planted there on purpose makes it appear very pleasant to the eye At the foot of this rises another which reaches near 40 Miles along the River But what is most remarkable here Thâ— Cyâ—â—â— Valley is the Valleys betwixt them which being stor'd with Apple-trees affords very good Cyder being called by the Muscovites Jabla-New-quas which is as much to say as Drink of Apples Some of these Mountains reach a great way into the Country others bordering only upon the River-side At the left side of the River about two Miles from the Shoar lies the City of Samara belonging to the abovementioned Tartarian Province of Bulgar and above 300 Miles distant from the City of Casan It s Form is square its Buildings all of Wood except the Churches and Monasteries which are three in number The River of Samar from whence it derives its name falls about three Miles below into the Volga About 100 Miles from hence is the Mountain of the Cosacks being all bare without any Wood it serves for a retreating place to the Cosacks living upon the Don or Tanais and hath from thence got its denomination Betwixt this and the City of Saratof above 200 Miles distant from hence are abundance of small Islands in this River so that at certain Seasons it has been fordable and consequently very incommodâ—ous for Ships of Burthen who at such places are obliged to unload part of their Cargo in smaller Boats which they carry along with them for that purpose The City of Saratof is situate in a very fair large Plain about four Miles from the River-side upon a Branch of the Wolga It is inhabited by Muscovite Soldiers who are put there as a Guard against the Incursions of the Tartars called Kalmuches Tartars Kalâ—uches Inhabiting a vast Tract of Ground which extends towards the Caspian Sea betwixt this River and the River Jaika About Three Hundred Miles lower 50 Miles on this side the City of Zariza The River Tanais the River Don the Tanais of the Antient Geographers advances within a days Journey near the River Volga as some Miles below the said City behind a certain Island called the Isle of Zerpinsko there falls a little River called Kamous which rises out of the before-mentioned River Don into the River Volga but it being very shallow affords scarce passage for small Boats Notwithstanding which there are some who affirm that it might be rendred more Navigable and consequently a Communication be established betwixt these two considerable Rivers Near the first of these two above-mentioned places The first Branch of the Wolga before you come to the City of Zariza near Achtobska Vtska the River Volga divides it self into two Branches whereof one taking its course to the left into the Country carries its Stream for a Mile to the North-East quite contrary to the Current of the great River but afterwards reassuming its former course returns to the South-East till it falls into the Caspian Sea About 40 Miles from hence at 5 Mile distance from the River-side are to be seen the Ruins of a great City formerly called Zaaresgorod that is to say the 〈◊〉 Royal built as it is related by Tamerlain Its Palace and Walls were all of Brick which have furnish'd the City of Astrachan for these many Years with Materials for their Walls Churches and Monasteries A few Miles from this Place lies the City of Zariza at the bottom of a Hill on the right side of the River 49 Degrees and 42 min. Elevation It is fortified with several Bastions and Towers but all of Wood it being a Frontier-Garison against the Neighbouring Tartars and Cossacks and inhabited only by Soldiers who also serve for a Convoy to the Vessels passing this way up and down the River All abouts here and even as far as Astrachan it self the Country except the before-mentioned Island of Zerpinsko which is Twelve Miles long and furnishes the Cattle belonging to the Garison with Grass the Soil is so barren that it affords no manner of Corn which defect however is easily supplyed by help of the River the fertile Grounds about Casan furnishing these Parts and even the City of Astrachan with Wheat at a very cheap rate About Sixscore Miles below the City of Zariza the River Wesowi near a small Island of the same Name falls into the Wolga on the right side as does the River Wolodinerski Vtsga 30 Miles lower
in his Wars they are govern'd by petty Princes and Judges of their own and in time of War by their own Commanders The Great Duke to secure their Allegiance to him always keeps some of their Princes or Myrses as Hostages in the Castle of Astrachan They are generally Mahometans 〈…〉 of the same Sect with the Turks except some few that have received the Muscovian Religion They are used to â—ow some of their Children like the Nazarites to God or some Saint or other These are distinguish'd from others by a Ring which the Girles wear in their Nostrils the Boys in the right Ear. They live upon what their Cattle their Hunting and Fishing supply them withal they make use of Fish dry'd in the Sun instead of Bread tho' they make also Cakes of Meal and Rice Among other things they eat Camel's and Horse-flesh and Mare 's Milk is in great esteem with them Their Drink is generally Milk and Water tho' besides Wine Hydromel and Aqua-vitae there is indifferent good Beer at Astrachan Their Cattel is of a very large size not unlike to that of Poland Their Sheep have great fat Tayls weighing sometimes Thirty pounds their Ears hanging down like to our Dogs in Europe Their Horses are however but small and not well shaped but very hardy and strong The Tartars themselves are of an ill shape low and fat with large Faces and little Eyes of an Olive colour full of wrinkles in their Faces they wear little Beards and keep their Heads shaved but the Women are much handsomer Their Garment is a loose Coat of some course Cloath over which they wear a short sort of Cloak of Sheep's-Skin the woolly side outwards with a Cap of the same upon their Heads which commonly is chosen of a black colour The Women are clad in white Linnen Cloath with plaited Coifs upon their Heads on both sides of which as an Ornament hang a great many Muscovian Penny-pieces The Climate in those Parts is very hot the Heats in the Months of September and October much exceeding our Dog-days notwithstanding which the Winter which seldom exceeds two Months here is so cold that this large River is commonly frozen up and bears Sledges The Island of Dolgoi upon which the City of Astrachan is built is all over Sandy and barren and except it be some Gardens and Grounds cultivated with particular care by the Inhabitants of Astrachan produces nothing fit for Sustenance The Continent on the right hand exceeds if possible the Isle in barrenness but on the left there are some very good Pastures On this side of the Wolga Westward Desarts near Astrachan towards the Euxine Sea lies a vast Desart above 350 Miles long and to the South another near 400 Miles long stretching all along the Caspian Sea In these Desarts is neither City nor Village nay not so much as a Tree or Hill there being nothing to be seen but one continued vast Plain covered here and there with a little Grass for the space of 300 Miles there being not any Water to be met withal but what the little River Kisilar and some standing Pools of Salt Water afford Notwithstanding which these Desarts produce a prodigious quantity of Salt For within Ten Fifteen and Thirty Miles of Astrachan Salt-Pits there are large Salt-Veins which being congealed by the Sun swim upon the surface of the Water of the thickness of a Finger as fine and clear as Rock Crystal These Salt-Pits hereabouts are by the Inhabitants called Mozakofski Kainkowa and Gwostofski and produce such abundance of Salt that upon the spot one may have a Hundred weight under two pence which being from thence carried to the Wolga is transported into other Parts Besides which the Isle of Dolgoi about Astrachan and some other parts of this Province as also of Circassia of which we shall have occasion to speak in the next following Chapter are stor'd with excellent Fruit not yielding either in beauty or taste to any The Fruits of Nagaja even not to those of Persia and the Indies Their Apples Quinces Nuts Peaches and Melons exceed the rest in goodness but especially a certain kind of Melons whose Rind being of a lively green colour the Meat Carnation and the Seeds black are the most pleasing both to the Eye and Palate and are sold at a very cheap rate two or three of them being to be bought for a Penny It is not above Fourscore Years ago since any Grapes were to be seen in those Parts but the Persians having brought some Sets thither which were first planted by a Monk a German by birth in the Garden belonging to his Convent situate in the Suburbs of Astrachan this small Stock has been since improved and increased to that degree that not only the Walks and Arbours of the Gardens but also about the Houses of the Inhabitants are planted with Vines which growing to an extraordinary bigness there affords not only great store of Grapes for their present use but also a superplus for most Excellent Wine Besides which near Astrachan and all along the Wolga there grows abundance of Simples and very large The Herb Esula is hereabouts as high as a Man Esula and Angelica and the Root of Angelica as big as a lusty Man's Arm. About 30 Miles beyond Astrachan is one of the best Fishing-places upon the River Wolga which furnishes that City with Salmons Sturgeons White Fish and many other sorts of delicious Fish and the small Islands hereabouts great variety of Wild Fowl and tho' the Country hereabouts is not very fertile in Corn which in these Parts is trodden out by Oxen and Horses they are supply'd with that sufficiently from about Casan by the River all which makes this City one of the most pleasant and convenient for its Situation in Europe The Mouth of the River Wolga is about 60 Miles below Astrachan The Mouth of the Wolga From its Entrance into the Caspian Sea for the space of near 30 Miles into the Sea there are scattered a great number of Islands very small but all covered with Reeds or Canes which has occasioned some to affirm that the Wolga has as many Mouths as there are Islands hereabouts The bottom of the Sea is here very muddy and the Water very shallow as far as to the Promontory of Suchator situate on the right hand from the Wolga 100 Miles beyond Astrachan and 200 Miles on this side of the City of Terki of which more in the next Chapter the first place near which there is a tolerable Harbour in the Caspian Sea About 40 Miles from this City is the Isle of Tzenzeni situate in 43 degrees 5 min. Elevation It s length being from North-East to South-East about 15 Miles Here is the first Harbour of the Caspian Sea from the Mouth of the River Wolga From this Island may be seen in the Continent towards the South-West high Mountains reaching up to the very Clouds Mount Caucasus called
by the Circassians Salatto being the Mount of Caucasus of the Antients in the Province of Colchis now called Mengrelia famous in Antient Times for the Expedition of Jason as the height of this Mountain has furnish'd the Poets with that Fiction of Prometheus having from thence conveyed the Fire stoln from the Sun down upon the Earth The Mountain of Taurus and Ararat are so near to it that they appear like one continued Mountain which crosses all Asia from Mengrelia to the Indies The Mount Ararat is one entire vast Rock exceeding in height Mount Caucasus it self The Mountains Taurus and Ararat its top being covered with Snow Summer and Winter It is said to be the same upon which Noah's Ark rested after the Deluge the Armenians who call it Messina believing to this day that there are some remainders of that Ark upon this Mountain but by length of time all petrified which how agreeable or disagreeable to Truth is impossible to be determined the Mountain being so surrounded with Precipices that it is unaccessible These high Mountains are a great direction to the Mariners in those Parts most of whom having little or no Understanding of the Compass the different Prospect they afford towards the Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea serve as an Instruction to the Pilots to discover where-abouts they are The Caspian Sea was in antient times known by the name of Chosar having derived its name from the eldest Son of Thogarma who was the Son of Gomer and Grand child of Japhet third Son to Noah It is now a-days known by various names according to the diversity of the Inhabitants and Provinces bordering upon it Some Geographers have call'd it the Sea of Travisthan the Greek and Latin Authors the Hyrcanian Sea as also Mare Caspium and Caspianum the Muscovites name it Gualenskoi-more It s length from South to North viz. from the mouth of the River Wolga below the City of Astrachan to Ferebath in the Province of Mesenderan reaching eight degrees to the Aquator making 120 German or 600 English Miles Its breadth from the Province of Chuarasm or Karragon to Shirwan viz. from West to East is six degrees making 90 German or 450 English Miles and though according to the opinion both of the antient and most modern Geographers its length be reckoned quite contrary to this viz. from West to East and its breadth from North to South nevertheless upon the most exact Enquiry that could possibly be made the first account has been found most congruous both with the Persian Registers of Longitudes and Latitudes and with the true Situation of the Maritim Provinces adjoyning to that Sea There is also another Error introduced by Pomponius Mela Pliny and some of their followers as Strabo Macrobius and others who affirm the Caspian Sea to be a Sinus or Gulph of the Indian or Tartarian Sea or to have a communication with the Euxine Sea and by the River Tanais with the Palus Meotides But according to the best Survey made by some Europians of late Years of this Sea and the constant Report of the Persians bordering upon it it seems to be now passed all Dispute that the Opinion of Herodotus and Aristotle who affirm that the Caspian Sea is a particular Sea by it self not having any communication with other Seas is the most credible it being on all sides so encompass'd with Land that it deserves the name of the Mediteranean in a more strict sense than that which is commonly known by that name Besides the great Rivers of Wolga Araxis Cyrus the Jaika and Jems the Nios the Oxus and the Orxentes near a hundred other Rivers of less note fall into this Sea and notwithstanding all these prodigious Accessions of Waters it is not sensibly increased which may seem to furnish a probable Argument to those who assert that the Waters of these Rivers must needs be conveyed thence by some great and considerable Passages or open communication with other Seas The Persians are of opinion that under the Mountains near Ferebath betwixt the Provinces of Tauristan and Mesendan there is a Gulph where these Waters are swallowed up and conveyed away under the Earth But why may not the same reason take place here which is alledged for the Oceans not overflowing the Earth by the accession of so many Rivers viz. That besides the Mists which consume a great part the rest is conveyed by infinite secret Channels through the Earth back again to the Source of the Fountains and Rivers so that by the help of those Veins of the Earth these Waters being purified of their Filth and separated by this continual Percolation from their Salt are by an interrupted circulation reconveyed to the same Fountains and Rivers The Caspian Sea being either quite undiscovered The Caspian Sea not very well known to the Antients or but superficially known to the antient Greeks and Romans before the latter carried their Arms beyond the Euphrates it is no wonder if the relations those Authors have left us about it are for a great part not consonant to Truth and some modern Writers misguided by their Authority and having taken the rest perhaps upon hear-say have inferted a great many things which are contradicted by Experience What Curtius relates concerning the Caspian Sea being fresher than the Ocean proves a mistake it being full as Salt as the Waters of the Ocean tho' upon the Coast of Hyrcania now called Kilan the Water is only brackish because of the mixture of a great many Rivers which fall into this Sea on that side which may probably have led the above-mentioned Author into that Error tho' the same may be observed in the Ocean especially upon the Coast of Holland and Zealand by reason of the fresh Waters of divers Rivers which exonerate themselves thereabouts What the same Author relates of a vast number of Serpents in this Sea is positively contradicted by the Inhabitants of the Province of Kilan and others bordering upon that Sea Pomponius Mela in his Geography speaks of a vast number of Monsters which he calls Belluae abiding in this Sea which he alledges for one main Reason why it is scarce Navigable whereas it is sufficiently known that the true Reason why the Persians Tartars and Muscovites seldom venture far into this Sea and that only in Summer is that their Barks and Boats are so small and wretchedly built that they dare not venture far from the Shoar Besides that this Sea has very few Havens to wit that betwixt the Isle of Tzenzeni and the Continent near Terki beforementioned the Havens of Baku Lenkeran and Ferebath none of the safest the Haven near the City of Minkischack on the side of the Grand Tartary being the best in this Sea so that the Inhabitants bordering upon it being generally very bad Seamen and not well skill'd in the Compass it is their own Ignorance and the Danger of this Sea that keeps them near the Shoar not the Terror of these
Monsters those other Europaeans that have of late years sail'd deeper into the Caspian Sea having neither seen nor heard any thing like it except they would take the Sea-dogs which are in great numbers near the mouth of the Wolga for such prodigious Monsters Errors of Modern Authors concerning the Caspian Sea By the Experience of those also it is sufficiently contradlcted what Petrejus in his History of Muscovy relates with so much confidence that the Water of the Caspian Sea is as black as Ink that it is full of Islands well stock'd with Inhabitants and a great number of Cities and Villages The Water being of the same colour with that of all other Seas and there being not one Island in it that has either City or Village and if the Persians Tartars and Muscovites living thereabouts may be believ'd there is only the Isle of Ensil near Ferebath which having very good Pastures the Neighbouring Inhabitants who keep their Cattle there have a few Huts to defend them against the Injuries of the Weather during the time their Cattle Grases there Of the same stamp is what Contarinus in his Travels and Father Bizarous in his History of Persia relate concerning a certain round Fish without a Head to be found in this Sea of an Ell and a half Diameter of which they say there is drawn a certain Oil which the Persians use in their Lamps and to greese their Camels whereas there are at the foot of the Mountain of Barmach near the City of Baku whole Rivulets of an Oily substance by them call'd Nefte Nefte which furnish them with a sufficient quantity of this Kind for that Use at a much cheaper Rate it being from thence transported into the other Parts of the Kingdom I am apt to believe that they are fallen into this Error by the superficial Description of a certain Fish in the Caspian Sea called Naka The Glutton or Glutton which has some resemblance to that mentioned by them for it has not only a very short Nose but the whole Head is as it was within the Belly and its Tail being round and its length and breadth near the same and sometimes of six or seven Foot it comes pretty near a circular Figure This Fish will fasten it self with the Tail under the Fisher-men's Boats so as to overturn them as will also the white Fish which makes the Fisher-men be very cautious of theâ—â— They catch the first with the Liver of Beef 〈◊〉 Mutton which the Fish much delights in thâ—â— they put as a Bait upon Iron Hooks ty'd to good strong Cords and so draw him to the Shoar But I cannot imagine upon what authority they have founded their Relation when they say that there is 〈◊〉 other Fish in the Caspian Sea it being sufficiently known by Experience that the Caspian Sea is very well Stor'd not only with abundance of Salmons Sturgeons and Herrings but also with several Kinds of Fish as are catch'd in Rivers and kept in Ponds as Barbels Breams and Trouts Before we leave the Caspian Sea it will perhaps not be amiss to take notice of a certain Species of wild Geese or rather Cormorants which are found in great numbers on that Shoar especially towards the mouth of the River Wolga They are like other Geese as to their Colour Legs Neck and Feet but the bulk of their Bodies exceeding the Swans Their Bills are fork'd at the end being a Foot and half long and near two Inches broad the whole Body of some of them being above seven Foot in length from the Head to the Feet But what is most remarkable in them is that under their Bills they have a shrivell'd Skin hanging resembling a Bagg which when dilated contains more or less three Gallons of Liquor this they make use of for a Rescrontory for such Fish they take which they afterwards swallow down at leisure On the same Shoar is also frequently seen that kind of Fowl Onocratalus which Pliny calls Onocratalus their Beaks are long and round but at the extremity flat in the form of a Spoon beaten out When it puts its Beak into the Water it makes a most hideous Noise almost like an Ass whence without doubt it had its Name I had almost forgot to tell you that the Caspian Sea neither Ebbs nor Flows which may serve as additional Argument to maintain our beforementioned Assertion that it has no communication or correspondence with any other Sea CHAP. V. Of the Tartars of Dagesthan and Circassia of Siberia and some other Tartarian Provinces betwixt China and Muscovy THE Tartars of Dagesthan and Circassia inhabit that Country known to the Antients under the name of Albania which reaches all along the Shoar of the Caspian Sea from the end of the Desarts of Astrachan mentioned in the foregoing Chapter to the City of Derbent Circassia on the confines of Persia The Dagesthan Tartars are subject neither to the Persians nor Muscovites the Mountains which they inhabit serving them for a Fence against these two Potent Neighbours But the Circassian Tartars divided from the former by the River Bustro which Ptolomy calls Gerrus bordering upon the Kingdom of Astrachan and being subject to the Jurisdiction of the Grand Czar of Muscovy we will treat of them first taking our course from the great Desarts of Astrachan first to the River Bustro and from thence to the Frontiers of Persia The Country of Circassia is situate all along the coast of the Caspian Sea from the South-West to North-East encompassing it about in form of a Cressent and making a very spacious Bay The Circassians are possess'd of that Part of Albania which hath for its Frontiers on the East and West-side the Caspian Sea and Mount Caucasus and on the South and North the River Bustro and the Desarts of Astrachan Very few Historians whether Antient or Modern have made any mention of them some having assigned their Habitations beyond the Mount Caucasus near the Euxin Sea whereas they are more properly to be called the Caspian Sarmatians Their Capital City is Terki The City of Terki above 300 Miles from Astrachan by Land situate near three Miles from the Shoar of the Caspian Sea upon a small River called Timenski a Branch of the great River Bustro which being formerly called Terck has given the name to this City it is seated in a very spacious Plain very fenny towards the Sea-side under 43 deg 23 min. Elev It is in compass about two Miles well fortified with Ramparts and Bastions of Earth after the modern Way stor'd with Cannon and has always a considerable Garison in it of Muscovites under the Command of a Weywode the Tartarian Prince who resides here having 500 of them allow'd him for his Guard Since the Reduction of those Parts under the obedience of the Czars of Muscovy they have put in all Places of Strength not only their Garisons but also Governours Magistrates and Priests for the exercise of the
is no Wonder if they most of them according to the general Education of the Muscovites can scarce read or write Not One in Ten that can say the Lord's Prayer And those amongst them that are acquainted with the Creed and the Ten Commandments are looked upon as Men of extraordinary Learning I cannot forbear to relate upon this Occasion a certain merry Passage which happen'd some Years ago in the Monastery of Rostone for as much as it is not only very diverting but also may serve as a convincing Instance of the Simplicity and Ignorance of the Muscovian Monks The above-mentioned Monastery stands upon a Lake where for some time a Fish had been seen of an extraordinary Magnitude to the great Astonishment of the Monks This Fish in a Sun-shiny Day would often be playing and appearing half above Water so that an Eagle one time swooping at it and being over-eager of his Prey struck his Talons into the Flesh of the Fish with such Violence that he could not pull them out again The Fish being willing to be rid of his Enemy plunged him in to the Bottom so that being transiated into a much grosser Element than he was used to live in before he soon lost his Life though his Talons still stuck fast in the Flesh The Fish very impatient of his Burthen made frequently towards the Shoar of the Lake where being perceived by the Friars with Feathers upon his Back they were all put under such a Consternation that not one of them had the Courage to approach it some believing it to be an Apparition others a Sea-Monster and some concluding it could be no less than a Water-Devil The last Opinion it seems was the most prevailing so that to banish the Devil from that Shoar they fell to Ringing of Bells And when they found this to prove ineffectual they went all in Procession armed at all Points with such Instruments and Weapons as are commonly made use of upon such Occasions but all in vain the Monster or Devil as it seems not being afraid of their Weapons So that all thereabouts nothing was to be heard of but the dreadful Leviathan which had scared the poor Monks almost out of their Senses One Mr. Roger Eaton an English Merchant then living in Russia coming by chance that way had immediately a full Relation given him of the Monster so that being curious to see he went to the Shoar where he found a great Number of People standing some distance off He soon perceiving what it was that had put them into such a Fright told them that he would soon deliver them from this Monster provided they could get some Body that would row the Boat But it was no easie matter to perswade any one of them all to be so bold as to approach so near the Devil till a certain Fellow being made more couragious than the rest by good store of Aqua-vitae at last undertook the Task As they were going off from the Shoar to encounter the Monster the Spectators looking upon the Attempt no less dangerous than when St. George fought the Dragon gave them over for lost expecting every Moment to see them devoured by this Water-Dragon But they were agreeably surprized when they perceived the terrible Leviathan slain by his Conqueror In short Mr. Eaton shot and killed the Beast with a Screw'd Gun which when taken up proved to be nothing else than a very large Pike of about five Foot long and of the Thickness of a Man It is easily to be imagined that their Fear soon turned into Shame yet to hide their Blushes and to make some Amends to their Champion they drunk together so heartily till they became all mellow and so put a merry Epilogue to the Play Mr. White another English Merchant living in Russia did not meet with the same Entertainment from the Fraternity For having been one time invited by them to Dinner they had caught another Pike not quite so big as the former and as the Cook was cutting it open he found a new-born Infant in the Belly of it which put the Monks into so ill an Humour that the English Gentleman was fain to return home without his Dinner This Infant was suspected to have been thrown into the Lake by one of the Nuns of a Nunnery hard by this Monastery it being the Custom in Muscovy to build always a Convent and Nunnery near to one another The Gentleman to whom we are beholden for these two Relations Dr. Collins and who has for a considerable time been resident in Muscovy having given another Instance of the Ignorance and Superstition of their Priests no less pleasant than the former it will not be amiss to insert it here It seems the English Resident in the City of Muscow had a very fine Monkey famous amongst the Russians there for his many Tricks and Pranks which he would be playing in the Market This Monkey one Day got into one of the Muscovite Churches hard by the English Resident's House and tumbled down some of their Saints The Priest coming soon after into the Church and seeing his Gods thus handled stood amazed but having recovered himself a little and set their Saintships in their respective Places he dashed all the Windows and Doors with Holy-Water to keep the Devil out of the Church But Pug not understanding his Exorcisms took his Opportunity one Morning when the Priest was going to perform the Morning-Service to be in the Church as soon as he where he begun the old Game of ruffling and pulling about the Saints not sparing even St. Nicholas himself and that with so much Eagerness as if he had been bred a Quaker grinning now and then in the Priest's Face who after he had recovered himself out of his first Fright at last approached with his Cross before him and having no other Way left he betakes himself to his Sovereign Remedy I mean the Horse-Tail dipped in Holy-Water wherewith he so besprinkled poor Pug who hated it as bad as the Devil himself that he made the best of his Way home to the English Resident's House No sooner was the Morning-Service over but the Pope or Priest made most bitter Complaints against a certain Stranger living in the English House for having thrown down his Saints and prophaned the Holy Place Whereupon he obtained an Order to search the Resident's Lodgings And all his Retinue were brought forth in the Presence of the Priest but none of them being the Person he looked for It was says he a little Nincheen or Stranger Whereupon the young Children being brought out the Monkey by chance came jumping out with them Hold hold said the Priest with a great deal of Joy this is the little Stranger Seize him seize him Which being done accordingly poor Pug was had before his Betters where not being able to answer for himself he was condemned to the Strappado and paid for his unseasonable Reformation with his Life But after all this merry Digression it
is for the Men to steal Children not sparing even their nearest Relations whom they sell to the Neighbouring Persians leaving the care of their Cattle to their Wives They have an odd Custom at their Weddings to wit for every Man there present to shoot his Arrow into the Floor where they are left till they are rotten or fall of themselves They are all Mahometans using Circumcision and all other Ceremonies of the Turks Their Cloathing is a long close Coat Their Habit commonly of a dark gray or black coarse Cloath over which they wear a Cloak of the same Stuff and sometimes of Sheep's-Skin They wear a square Cap sewed together of a great many pieces their Shooes being for the most part made of Horses Hides sewed only together a-top at the Instep The poorest among them is provided with a Coat of Mail Head-pice and Buckler besides a Scymitar Javelin Bow and Arrows The Metropolis of the whole Country is the City of Tarku Tarku situated within the Mountain among steepy Rocks which are as hard as Flint and afford several most pleasant Springs to the City which contains about 1200 Houses built of Brick-stone bak'd in the Sun after the Persian manner but not so high It is the Residence of one of their Petty Princes but is not surrounded with any Fortifications not so much as a Wall Next to this the most frequented places of this Country are Rustain Boinack and Andre being three several Principalities lying in the Road betwixt Persia and the River Wolga The Town of Boinack is situate upon the ascent of a steepy Hill near the Sea-side That of Andre is built upon a rising Ground near the River Koisu by Ptolomy call'd Albanus which rises out of Mount Caucasus Its Waters are very muddy and its Current very swift The most Remarkable thing here is a certaing Spring of seething Water which arising near the Town and falling at some distance into a Pool makes the Water fit for Bathing About some Miles lower the River Koisu lets out a Branch by the Inhabitants called Askai probably the River Caesius of Ptolomy which running with a very slow Current at last is reunited with the said River near the Sea The River Bustro mentioned in the beginning of this Chapter known by the name of Gerrus in Ptolomy is the Boundary betwixt the Circassian and Dagesthan Tartars And about 25 Miles before its entrance into the Caspian Sea is divided into two Branches the first of which being called Terck or Timenski has given the Name to the City of Terki the Metropolis of Circassia The second Branch is called Kiselar very near as bâ—oad as the other but not so deep being fordable for the most part of the Summer But before we leave the Frontiers of the Russian Empire on this side it may perhaps not be beyond our scope to insert here short Description of the City of Derbent both for its Antiquity's-sake and its being the Frontier-Town of Persia upon the Confines of the Dagesthan Tartars especially since we intend to treat of some other Parts bordering upon Muscovy in the next following Chapters The City of Derbent is situate in the Province Derbent called by the Persians Lengerkunan upon the very Shoar of the Caspian Sea which sometimes washes its Walls under the 41 degr 51 min. of Latitude It s length reaches from East to West near five Miles but its breadth is not proportionable to its length It is not only the Frontier-place of Persia lying upon its utmost Confines on this side but may well be called the Gate of it reaching from the Mountain quite down to the Sea-shoar The whole City is divided into three distinct Quarters The first is the Mid-City which the Persians affirm to be built by Alexander the Great as also that Wall which surrounds the City on the South-side These Walls are of a great height and about six Foot broad and at a distance appear as if they were built of the best Free-stone in the World but according to the Relation of the Inhabitants the Stones of it are made of Mussle-shells and small pieces of Free-stone beaten and molded together into Bricks which by the long tract of Time are reduced to that degree of hardness as to exceed Marble it self There is even to this day upon one of the Gates remaining an Inscription resembling the Syriack Character as there appears in another Place some Arabick words but so defaced by length of Time as not to be legible The Castle which lies upon the top of the Mountain is also related to owe its Foundation to that Great Conquerour and is now always kept by a very good Garrison of Persians The second Quarter reaches up to the foot of the Mountain being the most Populous as the lower Town which reaches to the Sea-side is not much frequented now being formerly inhabited by Greeks but ever since the Persians regain'd it from Mustapha the Turkish Emperor converted into Gardens The whole Body of the City is encompass'd with a very strong Wall so broad that a Waggon may drive on them without Inconvenience The Inhabitants are all Mahometans except some Jews whose chief Business is to buy such stoln Children as the Neighbouring Dagesthan Tartars bring thither or else some Turks or Muscovites which they having pick'd up in some Encounters they send thither to Market to be from thence further carried into Persia The Mountain above the City being for the most part covered with Wood affords another piece of Antiquity to wit the Ruins of a Wall which if the Inhabitants may be believed formerly served for a Communication betwixt the Caspian and Euxin Seas and extended it self near 300 Miles in length Thus much is ceâ—tain that in the Ruins appear now in some places six foot high in some others two or three the Tract being quite lost in others And on some of the adjacent Hills are to be seen the Ruins of several old Castles of a four square Form two of which remain undeâ—oâ—â—sh'd to this day and are Garison'd by the Persians There is a remarkable Monument of another kind near this City to wit the Sepulchre of Tzumtzume of whom the Persians relate the following Fable out of their Poet Fiesull They relate that Essi this being the Name they give to our Saviour coming into those Parts found thereabouts a certain Dead Man's Skul which having taken particular Notice of he desired of God whose Favourite he was to bring the deceased Person to Life again which being done accordingly Essi then asked him who he was he answered that his Name was Tzumtzume that he had been the most Powerful King of that Country where he had kept a vast Court composed of a great many Thousands Musicians Pages and other Servants At last Tzumtzume having asked Essi who he was and what Religion he professed Christ made answer I am Essi and by the Religion I profess all the World is to be saved If this be true reply'd
fifteen or sixteen days But before we part with our Travelling Merchants I cannot forbear to mention here a certain way they use in those Parts of easing these Reens or Sled-Stags in their Travels it being the more surprising the less any thing of that Nature is practised among the Europaeans tho' I remember to have some Years since seen something not unlike to it in Holland viz. a certain Machine driven forward by the help of Sails upon a Level This is performed by the help of Sails which when the Wind favours they put up in their Sleds so that by this means they are driven along sometimes over the Land covered with Snow sometimes over the Rivers frozen with Ice the Dog and Deer supplying the defect of the Wind in a Country all Level Why the Muscovites Travel by Land into China such as is that vast Tract of Ground betwixt Siberia and Mount Caucasus as the Oars in a Vessel when becalmed or labouring against the Wind. It will perhaps seem strange to those who have some knowledge of these North-Eastern Parts that whereas these Travelling Merchants might with more Ease and less Charge take the Advantage of those great numbers of Rivers which are betwixt China and Muscovy they should choose the way by Land as being both more chargeable and troublesome But besides that it is sufficiently evident out of what has been said that the Grand Tartary betwixt China and Muscovy is not so Desart as has been imagined there are insurmountable Obstacles in these Rivers which are sufficient to deter even the best Seamen in the World much more the Russians who are hitherto not the most expert in Sea-Affairs Not to mention here an almost infinite number of Rivers whose Names are not so much as known in Europe the most considerable both for the abundance of Water and extent of their Course are the Rivers Oby Genessay or Jenessay Lena and Yamour The two first have this Inconveniency that where they disembogue into the Sea they are almost all the Year long so choak'd up with whole Mountains of Ice that they are extreamly dangerous besides which the latter of the two is towards the Mouth of it so full of Cataracts or Water-falls at some Leagues distance from one another occasioned by the Rocks whose tops being all over covered with most delicious Flowers by their odoriferous scent perfume the circumjacent Air that they cannot be pass'd without unlading the Vessel which cannot be done without great Charge The Mouth of the River Lena lying more Easterly is not so much pester'd with Ice as the former and its Course much more easie yet the vast number of Rocks and Shelves which lie very close to one another at the very Entrance of it out of the Sea renders it very dangerous if not quite unpassable to Ships of never so little Burthen except it be to very small Fisher-Boats 'T is true the River Yamour the most Easterly of all would be very convenient for Traffick its course being uniform were it not for a prodigious number of Sea-Bull-rushes which at its Entrance into the Sea grow like a Forest of that thickness that a Man can hardly grasp one of them with both his Arms whereby all Passage for Ships to go into the Sea is quite obstructed All these Difficulties and Obstacles considered who can blame the Muscovites if they prefer the most commodious and shortest Way before the dangers of these Rivers which however are not useless but rather very commodious to them in their Land-Travels from Siberia cross the Tartarian Provinces to the Confines of China forasmuch as they travel with more Ease over them when they are frozen and are more Navigable towards their Sources than towards the End of their Courses During the Differences betwixt the Muscovites and Chineses arisen about the Building of the Fort of Albazin by the first upon the River Yamour these Merchants used to go by Water upon the Rivers Oby and Szelinga as far as the City which bears the same name with the last of these Rivers being built there by the Muscovites for the Conveniency of their Travelling Mercants From this City they travel by Land through the Country of the Tartars of Mongul to the place of Residence of the Chan of Becroesain one of their Principal Chans where also resides the Coutusta-Lama or Vicar of the Tartarian High Priest here by the means of some Presents they obtain Guides and Carriages with a good Convoy who conducts them to the Frontiers if China CHAP. VI. Of the Samoyedes Groenland Livonia and Courland THE Samoyedes or Samogedes inhabit that Tract of Ground which lies North-East of Siberia on both sides of the River Oby extending to the Streight of Weigats in the Frozen Sea their Habitation being under the frigid Zone it self This Country was first discovered to the Muscovites by a Russian Merchant whose name was Oneke who having for a considerable time traded with the Inhabitants in rich Furrs and gathered great Wealth at last made a Discovery of it to the Czar of Muscovy who having sent thither a splendid Embassy they soon persuaded them to submit to His Czarish Majesty paying a certain number of Sable Skins for their yearly Tribute They were formerly comprehended under the name of those the Antients called Shytes or Sarmates it being certain that the word Samoyedes is a Muscovian Word signifying as much as self-eaters composed out of Sam which signifies ones self and Geda to eat because they used to eat the Bodies of their dead Friends mixed with their Venison in the last of which this Country abounds and always was and is to this day their ordinary Food Some would have them to be the same Abii of which Curtius speaks that they sent Ambassadors to Alexander the Great and that they were called Obii from the River Oby Tho' they have no Cities yet do they not live a Vagabond-life like most of the Tartars but have their settled Habitations which are certain Cabans or Huts some Foot deep under the Ground of a circular Figure built Vault-wise a top having in the middle of it a Hole underneath which is the Fire-place round about which they lie during the Winter it serves both for a Chimney and sometimes for a Door thro' which they let in the Air when the others are stopt up by the Snow which falls here often six or seven Foot high During this Season which lasts six Months and keeps them in continual Darkness their Correspondence is maintain'd betwixt them by the Trenches or Walks under Ground from one Hut to another by which means they visit one another the absence of the Sun being supplied by the melancholy light of Lamps fed with Oil drawn of a certain Fish of which as well as of all other Necessaries they make provision in the Summer which Season begins here as soon as the Sun comes to the Equinoctial Line and enters into the Septentrional Signs of the Zodiack and rejoyces
that some Creatures are very frequent in the Northern America which are commonly to be found on the Muscovian side especially Beavers all which they believe to have been transported thither in the same manner As to what relates to the Behemot Ivory Teeth of Bâ—hemot it is an amphibious Animal as big as a Crocodile and as dangerous to Hunt But what makes these Islanders so Industrious even so as to venture their Lives in the search after this Creature which is usually found in the above-mentioned River Lena and upon the Shoar of the Tartarian Sea is its Teeth which being ten Inches long and two in Diameter at the Root exceed in every respect the Elephant's Teeth being incomparably whiter and smoother than the Ivory which is brought from the Indies and in very high Esteem amongst the Turks and Persians who use them in making their Hafts of Scymitars and Daggers which they prefer before Silver or Gold being perswaded that it has a most Specifick Property to stanch Blood in those that carry it about them The Consonancy there is betwixt the Groenlanders and the Samoyedes Groenland and also the Tartars we have spoken of before may be a sufficient inducement to say something of their Country before we leave the North. Groenland is generally now a days believed to be a Continent bordering upon Tartary on the East and on America Westward They are a People Savage Stubborn and Indisciplinable without any Civility knowledge of Vertue or Shame especially in the most Northern Parts they being somewhat more docile towards the South-West They are all Pagans or Idolaters Their Idols Their Idols being for the most part made of a piece of Wood of one Foot and a half high covered either with Feathers or with some Skin or another the hairy side outward They prostrate themselves at Sun-rising which seems to intimate that they adore the Sun There were about Forty Years ago some few of these Groenlanders brought into Denmark in whom there was observed some remnants of Religion or rather Superstition forasmuch as one of them refused to eat of the Flesh of some Beasts as being held unclean are not eaten in Europe Their Cloaths are made of the Skins of Sea-Dogs Cloaths Sea-Calves and Reens not unlike to those of the Samoyedes but that they wear under their Cosaques Wastcoats made of the Skins of Birds such as Swans Geese Wild Ducks or Teals turning the Feathers either inward or outward according to the difference of the Season The difference of both Sexes is not easily distinguished in their Garments but that the Breeches of the Women do not reach quite down to the Knees whereas they wear theirs below them They live all in an equal degree not knowing any Superiority among one another those being esteemed the richest who have the most Children most Bows and Arrows and kill the most Venison or Wild Fowl the only Reward of their Industry and Skill They are low of Stature Their Stature and Manners but strong and well-set their Faces broad with little Eyes but very lively their Hands and Feet short almost like the Nagajan Tartars but that they are more swarthy and their Skin much softer Their Hair is blacker than Jet which they roll together and bind it up on their Crowns Some of them wear certain Trinkets in their Ears The Women as well as the Maids have their Breasts flagging and falling down to their Bellies the Nipples being as black as a Coal They suckle their Children over their shoulders and it is very remarkable that those Women that were some Years ago brought into Denmark were observed to have no Hair in any other Part but the Head and to be free from the Monthly Courses of Women They are for the rest very like the Samoyedes except that they do not make the same account of Chastity but in that Point Act according to the Natural State of Freedom both Men and Women exercising the Venereal Act without controul or shame even in the Presence of a great many standers-by the Young Wenches being only obliged to ask their Parents consent which they rarely deny them This was verified by two Instances in the Voyage of the Danes to Groenland we have mentioned before one of these Women that was to take a merry Bout with a Seaman having by this means with several others that were to be Witnesses to the consummation of the Bargain been trapan'd under Deck they were carried into Norway and from thence into Holstein Being arrived at Bergves in Norwegen there was no small concourse of People to take a view of these Savages and among the rest a Lady of Quality approaching nearer to the Groenland Man he without any further Ceremony attempted to Board her making the best way he could to find out with his Hands what was hidden under her Petticoats Their Language is altogether unknown to Strangers Language unless it be some few Words which are said to have some resemblance with Latin and Greek which must be accidental They speak very fast and in the Throat and pronounce not without difficulty the Words that have a G in them they never pronounce the R as do also the Tartars but always turn it into L. They are unacquainted with Gold or Silver their Commerce is performed by Trucking They put such Commodities as they offer to sell together and on the other hand they pick out of what is brought to them what they like best so that the Buyer and Seller add and diminish till such time that both Parties are content with the Bargain The most valuable Commodity this Country affords Their Commodities is the Teeth of the Fish Towack which being twisted round and sharp at the end not unlike a Horn has been for a considerable time imposed upon the World in lieu of that of the Unicorn of the Antients till Experience has sufficiently evidenced the contrary This with the Fat and Oyl of Whales Skins of Sea-Dogs and Sea-Calves they truck for Knives Scissars Needles Looking-Glasses Iron and Steel Besides which Groenland affords Talk Marble of all colours and according to the report of some also Silver Oar. They have a particular way of catching the Whales How they catch the Whales They make use of a very long Thong cut out of the Whale's Skin unto this they fasten to one end a Hook made out of the Tooth of the before-mentioned Fish Towack and at the other end the Skin of a Sea-Dog or Sea-Calf blown up this being thrown at and having wounded the Whale by its floating upon the surface of the Water discovers the Tract of the wounded Whale If they believe the Wound not Mortal they dart several more at her till such time they perceiving that the strength begins to fail her with the loss of Blood they come up to her with their Boats kill her and draw her on Shoar The Fat of the Whales but especially their Oyl is the greatest Dainty they
re-establish'd but another set up in their stead where no Cosacks were permitted to enroll themselves But scarce two Years were elapsed before the Poles had sufficient Occasion to repent themselves of this Change For the Tartars who before the Reform of these Cosacks never durst so much as approach these Frontiers made a great Irruption into the Vkraine and after having ruin'd all with Fire and Sword in the Tertitories of Pereaslaw Corfun and Wisnowitz return'd home with a vast Booty and a great Number of Prisoners according to their wonted Custom Ladislaus therefore then King of Poland having duely weighed the Necessity there was to keep on foot this Body upon which he much relied especially at that time when he was likely to be engag'd in a heavy War against the Turks and Tartars effectually restored them to their former Condition having given them for their General one Bogdan or Theodore Chmielniski But a great many of the Polish Nobility having conceiv'd a mortal Hatred against the Cosacks miss'd no Opportunity of doing them what Mischief they could Among the rest a certain Polish Gentleman whose Name was Jarinski did not only burn some Mills belonging to the General of the Cosacks Chmielniski but also after having ravish'd his Wife killed both her and her Son Chmielniski being provok'd to revenge so barbarous an Affront after having demanded Satisfaction which was denied him stirred up his Cosacks who with burning plundering and ravishing continually pestered the Polish Nobility so that they address'd themselves to King John Casimir Brother of the deceased King Ladislaus desiring him to march against them in Person which he having refused to do they brought together an Army of 50000 Men but were miserably beaten by the Cosacks and having a second time encountred them without the King's consent they received another Overthow To revenge this they watch'd their Opportunity when Chmielniski was celebrating the Nuptials of his Son with the Daughter of the Prince of Moldavia the Poles then surprised the Cosacks plunder'd the City and took the Grecian Patriarch Prisoner The General having sent to the King to know whether it were done by his Orders was answered no but that the Nobility had done it to revenge themselves upon the Cosacks Chmielniski being vehemently incens'd against the Nobility entred into a League with the Tartars and entring Poland with a vast Army the King march'd against him in Person at the Head of a Hundred thousand Men The Battle was fought near the City of Berestesko on the River Ster where both the Cosacks and Tartars were entirely routed though they were almost three to one stronger than the Poles Notwithstanding which their General Chmielniski who escaped after the Battle having re-assembled the Remainders of his broken Army so continually harassed the neighbouring Country that the King thought it most convenient to come to an Agreement with them in the Year 1651. But the most of the Nobility being dissatisfied with the King's Proceedings did let slip no Opportunity that offered it self to affront the Cosacks but especially their General Chmielniski which obliged them about two years after to wit in the Year 1653. to join with the Muscovites who with their assistance took in the Year nex following the City of Smolensko and Vilna so that it was chiefly owing to their Valour that the Muscovites got into the Possession of the Provinces of Smolensko and Severia and the greatest part of the Palatinate of Kiovia which were confirmed to them by the Treaty of Peace made at Oliva in the Year 1666. About which time the greatest part of the Cosacks put themselves under the Protection of the Muscovites the rest under the Turks whereby they opened the way to the latter into the Vkraine and Podolia where two years after they took the famous Fortress of Caminieck from the Poles Out of what has been related concerning the Cosacks Retreating Place of the Cosacks it is sufficiently manifest that they were a certain Body of Soldiers Established for the Guard of the Frontiers They used to be enrolled in the Provinces of the Polish Russia Volinia and Podolia and had originally but one City belonging to them which was the Residence of their Governour or General They were sirnamued Zaporogian Cosacks to distinguish them from those living upon the Don or Tanais the Word Porochi signifying in the Russian Tongue as much as a Stone or Rock At a considerable distance from the mouth of the River Boristhenes there are a great many Rocks lying so close together that they seem to be all of a piece which render the passage of Ships of Burthen quite impossible and takes away all opportunity from the Inhabitants of the Vkraine to Transport their Wheat and other Commodities which grow there in great abundance to Constantinople and other places Some of these Rocks are scarce to be seen above the surface of the Water others again rise above it some six some eight or ten Foot which occasion several dangerous Cataracts or Water-falls which are impassable to any body else but the Cosacks in their light Ships There are in all thirty of these Cataracts some of which at low Water are twelve or fifteen foot high No body can pass among them for a true Cosack unless he have passed all these Cataracts which they call Porohi and from whence they are called Zaporouski and consequently have made a Voyage upon the black-Black-Sea as the Knights of Maltha are obliged to serve on Board their Gallies before they are received into that Order There are a great number of Isles near these Rocks but among the rest below the River of Czertomelick there is a certain Island which is surrounded with several thousand little ones some of which have Sandy others Marshy Ground but all of them covered with Bulrushes which render these Little Channels by which they are separated almost invisible 'T is into these narrow Passages and Watery Labyrinths the Cosacks make their Retreat they call them Skarbnissa Woyskowa which is as much to say as the Treasury of the Army this being the Place whither they carry all the Booty they Purchase upon the Black-Sea the Passage to it being difficult and dangerous so that most of the Turkish Gallies that pretended to pursue them here have been lost This is also their Place of Rendezvouz The first thing they do How they go upon their Expeditionâ— after they have met here is to chuse their General who is to Command in the intended Expedition which being done they begin to work on their Ships which they make themselves being about threescore Foot long and about ten or twelve broad very slightly built every one having its Oars some ten others twelve and sometimes fifteen or sixteen Their Sails are very wretched notwithstanding which by the help of their Oars which they most rely on they far exceed the Turkish Gallies in swiftness Their Provision consists in Bisket and some Barrels of boil'd Millet this is chiefly their Food they
Defence and fearing lest they should be prevail'd upon to side with the Poles against them tampered under-hand with some of their Chief Officers who being blinded by the Muscovite Gold brought over the greatest part of the Cosacks to the Muscovite Party and as a Pledge of their future Fidelity delivered their Leader the brave Zarucki and Marina and her supposititious Son into their Hands The Unfortunate Zarucki after an Imprisonment of some Months was impaled but as to Marina and the Young pretended Demetrius the Muscovites were divided in their Opinions there being not a few who in regard of the eminent Station she had born in the Muscovian Empire and her high Extraction endeavoured to save her from the Cruelties of those who laid all the Outrages committed since the Beginning of the War by the Poles at her Door as being in a great Measure the chief Cause of their Invading the Russian Empire and consequently of all the Miseries they had endured for these ten or twelve Years last past They judged it therefore most conducible to the Settlement of their State by her Death to strike at the Root of the Pretensions of the Demetrius's and to take away all Colour of future Claim upon that Score Pursuant to which Resolution she and her pretended Son Demetrius were condemned to be thrust under the Ice Marina received the fatal News with a Constancy above the ordinary Courage of her Sex and having desired only a few Hours to prepare herself for her last Exit out of this World Marina and the Young Demetrius drownd she appeared with a very grave and composed Countenance and a Presence so Majestick and out-braving her present ill Destiny that she drew Tears even from the Eyes of her mortal Enemies She declared that as for her own part she had of late been so much accustomed to the perpetual Vicissitudes of Fortune as not to be terrified at her approaching Death by which she hoped to exchange her Miseries for everlasting Joys That her only Concern was for the young Babe whose tender Age as it was incapable of committing any Crimes so her greatest Grief was to see its Innocence thus involved in her Ruin by the Insatiable Revenge of her Enemies Being not allowed to say any more after a few Minutes bestowed in pious Ejaculations she was with her Babe in her Arms thrust into the Watery Element where she and all her Hopes were smothered under the Ice She was a Lady of an immense Ambition and of a Greatness of Mind uncommon to her Sex as her aspiring Thoughts gave place to all other Considerations so the Desire of Empire was the predominant Passion of her Soul which had made her embark in these Designs which at last proved her Destruction The Greatness of her Courage and Constancy was such as that she refused even to the last to be treated at a less Rate than an Empress And in the very lowest Ebb of Fortune such was her Ambition as to refuse the Letters of certain Friends because they had not stiled her Empress of Muscovy in their Superscriptions The Muscovites having thus disintangled themselves out of these Troubles which had over-whelmed their Empire began now to take breath and in order to establish their present Quiet upon a lasting Foundation began to consult the Settlement of the Government by such an Election as might restore them to their former flourishing Condition There were some among the ancient Nobility who sufficiently declared their Inclinations that by their late Services in having been instrumental in chasing the Poles out of Muscovy they thought themselves entitled to the Royal Dignity which was like to have proved the Source of new Calamities if the popular Faction headed by Prosowecki and Boris Sicin had not declared peremptorily that the only Means to resettle their turbulent State was to revert the Government into its ancient Channel by chusing one of the Royal Family of John Basilovits But whilst the Muscovites were concerting Measures for the Establishment of their State thinking to have secured themselves against any further Impostures by the Death of Marina and the pretended Young Demetrius they were surprized with the unwelcom News that the Old Demetrius was revived again and had appear'd in the North-western Provinces of the Empire This Impostor was of a mean Extraction A fourth counterfeit Demetrius a Scrivener by his Profession but of a boâ—d and daring Spirit and a ready Tongue and subtle Wit He assum'd the Name of Demetrius the Son of John Basilovits giving it out that besides his miraculous Preservation at Vgletz and in the City of Musco he had escaped the Hands of the Tartars at Caluga who in the Fray had murthered another in his stead The Rumour spread abroad concerning this new Demetrius soon drew to his Party such of the Muscovites as had lately adhered to Marina and for fear of Punishment were glad to embrace any Opportunity to fish in troubled Waters To these there flocked abundance of Vagabonds and idle Persons the Remnants of the late intestine Broils and such as having been by the War indisposed to any thing of Labour hoped to live upon Rapine and the Plunder of the Country Finding himself thus on a sudden at the Head of a considerable Party he publish'd his Manifesto wherein he exhoâ—ted all his faithful Subjects to acknowledge him for their lawful Sovereign as being the only surviving Issue of John Basilovits their Great Duke who having three several times escaped the Hands of his bloody Enemies did once more appear to assert his Legal Title to the Muscovian Throne Perceiving the giddy Multitude ready to swallow the Bait he directed his March to Novogorod Veliki where being received under the Acclamations of the People Several Places declared for him he after some short Stay march'd from thence to Jama and so further to Ivanogorod where the Inhabitants after the Example of those of Novogorod readily opened their Gates and received him as Great Duke of Muscovy Being encouraged by this Success to put the better Countenance upon his Imposture he resolved to strengthen his Interest if possible by some Foreign Alliances He judged not without reason that the Poles who had been so lately baffled in their Design against Muscovy at the Expence of a vast Treasure and the Loss of so many of their Countrymen would not easily be prevailed upon to try so soon again their Fortune in a Country where they had drawn upon themselves the general hatred of the People wherefore he thought it more conducing to the present Circumstances of his Affairs to implore the Assistance of the Swedes who by Reason of the nearness of their Frontiers to those Provinces where he had established his Interest were the most likely to prove most advantageous to his Pretensions In order to which Sends an Ambassador into Sweden he sent an Ambassador to Charles King of Sweden unto whom having represented the Treachery of his unfaithful Subjects against their