A.D. 



I 5 80. 



THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



A briefe Treatise of the great Duke of Moscovia 

 his genealogie, being taken out of the Mus- 

 covites manuscript Chronicles written by a 

 Polacke. 



T hath almost ever bene the custome of 

 nations, in searching out the infancie and 

 first beginnings of their estate, to ascribe 

 the same unto such authors as lived 

 among men in great honour and endued 

 mankinde with some one or other ex- 

 cellent benefite. Nowe, this inbred 

 desire of all nations to blaze and set foorth their owne 

 petigree hath so much prevayled with the greater part, 

 that leaving the undoubted trueth, they have betaken 

 themselves unto meere fables and fictions. Yea and 

 the Chronicles of many nations written in divers and 

 sundrie ages doe testifie the same. Even so the Grecians 

 boasted that they were either Autocthones, that is earth- 

 bredde, or els lineally descended from the Gods. And 

 the Romans afhrme that Mars was father unto their first 

 founder Romulus. Right well therefore and judicially 

 sayth Titus Livius : Neither meane I to avouch 

 (quoth he) ne to disable or confute those thinges which 

 before the building and foundation of the Citie have 

 beene reported, being more adorned and fraught with 

 Poeticall fables then with incorrupt and sacred monuments 

 of trueth : antiquitie is it to be pardoned in this 

 behalfe, namely in joyning together matters historicall 

 and poeticall, to make the beginnings of cities to seeme 

 the more honourable. For sith antiquity it selfe is 

 accompted such a notable argument of true nobility, 

 even private men in all ages have contended thereabout. 

 Wherefore citizens of Rome being desirous to make 

 demonstration of their Gentrie, use to have their aun- 

 cestours armes painted along the walles of their houses : 

 in which regarde they were so puffed up, that oftentimes 



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