Muscovy, which hath the name also of Russia the White, is a very large
and spacious country, every way bounded with divers nations. Towards the
south and east it is compassed with Tartaria, the northern side of it
stretcheth to the Scythian Ocean; upon the west part border the Lappians,
a rude and savage nation, living in woods, whose language is not known to
any other people; next unto these, more towards the south, is Swecia,
then Finlandia, then Livonia, and last of all Lithuania. This country of
Muscovy hath also very many and great rivers in it, and is marsh ground
in many places; and as for the rivers, the greatest and most famous
amongst all the rest is that which the Russians in their own tongue call
Volga, but others know it by the name of Rha. Next unto it in fame is
Tanais, which they call Don, and the third Boristhenes, which at this day
they call Dnieper. Two of these—to wit, Rha and Boristhenes—issuing both
out of one fountain, run very far through the land: Rha receiving many
other pleasant rivers into it, and running from the very head or spring
of it towards the east, after many crooked turnings and windings,
dischargeth itself and all the other waters and rivers that fall into it,
by divers passages into the Caspian Sea. Tanais, springing from a
fountain of great name in those parts, growing great near to his head,
spreads itself at length very largely and makes a great lake; and then
growing narrow again, doth so run for certain miles until it fall into
another lake, which they call Ivan: and there hence, fetching a very
crooked course, comes very near to the river Volga; but disdaining, as it
were, the company of any other river, doth there turn itself again from
Volga, and runs towards the south, and falls at last into the Lake of
Moeotis. Boristhenes, which comes from the same head that Rha doth (as
we said before), carrieth both itself, and other waters that are near
unto it, towards the south, not refusing the mixture of other small
rivers; and, running by many great and large countries, falls at last
into Pontus Euxinus. Besides these rivers are also in Muscovy certain
lakes and pools—the lakes breed fish by the celestial influence, and
amongst them all the chiefest and most principal is called Belij Jesera,
which is very famous by reason of a very strong tower built in it,
wherein the kings of Muscovy reserve and repose their treasure in all
time of war and danger.
Touching the Riphean Mountains, whereupon the snow lieth continually, and
where hence in times past it was thought that Tanais the river did
spring, and that the rest of the wonders of Nature which the Grecians
feigned and invented of old were there to be seen, our men which lately
came from thence neither saw them, nor yet have brought home any perfect
relation of them, although they remained there for the space of three
months, and had gotten in that time some intelligence of the language of
Muscovy. The whole country is plain and champaign, and few hills in it;
and towards the north it hath very large and spacious woods, wherein is
great store of fir-trees—a wood very necessary and fit for the building
of houses. There are also wild beasts bred in those woods, as buffes,
bears, and black wolves, and another kind of beast unknown to us, but
called by them “roffomakka;” and the nature of the same is very rare and
wonderful, for when it is great with young, and ready to bring forth, it
seeketh out some narrow place between two stakes, and so going through
them, presseth itself, and by that means is eased of her burden, which
otherwise could not be done. They hunt their buffes for the most part
a-horseback, but their bears afoot, with wooden forks. The north parts
of the country are reported to be so cold, that the very ice or water
which distilleth out of the moist wood which they lay upon the fire is
presently congealed and frozen, the diversity growing suddenly to be so
great, that in one and the selfsame firebrand a man shall see both fire
and ice. When the winter doth once begin there it doth still more and
more increase by a perpetuity of cold; neither doth that cold slake until
the force of the sunbeams doth dissolve the cold and make glad the earth,
returning to it again. Our mariners which we left in the ship in the
meantime to keep it, in their going up only from their cabins to the
hatches, had their breath oftentimes so suddenly taken away, that they
eftsoons fell down as men very near dead, so great is the sharpness of
that cold climate; but as for the south parts of the country, they are
somewhat more temperate.