The First City We Came To In This Country Was
_Rezan_[2], The Prince Of Which Place Had Married A Sister Of The Grand
Duke Of Russia.
The castle and all the houses of this city are built of
wood.
We here procured bread and meat, and mead in abundance, to our
great comfort and satisfaction. The next city we came to was _Kolomna_,
passing a very large bridge over the _Monstrus_[3] which flows into the
Wolga. At this place, Marcus quitted the caravan, which travelled too
slowly in his opinion, and pushed on for Moscow, where we arrived on the
26th of September, after a journey of forty-seven days through the desert,
from the 10th of August, on which day we left Citracan. In a great part
of this journey we found no wood, and were forced to cook our victuals
with fires made of dried cow dung. We returned thanks to God on our
arrival, for our preservation through so many and great dangers. On our
arrival, Marcus procured a dwelling for us, consisting of a small stove-
room and some chambers, with stabling for our horses. Though small and
mean, I felt as if lodged in a palace, when I compared my present state
of tranquil security with the dangers and inconveniences I had been so
long subjected to.
Marcus made me a visit two days afterwards, and supplied me with some
necessaries, exhorting me, as on the part of his sovereign, to keep a
good heart. I returned his visit next day; and being very desirous to
return home to Venice, I requested him to introduce me to the grand duke,
which he promised to do as soon as possible, and I soon afterwards was
desired to go to court. Immediately on my getting there, I was conducted
to an audience; on which I made my obeisance in due form to the grand
duke, to whom I returned thanks for all the attentions I had received
from his ambassador, Marcus, in the course of my journey, by whose
assistance and advice I had escaped a thousand dangers; assuring his
highness that I attributed these marks of kindness as done to the
republic of Venice, whose ambassador I was, and that the republic would
unquestionably evince a due sense of the obligations, to which I owed my
life and safety. The grand duke interrupted my harangue, by complaining
with much emotion of the conduct of _John Baptista_ of Treviso, and said
a great deal on this subject, which is not proper for me to report. After
a conversation of some length, in which I spoke to his highness about my
departure, he closed my audience, postponing his answers to my requests
to a future opportunity. The grand duke was very shortly to quit Moscow,
on purpose to visit several parts of his dominions, and particularly the
Tartar frontier, where one of his officers was stationed, with the
command of 500 horse[4], to repress the incursions of robbers on that
side:
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