Page:Notes upon Russia (volume 2, 1851).djvu/214

secrete: But that aboue al other, the Duke of Moscouia should perfourme the same, with greater commoditie, & more facilitie then any other Prince.

The Duke of Moscouia.

An ambassadour from the Duke of Moscouia.

The woordes of the ambassadour of Moscouia.

The way from Moscouia to the North Ocean and Cathay.

And here staying awhile, he began to speake againe, and said: — Nowe, forasmuch as we are come to the passe, me thinke it should seeme a great discurtesie if I should not shew you al that I knowe as touching this viage, whereof I greatly mused with my selfe many yeeres by occasion of the woordes of Plinie. Wheras therfore, beyng a young man, I was in Germanie in the citie of Augusta, it so chaunced that in those dayes there came thither an ambassadour of the Duke of Moscouia, a man singulerly learned both in the Greek tongue & the Latine, and of good experience in worldely thynges, hauing been sent to dyuers places by the sayde Prince, and one of his counsayle. Of whose learnyng beyng aduertised, I sought his acquayntaunce, and talkyng with hym one daye of these Indians, dryuen by fortune to the coastes of Germanie, and of the viage that myght be discouered by the North sea to the Ilandes of spices, I per- ceyued that at the fyrst he marueyeled exceedyngly, as at a thyng that he coulde neuer haue imagined. But restyng a whyle in maner astonyshed in his secrete phantasie, hee

tooke great pleasure therein, and sayde: forasmuch as the

Portugalcs hauc now compassed about all the South partes,

supposed in old tyme to bee inaccessable by reason of great

heate, why should we not certainely thynke that the lyke

may bee done about this parte of the North, without feare of

colde, especially to men borne and brought up in that clime:

Yet proceedyng further, he sayde, that if his Prince and

maister had men that would animate him to discouer this

vyage, there was no Prince in Christendome that myght doe

it with more facilitie. Then calling for a Mappe, in Avhich

was the discription of Moscouia, and the prouinces subiect to

the same, hee declared that from the citie of Moscouia or

Mosca, goyng towarde the North-east for the space of lx