Europe - The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques And Discoveries Of The English Nation - Volume 4 - Collected By Richard Hakluyt
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Thirdly, the Oeconomie or priuate behauiour of the Russe containing these
chapters.
1 Of the Emperors houshold officers, and order of his house.
2 Of the priuate behauiour and maner of the Russe people.
The description of the countrey of Russia, with the bredth, length, and
names of the Shires.
The countrey of Russia was sometimes called Sarmatia. It changed the name
(as some do suppose) for that it was parted into diuers smal, and yet
absolute gouemments, not depending, nor being subiect the one to the other.
For Russe in that tongue doeth signifie as much as to part, or diuide. The
Russe reporteth that foure brethren, Trubor, Rurico, Sinees, and Variuus
deuided among them the North parts of the country. Likewise that the South
parts were possessed by 4. other, Kio, Scieko, Choranus, and their sister
Libeda: each calling his territorie after his owne name. Of this partition
it was called Russia, about the yere from Christ 860. [Sidenote: Strabo in
his 7. booke of Geogr.] As for the coniecture which I find in some
Cosmographers, that the Russe nation borowed the name of the people called
Roxellani, and were the very same nation with them, it is without all good
probabilitie, both in respect of the etymologie of the word (which is very
far fet) and especially for the seat and dwelling of that people, which was
betwixt the two ruiers of Tanais and Boristhenes, (as Strabo reporteth)
quite another way from the countrey of Russia.
When it bare the name of Sarmatia, it was diuided into two chiefe parts:
the White and the Black. The white Sarmatia was all that part that lieth
towards the North, and on the side of Liefland: as the prouinces now called
Dwina, Vagha, Vstiug, Vologda, Cargapolia, Nouogrodia, &c whereof Nouogrod
velica was the Metropolite or chiefe citie. Black Sarmatia was al that
countrey that lieth Southward towards the Euxin or Black sea: as the
dukedome of Volodemer, of Mosco, Rezan, &c. Some haue thought that the name
of Sarmatia was first taken, from one Sarmates, whom Moses and Iosephus cal
Asarmathes sonne to Ioktan, and nephew to Heber, of the posteritie of Sera.
[Sidenote: Gen, 10. Ioseph. l. 1. ca, 14.] But this seemeth to be nothing
but a coniecture taken out of the likenes of the name Asarmathes. For the
dwelling of all Ioktans posteritie is described by Moses to haue bene
betwixt Mescha or Masius (an hil of the Ammonites) and Sephace, nere to the
riuer Euphrates: which maketh it very vnlikely that Asarmathes should plant
any colonies so far off in the North and Northwest countries. [Sidenote:
The borders of Russia.] It is bounded northward by the Lappes and the North
Ocean. On the Southside by the Tartars called Crimmes. Eastward they haue
the Nagaian Tartar, that possesseth all the countrey on the East side of
Volga towards the Caspian sea.
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