IT remaineth that a large discourse be made of Moscow, the principal city
of that country, and of the prince also, as before we have promised. The
empire and government of the king is very large, and his wealth at this
time exceeding great. And because the city of Moscow is the chiefest of
all the rest, it seemeth of itself to challenge the first place in this
discourse. Our men say, that in bigness it is as great as the city of
London, with the suburbs thereof. There are many and great buildings in
it, but, for beauty and fairness, nothing comparable to ours. There are
many towns and villages also, but built out of order and with no
handsomeness; their streets and ways are not paved with stone as ours
are; the walls of their houses are of wood; the roofs, for the most part,
are covered with shingle boards. There is hard by the city a very fair
castle, strong, and furnished with artillery, whereunto the city is
joined directly towards the north with a brick wall; the walls also of
the castle are built with brick, and are in breadth or thickness eighteen
feet. This castle hath on the one side a dry ditch, and on the other
side the river Volga, whereby it is made almost impregnable. The same
Volga, trending towards the east, doth admit into it the company of the
River Occa.
In the castle aforesaid there are in number nine churches or chapels, not
altogether unhandsome, which are used and kept by certain religious men,
over whom there is, after a sort, a patriarch or governor, and with him
other reverend fathers, all which for the greater part dwell within the
castle. As for the king’s court and palace, it is not of the neatest,
only in form it is four-square and of low building, much surpassed and
excelled by the beauty and elegancy of the houses of the kings of
England. The windows are very narrowly built, and some of them by glass,
some other by lattices admit the light; and whereas the palaces of our
princes are decked and adorned with hangings of cloth of gold, there is
none such there; they build and join to all their walls benches, and that
not only in the court of the emperor, but in all private men’s houses.
Now after that they had remained about twelve days in the city, there was
then a messenger sent unto them to bring them to the king’s house, and
they being after a sort wearied with their long stay, were very ready and
willing so to do; and, being entered within the gates of the court, there
sat a very honourable company of courtiers, to the number of one hundred,
all apparelled in cloth of gold down to their ankles, and therehence
being conducted into the chamber of presence, our men began to wonder at
the majesty of the Emperor. His seat was aloft in a very royal throne,
having on his head a diadem or crown of gold, apparelled with a robe all
of goldsmith’s work, and in his hand he held a sceptre garnished and
beset with precious stones; and, besides all other notes and appearances
of honour, there was a majesty in his countenance proportionable with the
excellency of his estate. On the one side of him stood his Chief
Secretary, and on the other side the Great Commander of Silence, both of
them arrayed also in cloth of gold; and then there sat the Council, of
one hundred and fifty in number, all in like sort arrayed, and of great
state. This so honourable an assembly, so great a majesty of the Emperor
and of the place, might very well have amazed our men, and have dashed
them out of countenance; but, notwithstanding, Master Chanceler, being
therewithal nothing dismayed, saluted and did his duty to the Emperor
after the manner of England, and withal delivered unto him the letters of
their King Edward VI. The Emperor having taken and read the letters,
began a little to question with them, and to ask them of the welfare of
our king, whereunto our men answered him directly and in few words.
Hereupon our men presented something to the Emperor by the Chief
Secretary, which at the delivery of it put off his hat, being before all
the time covered; and so the Emperor having invited them to dinner,
dismissed them from his presence; and going into the chamber of him that
was Master of the Requests to the Emperor, and having stayed there the
space of two hours, at the last the messenger cometh, and calleth them to
dinner. They go, and being conducted into the Golden Court (for so they
call it, although not very fair), they find the Emperor sitting upon a
high and stately seat, apparelled with a robe of silver, and with another
diadem on his head; our men, being placed over against him, sit down. In
the midst of the room stood a mighty cupboard upon a square foot,
whereupon stood also a round board, in manner of a diamond, broad
beneath, and towards the top narrow, and every step rose up more narrow
than the other. Upon this cupboard was placed the Emperor’s plate, which
was so much that the very cupboard itself was scant able to sustain the
weight of it. The better part of all the vessels and goblets was made of
very fine gold; and, amongst the rest, there were four pots of very large
bigness, which did adorn the rest of the plate in great measure, for they
were so high, that they thought them at the least five feet long. There
were also upon this cupboard certain silver casks, not much differing
from the quantity of our firkins, wherein was reserved the Emperor’s
drink. On each side of the hall stood four tables, each of them laid and
covered with very clean table-cloths, whereunto the company ascended by
three steps or degrees, all which were filled with the assembly present.
The guests were all apparelled with linen without, and with rich skins
within, and so did notably set out this royal feast. The Emperor, when
he takes any bread or knife into his hand, doth first of all cross
himself upon his forehead. They that are in special favour with the
Emperor sit upon the same bench with him, but somewhat far from him; and
before the coming in of the meat the Emperor himself, according to an
ancient custom of the Kings of Muscovy, doth first bestow a piece of
bread upon every one of his guests, with a loud pronunciation of his
title and honour in this manner, “The Great Duke of Muscovy and Chief
Emperor of Russia, John Basiliwich (and then the officer nameth the
guest), doth give thee bread,” whereupon all the guests rise up and
by-and-by sit down again. This done, the Gentleman Usher of the hall
comes in with a notable company of servants carrying the dishes, and
having done his reverence to the Emperor, puts a young swan in a golden
platter upon the table, and immediately takes it thence again, delivering
it to the carver and seven other of his fellows to be cut up, which being
performed, the meat is then distributed to the guests with the like pomp
and ceremonies. In the meantime, the Gentleman Usher receives his bread
and talketh to the Emperor, and afterward, having done his reverence, he
departeth. Touching the rest of the dishes, because they were brought in
out of order, our men can report no certainty; but this is true, that all
the furniture of dishes and drinking vessels, which were then for the use
of a hundred guests, was all of pure gold, and the tables were so laden
with vessels of gold, that there was no room for some to stand upon them.
We may not forget that there were one hundred and forty servitors arrayed
in cloth of gold, that in the dinner-time changed thrice their habit and
apparel, which servitors are in like sort served with bread from the
Emperor as the rest of the guests. Last of all, dinner being ended, and
candles brought in (for by this time night was come), the Emperor calleth
all his guests and noblemen by their names, in such sort that it seems
miraculous that a prince, otherwise occupied in great matters of estate,
should so well remember so many and sundry particular names. The
Russians told our men that the reason thereof, as also of the bestowing
of bread in like manner, was to the end that the Emperor might keep the
knowledge of his own household, and withal, that such as are under his
displeasure might by this means be known.