The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, and Discoveries of The English Nation, vol 4 | Page 6

standeth
Colmogro, and many prety villages, well situated for pasture, arable
land, wood, and water. The riuer pleasant betweene hie hils of either
side inwardly. inhabited, and in a maner a wildernesse of hie firre trees,
and other wood.
[Sidenote: Colmogro.] At Colmgoro being 100 versts, which we
account for three quarters of a mile euery verst, we taried three weeks,
not being suffered to depart before the Emperour had word of our
comming, who sent to meet vs a gentleman of his house, to conuey vs,
and to see vs furnished of victuals, and all things needfull, vpon his
owne charge.
The allowance of meat and drinke was for euery day two rubbles,
besides the charge of boats by water, and foure score post horses by
land, with aboue 100 carts to cary my wines, and other cariage.

Colmogro is a great towne builded all of wood, not walled, but
scattered house from house. The people are rude in maners, and in
apparell homely, sauing vpon their festiuall, and marriage dayes.
The people of this town finding commodity by the English mens
traffike with them are much at their commandement, giuen much to
drunkenesse, and all other kind of abominable vices.
[Sidenote: An English house with lands at Colmogro.] In this towne the
English men haue lands of their owne, giuen them by the Emperour,
and faire houses, with offices for their commodity, very many.
Of other townes vntill I come to Vologda, I write not, because they are
much like to this, and the inhabitants not differing from them.
I was fiue whole weeks vpon the riuer of Dwina till I came to Vologda,
being drawen with men against the streame, for other passage there is
none.
Vologda standeth vpon the riuer of Vologda, which commeth into
Dwina. The towne is great and long, built all of wood, as all their
townes are.
In this towne the Emperour hath built a castle inuironed with a wall of
stone, and bricke, the walles faire and hie, round about. Here (as in all
other their townes) are many Churches; some built of bricke, the rest of
wood, many Monks and Nunnes in it: a towne also of great traffike,
and many rich merchants there dwelling.
From hence we passed by land towards Mosco in poste, being 500
versts great, which are equall with our miles. In their townes we baited
or lay, being post townes.
[Sidenote: The description of the inland of Moscouie.] The countrey is
very faire, plaine and pleasant, well inhabited, corne, pasture, medowes
enough, riuers, and woods, faire and goodly.
At Yeraslaue we passed the riuer of Volga, more than a mile ouer. This

riuer taketh his beginning at Beal Ozera, and descendeth into Mare
Caspium, portable thorow of very great vessels with flat bottomes,
which farre passe any that our countrey vseth.
To saile by this riuer into Mare Caspium the English company caused a
barke to be built of 27 tunns, which there was neuer seene before: This
barke built and ready rigged to the sea with her whole furniture cost not
the company aboue one hundreth marks there.
[Footnote: His arriual at Mosco.] To Mosco we came about the end of
September, receiued by no man, not so much as our owne countreymen
suffered to meet vs, which bred suspition in me of some other course
intended, then we had hitheto found.
[Footnote: A special house at Mosco, built for Ambassadours.] We
were brought to a house built of purpose by the Emperour for
Ambassadours, faire and large, after the fashion of that countrey.
Two gentlemen were appointed to attend vpon me, the one to see vs
furnished of victuals, and that we lacked nothing of the Emperors
allowance: the other to see that we should not goe out of the house, nor
suffer any man to come vnto vs, in which they left nothing vndone that
belonged to their charge. But specially he that looked to our persons so
straightly handled vs; that we had no small cause to doubt that some
euill had bene intended vnto vs. No supplication, sute, or request could
take place for our liberty, nor yet to come to his presence.
Hauing passed ouer 17 weeks in this sort, the Emperour sendeth word
that we should be ready against Tuesday the 20 of Februarie, at eight a
clocke in the morning.
[Sidenote: Two Pristaues.] The houre being come that I should go to
the Court, the two gentlemen Pristaues (as they call them) came vnto
me apparelled more princely then before I had euer seene them. They
presse vs to depart, and mounted vpon their owne horses, and the
Ambassador vpon such a one as he had borrowed, his men marching on
foot, to their great griefe.

The Ambassadour (being my