_Account of the Muscovite Cloak mentioned at p. 40. Extracted from vol.
vi. of B. Twyne's Collections (among the University Archives), f. 97._
'_Mr. Smyth's Relation of the Tartar Lambskinne garment in Bodleiana,
Oxon._
'Sir Rich. Lee, knight, about the later ende of the raigne of the late
Qu. Elizabeth, being by her Maiestie sent ambassador into Russia,
amongest other novelties of the cuntry found by the information of the
inhabitants, that in Tartaria, a cuntrie neere adioyning to Muscovia and
Russia, and vnder the gouernement of the Emperour of Russia, there did
some yeres growe out of the ground certaine livinge creatures in the
shape of lambes, bearinge wooll vppon them, very like to the lambes of
England, in this manner; viz., a stalke like the stalke of an
hartichocke did growe vp out of the ground, and vppon the toppe thereof
a budd, which by degrees did growe into the shape of a lambe, and became
a liuinge creature, resting vppon the stalke by the navell; and as soone
as it did come to life, it would eate of the grasse growinge round about
it, and when it had eaten vp the grasse within its reach it would die.
And then the people of the cuntry as they finde these lambes doe flea of
their skins, which they preserue and keepe, esteeminge them to bee of
excellent vse and vertue, especially against the plague and other
noysome diseases of those cuntries.
'Vppon this information, Sir Rich. Lee was very desirous to haue some of
the skyns of these Tartar lambes for his money, which at that time was
not to be gotten for money; for that whensoeuer any of those lambes were
at any time found, it was very rarely; and then also when they were
found, they were presented to the Emperor, or to some other great man of
the cuntrie, as a present of great worthe.
'At this time the Emperour had a gowne or longe cloake, made after the
fashion of that cuntrie with the skins of those Tartar lambes; which
garment the then Duke, and since Kinge, of Swethland was very desirous
to haue and offered great summes of money for, but could by no meanes
obtayne his desire.
'At this time also Sir Rich. Lee had an agatt of so great biggenesse
that he made thereof a pestle and a morter, whiche the Emperour hauinge
notice of, was desirous to haue for his money. Sir Rich. Lee,
vnderstandinge thereof, sent it to the Emperour as a present from him,
which the Emperour would not accept as a gift, neither would he haue it
but for his money. Sir Richard, beinge willinge the Emperour should haue
the pestle and the morter, yet lothe to playe the marchant at that time,
did therefore deliuer this pestle and morter, into the hands and
custodie of the Emperour's physitian to beate his physicke in it for the
Emperour; which manner of giuinge this pestle and morter did so please
the Emperour, as that he caused secret enquirie to be made whether there
were any thinge in those cuntries which Sir Richard was desirous to
haue, and by that means had notice that Sir Richard had endeuoured to
haue gotten some of their lambeskyns. Wherevppon the Emperour, after Sir
Richard had taken his leaue of him, and had receaued a great gift of him
as an Ambassador, and was departed one dayes iourney toward England, the
Emperour sent after him the before mentioned garment so made with their
Tartar lambeskyns as aforesaide, and with it some fewe skynnes loose,
and gaue them all vnto him freelie.
'Sir Richard Lee, travaylinge homewards, came to the Kinge of
Swethlandes court, who demaunded of him of diverse thinges of the
cuntrie of Muscovia; and, amongest other thinges, asked him whether he
had seene the aforesaid garment, and he answered, that he had not only
seene it, but had it in his possession; whereat the Kinge of Swethland
admired, sayinge he had longe laboured to get it for loue or money, but
could neuer obtayne it.
'Sir Rich. Lee in this iourney had not onely gotten this garment and
Tartar lambeskyns, but diverse other rich furres and other rarities of
great price; the greatest part whereof the Queene tooke of him, and
promised him recompence for them, which she neuer performed; which was
partly the cause that he concealed this garment from her duringe her
life. And when Sir Rich. Lee died himselfe, he by his will gaue it to
the Library in Oxford, to be kept as a monument there, beinge, as he
conceiued, the fittest place for a jewell of so great worth and
æstimation as that is or ought to be.
'Sir Rich. Lee was the neere kinseman of my wife; by reason whereof, I
was very familiarly acquaynted with him; and vppon conference had with
him about his trauayles at sundry times, I had the true relation of all
the premisses from his owne mouthe. And I comminge to Oxford to the Act,
and findinge this garment in Sir Tho. Bodley's studdie or closet,
without any expression made of the raritie or worth of this garment,
did discouer so much as I haue herein written to Mr. Russe, the Keeper
of the Library; at whose request I haue sett it downe, in writinge. And
in testimonie of the truthe thereof, I haue herevnto subscribed my name,
the 13th of July, 1624.
'EDWARD SMYTHE.
'Transcribed out of the originall with Mr. Russe.
'This Mr. Smyth was a Counsellor of the Temple.'
It appears from this account that the box of scented wood ordered by the
Curators in 1614 had never been provided, and that the cloak was already
beginning to be neglected. Doubtless suspicion had been early excited as
to the truth of the traveller's story which had accompanied the gift,
and which could scarcely have obtained real credence later than the days
of Marco Polo or Sir John Mandeville. In the Ashmolean Museum a painting
is preserved which represents the _Agnus Scythicus_ in its fabled state;
a full-grown lamb poised on the top of a vegetable stalk, with its legs
dependent in the air[365]. But the key to the mystery is attached in the
label on the frame: '_Polypodium Barometz_. Linn.' It is, in truth, only
a large fern found in Tartary, of which the rhizoma is covered with the
woolly fungus-like growth, found in greater or less degree on many
species of ferns. If the plant be dug up and inverted, the roots being
uppermost and the fronds pendent, a strong imagination might find some
resemblance in the former to a wool-clad body, and in the latter to
limbs, while some of the young fronds with their spiral convolutions
might be compared to the horns of a ram, such as are duly represented in
the painting mentioned above. A specimen of the plant may be seen in the
greenhouses of the Botanic Garden, Oxford, where it is still known by
the name which the fable imposed, _Agnus Scythicus_. So great is the
woolly growth found upon one species of tree-fern in New Zealand, that
(as the writer was informed by Mr. Baxter, the Keeper of the Botanic
Garden) tons of it are yearly imported into this country for the purpose
of stuffing cushions. A finer and silkier substance is found on a fern
indigenous in Mexico.
[365] For acquaintance with this picture the author is indebted to Mr.
Rowell, whose scientific knowledge so well fits him for the post he
worthily holds as Under-keeper of the Ashmolean Museum. In Tradescant's
Catalogue of the first contents of this Museum as formed by himself,
published in 1656, occurs 'a coat lyned with _Agnus Scythicus_,' but it
does not now exist in the collection.