ad THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1553- 



the West part border the Lappians, a rude and savage 



nation, living in woods, whose language is not knowen 



to any other people : next unto these, more towards the 



South, is Swecia, then Finlandia, then Livonia, and last 



of all Lituania. This Countrey of Moscovie, hath also 



very many and great rivers in it, and is marish ground 



in many places : and as for the rivers, the greatest and 



[I. 248.] most famous amongst all the rest, is that, which the 



Russes in their owne tongue call Volga, but others know 



it by the name of Rha. Next unto it in fame is Tanais, 



which they call Don, and the third Boristhenes which at 



this day they call Neper. Two of these, to wit, Rha, and 



Boristhenes yssuing both out of one fountaine, runne 



very farre through the land : Rha receiving many other 



pleasant rivers into it, & running from the very head or 



spring of it towards the East, after many crooked 



turnings and windings, dischargeth it selfe, and all the 



other waters and rivers that fall into it by divers 



passages into the Caspian Sea. Tanais springing from a 



fountaine of great name in those partes, and growing 



great neere to his head, spreds it selfe at length very 



largely, and makes a great lake : and then growing 



narrowe againe, doth so runne for certaine miles, untill it 



fall into another lake, which they call Ivan : and there- 



hence fetching a very crooked course, comes very neere 



to the river Volga : but disdaining as it were the company 



of any other river, doth there turne it selfe againe from 



Volga, and runnes toward the South, and fals at last into 



the Lake of Mceotis. Boristhenes, which comes from 



the same head that Rha doth, (as wee sayde before) 



carieth both it selfe, and other waters that are neere unto 



it, towards the South, not refusing the mixture of other 



small rivers : and running by many great and large 



Countreys fals at last into Pontus Euxinus. Besides 



these rivers, are also in Moscovie certaine lakes, and 



_, . , . pooles, the lakes breede fish by the celestiall influence : 

 I he miehtte r , , n 1 1 • / j 11 • 



lake of anc * amongst them all, the crnerest and most principall is 



Beafozera. called Bealozera, which is very famous by reason of a 



252 



