Europe - The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques And Discoveries Of The English Nation - Volume 4 - Collected By Richard Hakluyt
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Of Other
Fowles Their Principal Kinds Are The Swan Tame And Wilde, (Whereof They
Haue Great Store) The Storke, The Crane, The Tedder Of The Colour Of A
Feasant, But Far Bigger And Liueth In The Firre Woods.
Of feasant and
partridge they haue very great plentie.
An owle there is of very a great
bignesse more vgly to behold then the owles of this country, with a broad
face, and eares much like vnto a man.
For fresh water fish, besides the common sorts (as carpe, pikes, pearch,
tench, roach, &c.) they haue diuers kinds very good and delicate: as the
Bellouga or Bellougina of 4. or 5. elnes long, the Ositrina or Sturgion,
the Seueriga and Sterledy somewhat in fashion and taste like to the
Sturgion, but not so thick nor long. These 4. kindes of fish breed in the
Volgha, and are catched in great plenty, and serued thence into the whole
Realme for a great food. Of the Roes of these foure kinds they make very
great store of Icary or Caueary as was said before.
They haue besides these that breed in the Volgha a fish called the Riba
bela, or white salmon, which they account more delicate then they do the
red salmon, whereof also they haue exceeding great plentie in the Riuers
Northward, as in Duyna, the riuer of Cola, &c. In the Ozera or lake neere a
towne called Perislaue, not far from the Mosco, they haue a smal fish which
they cal the fresh herring, of the fashion, and somewhat of the taste of a
sea-herring. Their chiefe townes for fish are, Yaruslaue, Bealozera,
Nouogrod, Astracan, and Cazan: which all yeeld a large custome to the
Emperour euery yeere for their trades of fishing, which they practise in
Sommer, but sende if frozen in the Winter time into all parts of the
Realme.
The chiefe Cities of Russia.
The chiefe cities of Russia are Mosco, Nouogrod, Rostoue, Volodomer,
Plesko, Smolensko, Iaruslaue, Perislaue, Nisnouogrod, Vologda, Vstiug,
Colmogro, Cazan, Astracan, Cargapolia, Columna. [Sidenote: Mosco] The city,
of Mosco is supposed to be of great antiquitie, though the first founder be
vnknowen to the Russe. It seemeth to haue taken the name from the riuer
that runneth on the one side of the towne. Berosus the Chaldean in his 5.
booke telleth that Nimrod (whom other profane stories cal Saturne) sent
Assyrius, Medus, Moscus, and Magog into Asia to plant colonies there, and
that Moscus planted both in Asia and Europe. Which may make some
probabilitie, that the citie, or rather the riuer whereon it is built
tooke, the denomination from this Moscus: the rather because of the climate
or situation, which is in the very farthest part and list of Europe,
bordering vpon Asia. The Citie was much enlarged by one Iuan or Iohn, sonne
to Daniel, that first changed his tide of duke into King: though that
honour continued not to his posterity: the rather because he was inuested
into it by the Popes Legate, who at that time was Innocentius the 4. about
the yeere 1246. which was very much misliked by the Russe people, being
then a part of the Easterne or Greeke Church. Since that time the name of
this city hath growen more famous, and better knowen to the world: insomuch
that, not only the prouince, but the whole countrey of Russia is termed by
some by the name of Moscouia the Metropolite city. The forme of this city
is in maner round with 3. strong wals, circuling the one within the other,
and streets lying betwene, whereof the inmost wall, and the buildings
closed within it (lying safest as the heart within the body, fenced and
watred with the riuer Moscoua, that runneth close by it) is all accompted
the Emperors castle. The number of houses (as I haue heard) through the
whole Citie (being reckoned by the Emperor a little before it was fired by
the Crim) was 41500. in all. Since the Tartar besieged and fired the towne,
(which was in the yere 1571.) there lieth waste of it a great breadth of
ground, which before was wel set and planted with buildings, specially that
part on the South side of Moscua, built not long before by Basilius the
Emperor for his garison of souldiers, to whom he gaue priuiledge to drinke
Mead, and beere at the dry or prohibited times, when other Russes may
drinke nothing but water, and for that cause called this new city by the
name of Naloi, that is skinck [Footnote: From _Scenc_ - drink, SAX.
Where every iovial tinker for his chink,
May cry, mine host, to crambe giue us drink,
And do not slink, but skink, or else you stink.
(B. JONSON, _New Inn_, I. 3.)]
or poure in. So that now the city of Mosco is not much bigger then the city
of London. [Sidenote: Nouograd.] The next in greatnes, and in a maner as
large, is the citie Nouograd: where was committed (as the Russe saith) the
memorable warre so much spoke of in stories of the Scythians seruants, that
tooke armes against their Masters: which they report in this sort: viz.
That the Boiarens or gentlemen of Nouograd and the territory about (which
only are souldiers after the discipline of those countreis) had war with
the Tartars. Which being wel performed and ended by them, they returned
homewards. Where they vnderstood by the way that their Cholopey or
bondslaues whom they left at home, had in their absence possessed their
townes, lands, houses, wiues and all. At which newes being somewhat amased,
and yet disdeining the villany of their seruants, they made the more speed
home: and so not far from Nouograd met them in warlike maner marching
against them. Whereupon aduising what was best to be done, they agreed all
to set vpon them with no other shew of weapon but with their horse whips,
(which as their maner is euery man rideth withal) to put them in
remembrance of their seruile condition, thereby to terrifie them, and abate
their courage.
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