The estates, empires, & principallities of the world Represented by ye description of countries, maners of inhabitants, riches of prouinces, forces, gouernment, religion; and the princes that haue gouerned in euery estate. With the begin[n]ing of all militarie and religious orders. Translated out of French by Edw: Grimstone, sargeant at armes.

¶ The Riches. [ A]

[ XXIIII] THe Muscouits haue great store of skin•• of Elkes, Stagges, Beares, Wolues, & Sables, which they sell deere vnto the merchants of Europe, as also flax and hempe which they hold to be exceeding good. And they haue great store of corne which they send towards the Caspian and Euxin Seas, besides yron, wax, tallow, wood, asnes, honie, and the other commodities aboue mentioned, whereof they sell aboundance to strangers. They haue a port called S. Nicholas, which is of great traffique, whether the English trade much, and to some other parts of the great Dukes dominions. But for all this, we [ B] must not thinke that this countrie is of great traffique, as well for that the inhabitants are not verie industrious, and that the countrie whereas arts, trades, & works do not flourish, cannot be of great traffique, nor sought vnto by strangers; as also, for that it is not lawfull for the Muscouites to go out of their princes dominions: by reason whereof, they are ig∣norant of matters belonging to the Sea. They doe onely exchange that which the coun∣trie yeelds, that is to say, pitch, honie, wax, skins, and other commodities, for cloth and such like, which the Armenians bring to Astracan vpon the Caspian sea, or of Bachu, and the English to S.Nicholas vpon the gulfe of Granu••c.

[ XXV] As for the kings riches, we may easily coniecture that they are great, seeing that he is Lord and absolute maister of all things; he makes vse of the labour of his subiects, and [ C] taketh what part of their goods he pleaseth. He takes vnto himselfe the decrest and most pretious skins which are found in his countries, and makes his owne share: he doth the like of all kind of fish. He sells the skins, or giues them; and as for fish they drie it in the wind, and keepe it for the prouision of his sorts. No man may sell any thing in the mar∣ket, before that be bought which the prince hath sent. The places of greatest traffique from whence he drawes the greatest part of his reuenues, are Astracan, which is vpon the Caspian Sea, whether they bring their merchandise from Persia and Armenia: and S. Nicholas vpon the gulfe of Granuic, whether come the ships from England and Hol∣land, laden with copper and other merchandise, which they carrie from thence to Vo∣logde. [ D]

Whenas the Embassadours of the great Knez returne into Muscouie, he takes from them the presents which they haue receiued from princes, giuing them some matter of small value in exchange, and sometimes nothing at all. To conclude, he drawes vnto himselfe all that he finds good in his Estates. By reason whereof, they hold that he hath great store of treasure in the forts of Mosko, Ieroslauia, and the White Lake; the which hath some show of trueth, for the great Duke Iohn carried away in a manner all the Cha∣lices, reliques, crosses, and siluer, out of Liuonia: and it is not lawfull to carrie any mony out of his countries, vnlesse it be to redeeme slaues, or to pay the ransome of such as are taken by the enemies in warre. It is true, that by the losse of Liuonia (yeelded by the great Duke to Stephen King of Poland, in the yeare of our Redemption 1582) he hath [ E] beene depriued of the richest part of the traffique of the Balticke Sea, and of the best countrie he had. Yet notwithstanding the great Duke is exceeding rich, as well for the reasons aboue mentioned, as for other commodities which doe accrue vnto him: for he hath certaine Magazins of salt towards Liuonia, the which yeeld him yearely a million of gold, and is a great preiudice vnto France, the which for a long time did vent salt into these countries. They doe also send store of corne and other commodities into Sue∣den, Denmarke, and the neighbour countries, whereby they raise great s••mmes of money.

[ XXVI] But to represent in some sort the greatnesse and riches of this prince, I hold it not vn∣fitting to set downe in few words what Philip Pernisten Embassadour for the Emperour [ F] with the great Duke of Muscouie, reports of the entertainment he receiued from him, and of his magnificence. He saith, That the great Duke did carrie a Crowne which was richer than the Popes, the French Kings, the King of Spaines, or the Emperour, and that it was of an inestimable value: His roabe was all set with Diamonds, Rubies, Emeralds,

[ A] and other stones as big as hasle nuts, so as Pernisten was amased how he could carry so great a burthen. His eldest sonne was attired like himselfe. They were serued at their meat by a hundred gentlemen or thereabouts, all which carried so many dishes of gold vnto the table, setting them they tooke away vpon a great cubbord one vpon ane another, not caring for the meat that was in them. He sent vnto Pernisten whenas he departed from his court three hundred and twentie sable skins, euery one of which was valued in Vienne at twentie pounds sterling, and entertained him at his owne charge during all the time he remained in his countrie. He saith also that whenas the great Knez did feast him, there was in the Antichamber or Stoue such aboundance of chargers, bowles, and such like [ B] of gold and siluer, as thirtie wagons had not beene able to carrie all this vessell, and yet this was not his chiefest plate, but onely that of the castle where he dined. He must of ne∣cessitie haue great store of siluer, for that one of these dukes after the taking and sacke of Horcograde carried away three hundred wagons laden with money with an infinit quan∣titie of gold and siluer He hath infinit means to draw money, for that he alone doth deale with all sorts of merchandise throughout the realme, and spends not one pennie vpon any occasion; and all such as he sends into any of his countries defraie themselues. In like manner he giues not any thing to his souldiers, but going to the war, and returning from it, he paies to euery one three pence, the which he will haue obserued, to the end he may know what numbers go vnto the war, and what returne. And this is all that can briefely [ C] be spoken of the riches of this great prince; let vs now come vnto his forces.