DUKE OF MOSCOVY'S GENEALOGY a.d. 



1580. 



they would arrogantly disdaine those men, which by 

 their owne vertue had attained unto honour. In like 

 sorte Poets, when the originall of their worthines and 

 brave champion was either utterly unknowen or some- 

 what obscure, would ofte referre it unto their Gods 

 themselves. So in these our dayes (to lette passe others) 

 the Turkish Emperour with great presumption boasteth 

 himselfe to bee descended of the Trojan blood. Like- 

 wise the great duke of Moscovie, to make himselfe 

 and his predecessours seeme the more sovereigne, 

 deriveth the beginnings of .his parentage from the 

 Romane Emperours, yea even from Augustus Caesar. 

 Albeit therefore no man is so fonde as to accept of 

 this report for trueth, yet will wee briefly set downe 

 what the Moscovites have written in their Chronicles 

 as touching this matter. 



Augustus (beleeve it who listeth) had certaine brethren 

 or kinsfolkes which were appoynted governours over 

 divers provinces. Amongst the rest one Prussus (of 

 whome Prussia was named) had his place of government 

 assigned unto him upon the shore of the eastern or 

 Baltick sea, and upon the famous river of Wixel. This 

 mans graund children or nephewes of the fourth genera- 

 tion were Rurek, Sinaus, and Truvor, who likewise 

 inhabited in the very same places. Whereas therefore 

 at the very same time the Russians or the Moscovites 

 without any civill regiment possessed large and spacious 

 territories towards the north, the foresayd three brethren, 

 upon the perswasion of one Gostomislius the chiefe 

 citizen of Novogrod, in the yeare since the worldes 

 creation (according to the computation of the Greekes) 

 6370, which was in the yeare of our Lord 572, were Russia became 

 sent for, to beare rule. And so joyning their kinsman civill in ye 

 Olechus unto them, and dividing these huge countreys y / re Jil ur 

 among themselves, they laboured to reduce the barbarous 

 and savage people unto a civill kinde of life. 



Sinaus and Truvor deceasing without issue, Rurek 

 succeeded and lefte a sonne behinde him named Igor ; 



183 



