Name of
such as haue bene employed in the Companies seruice, the said person to be
held as priuate, and whose acte in bargaining or otherwise, shall not
charge the said Companie.
9 That if any English man within the countrey of Russia be suspected for
any notorious crime, as felony, treason, &c. the same be not straightwaies
set vpon the Pudkey, [Marginal note: It is rosting to death.] nor otherwise
tormented, till such time as he shall be conuicted by plaine and euident
proofes: which being done, the whole proceeding to be sent ouer to the
Queene of England.
10 That the said priuilege with the additions, shall be published in all
townes and partes of the Emperors dominions, where the said Companie haue
traffike.
11 That the said Companie shall be permitted to vse a sole trade through
the Emperours countries, by the riuer Volga into Media, Persia, Bogharia,
and the other the East countries.
12 Whereas there was claimed of the said Companie the summe of 23553.
markes of debt, made by certaine of their factors for the said company, for
paiment whereof their whole stocke was in danger of arrest, by publike
authoritie: Futher also 2140. rubbles for custome and houserent, he
obtained a rebatement of eighteene thousand, one hundred fiftie and three
marks of the sayd debt.
The sayd Ambassador M. Giles Fletcher, as I vnderstand, hath drawen a booke
intituled, Of the Russe Common wealth, containing:
First, a Cosmographicall description, of the countrey, which hath these
chapters.
1 Of the length and bredth of the countrey of Russia, with the names of the
shires.
2 Of the soile and climate.
3 Of the natiue commodities of the countrey.
Secondly, a description of their policie contained in these Chapters, viz.
1 Of the constitution or state of the Russe Common wealth.
2 Of their Parliaments, and maner of holding them,
3 Of the Russe Nobilitie and meanes whereby it is kept in an vnder
proportion agreeable to that state.
4 Of the maner of gouerning their prouinces of shires.
5 Of the Emperours priuie counsell.
6 Of the Emperors customs and their reuenues, with the practises for the
increase of them.
7 Of the Russe communaltie and their condition.
8 Of their publike iustice and maner of proceeding therein.
9 Of the Emperors forces for his warres, with the chiefe officers,
and their salarie or pay.
10 Of their maner of mustering, armour, and prouision for victuall.
11 Of their ordering, marching, charging, and their martiall discipline.
12 Of their colonies and policie in maintaining their purchases by
conquest.
13 Of their borderers with whom they haue most to doe in warre and peace.
14 Of their church officers and degrees.
15 Of their liturgie or forme of Church seruice.
16 Of their maner of administring the Sacraments.
17 Of the doctrine of the Russe church.
18 Of the maner of solemnizing their marriages.
19 Of the other ceremonies of the Russe church.
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.
