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TITLE: THE PRINCIPAL NAVIGATIONS, VOYAGES, TRAFFIQUES AND DISCOVERIES V3
AUTHOR: RICHARD HAKLUYT
EBOOK: E05772 (O'Briens Book Cellar)
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

** Transcriber's Notes **

The printed edition from which this e-text has been produced retains the
spelling and abbreviations of Hakluyt's 16th-century original. In this
version, the spelling has been retained, but the following manuscript
abbreviations have been silently expanded:

- vowels with macrons = vowel + 'n' or 'm'
- q; = -que (in the Latin)
- y[e] = the; y[t] = that; w[t] = with

This edition contains footnotes and two types of sidenotes. Most footnotes
are added by the editor. They follow modern (19th-century) spelling
conventions. Those that don't are Hakluyt's (and are not always
systematically marked as such by the editor). The sidenotes are Hakluyt's
own. Summarizing sidenotes are labelled [Sidenote: ] and placed before the
sentence to which they apply. Sidenotes that are keyed with a symbol are
labeled [Marginal note: ] and placed at the point of the symbol, except in
poetry, where they are moved to the nearest convenient break in the text.

** End Transcriber's Notes **

THE PRINCIPAL
NAVIGATIONS, VOYAGES, TRAFFIQUES
AND
DISCOVERIES
OF
THE ENGLISH NATION.

Collected by

RICHARD HAKLUYT, PREACHER,

and Editied by

Edmund Goldsmid, F.R.H.S

VOL. III.

NORTH-EASTERN EUROPE AND ADJACENT COUNTRIES.

PART II.

THE MUSCOVY COMPANY AND THE NORTH-EASTERN PASSAGE.

Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, and Discoveries
IN NORTH-EASTERN EUROPE.

A briefe Treatise of the great Duke of Moscouia his genealogie, being taken
  out of the Moscouites manuscript Chronicles written by a Polacke.

It hath almost euer bene the custome of nations, in searching out the
infancie and first beginnings of their estate, to ascribe the same vnto
such authors as liued among men in great honour and endued mankinde with
some one or other excellent benefite. Nowe, this inbred desire of all
nations to blaze and set foorth their owne petigree hath so much preuayled
with the greater part, that leauing the vndoubted trueth, they haue betaken
themselues vnto meere fables and fictions. Yea and the Chronicles of many
nations written in diuers and sundrie ages doe testifie the same. Euen so
the Grecians boasted that they were either Autocthones, that is
earthbredde, or els lineally descended from the Gods. And the Romans
affirme that Mars was father vnto their first founder Romulus. Right well
therefore and iudicially sayth Titus Liuius: Neither meane I to auouch
(quoth he) ne to disable or confute those thinges which before the building
and foundation of the Citie haue beene reported, being more adorned and
fraught with Poeticall fables then with incorrupt and sacred monuments of
trueth: antiquitie is it to be pardoned in this behalfe, namely in ioyning
together matters historicall and poeticall, to make the beginnings of
cities to seeme the more honourable. For sith antiquity it selfe is
accompted such a notable argument of true nobility, euen priuate men in all
ages haue contended thereabout. Wherefore citizens of Rome being desirous
to make demonstration of their Gentrie, vse to haue their auncestors armes
painted along the walles of their houses: in which regarde they were so
puffed vp, that oftentimes they would arrogantly disdaine those men, which
by their owne vertue had attained vnto honour. In like sorte Poets, when
the originall of their woorthies and braue champions was either vtterly
vnknowen or somewhat obscure, would ofte referre it vnto their Gods
themselues. So in these our dayes (to lette passe others) the Turkish
Emperour with great presumption boasteth himselfe to bee descended of the
Troian blood. Likewise the great duke of Moscouie, to make himselfe and his
predecessours seeme the more souereigne, deriueth the beginnings of his
parentage from the Romane Emperours, yea euen from Augustus Caesar. Albeit
therefore no man is so fonde as to accept of this report for trueth, yet
will wee briefly set downe what the Moscouites haue written in their
Chronicles as touching this matter.

Augustus (beleeue it who listeth) had certaine brethren or kinsfolkes which
were appoynted gouenours ouer diuers prouinces. Amongst the rest one
Prussus (of whome Prussia was named) had his place of gouernment assigned
vnto him vpon the shore of the eastern or Balthick Sea, and vpon the famous
riuer of Wixel. This mans graund children or nephewes of the fourth
generation were Rurek, Sinaus, and Truuor, who likewise inhabited in the
very same places. Whereas therefore, at the very same time the Russians or
the Moscquites without any ciuill regiment possessed large and spacious
territories towards the north, the foresayd three brethren, vpon the
perswasion of one Gostomislius the chiefe citizen of Nouogrod, in the yeare
since the worldes creation (acording to the computation of the Greekes)
6370, which was in the yeare of our Lord 572, were sent for, to beare rule.
And so ioyning their kinsman Olechus vnto them, and diuiding these huge
countreys among themselues, they laboured to reduce the barbarous and
sauage people vnto a ciuill kinde of life.

Sinaus and Truuor deceasing without issue, Rurek succeeded and left a sonne
behinde him named Igor; who not being of sufficient yeres to beare rule,
was committed vnto the protection of his kinsman Olechus. The sayde Igor
begate of Olha daughter vnto a citizen of Plesco (who, after her husbande
was slaine by his enemies, taking her iourney to Constantinople, was there
baptized by the name of Helena) a sonne called Stoslaus, who fought many
battels with the neighbour countreys. Howbeit at length Stoslaus was slayne
by his foe, who making a drinking cup of his skull, engraued therupon in
golden letters this sentence: Seeking after other mens he lost his owne. He
left behind him three sonnes, namely Teropolchus, Olega, and Vulodimir. The
which Vulodimir hauing slaine his two brethren, became sole gouernour of
Russia, or (as the Moscouites call it) Rosseia, his owne selfe. This man
beginning at length to loath and mislike the ethnik religion, and the
multitude of false gods, applyed his minde vnto the religion of Christ, and
hauing taken to wife Anna sister vnto Basilius and Constantinus Emperours
of Constantinople, was together with his whole nation, in the yeare of
Christ 988. baptized, and imbraced the Christian religion, with the rites
and ceremonies of the Greeke Church, and his name being changed, he was
called Basilius.

Howbeit Zonoras reporteth that before the time of Vulodimir, Basilius
Emperour of Constantinople sent a bishop vnto the Russians, by whose meanes
they were conuerted vnto the Christian faith. He reporteth moreouer that
they would not be perswaded vnlesse they might see a miracle: whereupon the
said bishop hauing made his prayers vnto almighty God, threwe the booke of
the Euangelists into the fire, which remained there vnconsumed. And that by
this miracle they were moued to giue credits vnto the doctrine of Christ,
and to conforme themselues thereunto.

The sonnes of Vulodimir were Vuiseslaus, Isoslaus, Iaroslaus, Suatopolcus,
Borissus, Glebus, Stoslaus, Vulzeuolodus, Stanislaus, Sudislaus, and Podius
who died in his childhood. Amongst the residue all Russia was diuided by
their father, who not being contented with their portions, but inuading
each other, were most of them slaine by their mutuall contentions. Borissus
and Glebus in regard of their holy conuersation were registred for Saints,
whose feasts are euery yeere celebrated with great solemnitie vpon the
twelfth of Nouember.

At length Iaroslaus only got the Souvereigne authoritie into his owne
hands, and left behind him foure sonnes, Vvlodimir, Isoslauus, Weceslauus,
and Vuszeuolodus.

The foresaid Vulodimir sonne of Iaroslaus kept his residence at the ancient
citie of Kiow standing vpon the riuer of Boristhenes, and after diuers
conflicts with his kinsmen, hauing subdued all the prouinces vnto himselfe,
was called Monomachos, that is, the onely champion. This man (for I thinke
it not amisse to report those things which their owne Manuscript Chronicles
make mention of) waged warre against Constantine the Emperour of
Constantinople, when he had wasted and ouerrun Thracia, being returned home
with great and rich spoyles, and making preparation for new wars,
Constantine sent Neophytus the Metropolitane of Ephesus and two Bishops,
with the gouernour of Antiochia, and Eustaphius the Abbat of Ierusalem, to
present rich and magnificent gifts vnto him; as namely, part of the crosse
of Sauiour Christ, a crowne of gold, a drinking cup curiously made of
Sardonyx stone, a cloake set all ouer with precious stones, and a golden
chaine; commaunded them to salute him by the name of Czar (which name, as
it may be prooued by many arguments, signifieth a king, and not an
Emperour) and concluded a most inuiolable league of amity and friendship
with him.

The foresayd Vulodimir begate Vuszeuolodus the second. This Vuszeuolodus
lefte eight sonnes behind him, Miscislaus, Isoslaus, Stoslaus, Teropolcus,
Weceslaus, Romanus, Georgius, and Andrew. The sonnes of George were
Roseslaus, Andrew, Basilius, and Demetrius.

Demetrius begat George, in the yeere 1237. was slaine by one Bathy, a
Tartarian duke, which Bathy wasted Moscouia, and subdued the same vnto
himselfe. Since which time the Russians were tributary to the Tartars, and
were gouerned by such dukes as they pleased to set ouer them. Howbeit the
Tartars so greatly abused that authoritie, that when they sent their
ambassadours vnto the prince of Moscouie, he was constrained to goe forth
and meete with them, and (as Herbortus Fulstinius in his Polonian historie
reporteth) to offer them a bason full of mares milke, and if they had spilt
any whit thereof vpon their horses maines, to licke it off with his toung,
and hauing conducted them into his princely court, to stand bareheaded
before them while they sate downe, and with all reuerence to giue eare and
attendance vnto them. But by what meanes they shooke off at the length this
yoake of seruitude, I will forthwith declare.

About the same time almost all Polonia, and the dukedome of Silesia were
ouerrun by the Tartars with fire and sword. Who hauing burnt Presla the
chiefe citie of Silesia, and being come before the citie of Legnitz, they
fought there a most cruel and bloody field, wherin was slain Duke Henrie
himselfe being sonne vnto the most holy and deuout lady Heduice, with many
others, whose monuments and graues be as yet extant in sundry places, and
with an infinite multitude of common souldiers, insomuch that the Tartars
filled nine great sackes with the eares of them which they had slaine. The
Tartars to the end they might obtaine the victorie, presented vnto the view
of our souldiers the portrature of a mans head placed by arte magique vpon
a banner, wherein the letter X. was painted, which being shaken and mooued
vp and downe breathed foorth a most loathsome stench, and strooke such a
terrour into the hearts of our men, that being as it were astonished with
the snaky visage of Medusa, they were vtterly daunted and dismayed.


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