A Few Days Afterwards, The Grand
Duke Sent For Me To Court And Invited Me To Dinner, When He Agreed,
From
respect to the republic, to lend me as much money as was necessary to
clear all my debts to
The Tartarian and Russian merchants, and to enable
me to return to Venice. The dinner was quite magnificent, consisting of
every delicacy, and of abundance of exquisitely dressed dishes. When the
repast was finished, I retired according to custom. Some days afterwards,
I was again invited to court, and the grand duke gave orders his
treasurer to give me all the money necessary for paying my debts, besides
which, he presented me with 1000 ducats, and a magnificent dress of
Scythian squirrels skins, to wear in his presence when I came to court.
Before returning to my quarters, he ordered me to be presented to the
grand duchess, who received me very graciously, and desired me to offer
her respectful salutations to our illustrious republic, which I promised
to do.
[1] This journey appears to have been through the country on the west of
the Wolga, which they probably passed about Czariein, through the
provinces of Saratov, Woronez, and Penza, avoiding the Ilafla, to
Rezan or Riazan. - E.
[2] Rezan or Riazan, in the province of that name, on the Oka. In a
considerable, part of the track of this journey, there are now towns
and villages; but the whole of this south-eastern frontier of European
Russia, appears to have been then entirely waste, and pervaded by the
wandering Tartars.
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