ad. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1553- 



The Mosco it selfe is great : I take the whole towne 



to bee greater then London with the suburbes : but 

 it is very rude, and standeth without all order. Their 

 houses are all of timber very dangerous for fire. There 

 is a faire Castle, the walles whereof are of bricke, and 

 very high : they say they are eighteene foote thicke, 

 but I doe not beleeve it, it doth not so seeme, not- 

 withstanding I doe not certainely know it : for no 

 stranger may come to viewe it. The one side is ditched, 

 and on the other side runneth a river called Moscua 

 which runneth into Tartarie and so into the sea called 

 Mare Caspium : and on the North side there is a base 

 towne, the which hath also a bricke wall about it, and 

 so it joyneth with the Castle wall. The Emperour lieth 

 in the castle, wherein are nine fayre Churches, and therin 

 are religious men. Also there is a Metropolitane with 

 divers Bishops. I will not stande in description of their 

 buildinges nor of the strength thereof because we have 

 better in all points in England. They be well furnished 

 with ordinance of all sortes. 



The Emperours or Dukes house neither in building 

 nor in the outward shew, nor yet within the house is 

 so sumptuous as I have seene. It is very lowe built 

 in eight square, much like the olde building of England, 

 with small windowes, and so in other poynts. 



Now to declare my comming before his Majestie : 

 After I had remained twelve daies, the Secretary which 

 hath the hearing of strangers did send for me, advertising 

 me that the Dukes pleasure was to have me to come 

 before his Ma. with the kings my masters letters : 

 whereof I was right glad, and so I gave mine attendance. 

 And when the Duke was in his place appointed, the 

 interpretour came for me into the utter chamber, where 

 sate one hundred or moe gentlemen, all in cloth of 

 golde very sumptuous, and from thence I came into 

 the Counsaile chamber, where sate the Duke himselfe 

 with his nobles, which were a faire company : they 

 sate round about the chamber on high, yet so that he 



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