^VOYAGE to the 
\ 
all the Court waiting on him. The firft that goes be- 
fore him, is the Officer that carries his Handkerchief, 
lying on another embroidered all over, which hangs on 
his Arm. The Servants of his Houffiold going before 
him. In this order they proceed to the Church, called 
Jerufalenh but they ftop by the Way, at a Place built of 
Free-Stone, in the Manner of a Platform, where he fays 
his Prayers, bends his Body almoft double, turning to- 
wards the Eaft •, and then he enters the Church of Jeru- 
falem, which is not far off. He ftays there an Hour, 
and then returns back to his Palace ; holding on his 
Arm the Bridle of the Patriarch’s Horfe, caparifoned 
with white Linnen, on which the Prelate rides afide, 
carrying a Crofs in his Hand, and giving his Benedic- 
tion to the People. The Reins of his Bridle are three 
Ells long, fupported by three Gentlemen, marching be- 
hind the Emperor. Inffead of a Mitre, the Patriarch 
wears, at that Time, a flat Cap on his Plead, adorped 
with Diamonds and Gold Loops, edged round with Er- 
mines. A Band of young Men carry feveral pieces of 
Stuff, of three, or four Ells long, before him *, fome red, 
fome blue, fome green, fome yellow, and fome of other 
Colours. The MetropoUtes^ the Protopopes^ and the 
Popes^ have all of them Chafubles, or a Sort of Caps 
ufed by the Popifh Prieffs, when they fay Mafs. The 
Gentlemen and Lawyers have Boughs of Willow, in- 
ftead of Branches of Palm, in their Plands. 
The Czar’s Guards, who are pretty numerous, 
proftrate themfelves flat on the Ground, and a trium- 
phal Arch is born along with a Tree on it, from which 
I'everal Boys, in the Machine, Arrive to reach the Ap- 
ples. When the Ceremony is over, the Patriarch fends 
the Emperor a Purfe, with a hundred Rubies in it. The 
Bells in the Church, called Jertifalem^ are faid to be the 
bigg^ft in the World. There is one of them that weighs 
thirty Ton j and when it is rung, it almoft deafens 
all that ftand near it. The Czar delights mightily in 
hearing them. There is a Niche in the Church, where 
the Patriarch ftands to give the People his Bleffing ; af- 
ter which he fays thefe Words : Go and eat nothing 
thefe_ three Days. As for him himfelf he lies proftrate 
on the Ground all Night, and continues in Prayer till 
Rafter Day. The Gentleman of Lorrain, from whofe 
Memoirs this Account is taken, told me a Story of an 
Accident that happened to an Englijh Merchant’s Ser- 
vant on this Occafion. 
The Servant was a Ruffian by Birth, but born far in 
the Country •, and having never feen fuch a Ceremony 
before, when he went to Church, he came back fo very 
melancholy, that his Mafter took notice of it, and afked 
him the Reafon of it : The Ruffian told him the Orders 
chat were given by the Patriarch, that no-body fliould 
eat any thing in three Days Time, and was afraid, in 
4he mean Time, that he Ihould die of Hunger. He 
fafted two or three Days, and was ready to eat himfelf, 
not being ufed to fuch Penance: Plowever, he held 
out, and then fwore he would never go to Church to 
hear the Patriarch’s Bleffing again. On Rafter Bay the 
Mufcovite Men and Women falute one another with a 
Kifs, give a red Egg, and cry, Chriftos vas Chrejch., 
God hlefs you. 
In Eafter Week all the Emperor’s Gentlemen and Do- 
meftics kifs the Patriarch’s Hand, and he prefents them 
v/ith red Eggs, or thofe that are gilt. Thofe of the 
higheft Quality have three; thofe of the Middle Rank 
two ; and thole of the loweft one. The Patriarch’s 
Palace joins to that of the Emperor’s ; but it is built of 
Stone, and, for its Largenefs, is very ftately ; but elfe it 
IS a mean Building. The greateft Sign of Joy in the 
RuftanSy on their Feftivals, is their drinking ; and their 
moft foleran Days are thofe in which they make the 
moft Debauches. It is no great Shame among them, 
for Men, Women, Priefts, and Lawyers, to be feen 
reeling in the Streets. When the Women of Quality 
have a merry meeting together, fhe who makes the En- 
tertainment, fends to all of them, the next Day, to 
know how they got home, and how they paft the 
Night ? The common Anfwer to this Compliment is, 
I thank your Miftrefs for our good Cheery I was Ib 
merry laft Night, I can’t tell how I found our Houfe 
out. 
The Burials of the Ruffians are very particular. As 
foon as a Man has given up the Ghoft, ail the Windows 
in the Chamber, in which he died, are fet open. A 
Bafon of Holy Water is brought for him to bathe his 
Soul in ; a Piece of Bread is put on the Crown of his 
Head, that he may not die of Hunger, in the long 
Journey he has to take. They put a Pair of black Shoes 
on his Feet ; fome Copeaks, or Pieces of Money in his 
Mouth ; and, in his Hand, a Certificate, figned by the 
Metropoiite of the Place, to inform St. Nicholas of his 
Life and Cpnverfation. When that is done his Body is 
carried to Church, where it is kept a very little while 
before it is interred. The Wife of the DAeafed is ob- 
liged to flrew an inconlblable Afflidfion, and to hire 
other Women to mourn with her. The moft pom- 
pous Funerals are thofe at which a great Number of 
thefe mercenary Mourners affift. 
Thefe Women have feveral mournful Queftions which 
they aftc of the Deceafed, in a difmai Tone, as, Jh my 
Dear ! why have you left us ? did not your Wife do every 
thing you would have her P did fhe not take Care of your 
Houfe ? did fhe not bring you feveral pretty Children? did 
you want any thing ? Or elfe they afk him. Why did you 
die ? had you not a hand fome Wife^ lovely Children^ arid 
as much Brandy as you could drink ? For it feems Brandy 
is fo divine a Liquor with them, they fancy it will 
make them immortal. When a Man dies without hav- 
ing ‘confeired himfelf, or received the extreme Unc- 
tion, he muft not have Chriftian Burial. 
Such as have been killed, or are ftarved to Death with 
Cold, are removed to a Place, where the Zemfky pre- 
caus is ; there they lie expofed for three or four Days ; 
thofe that own them in that Time are permitted to 
bury them, or elfe they are fent to Bofkey or Bogzi 
DomOy that is, the Houfe of God ; where, in a vaulted 
Cave, may fometimes be feen three or four hundred 
Carcafes at a Time, which the Priefts bury, one after 
another, in St. Johns’s Church-yard. They read a Pfalm 
over their Graves every Day for a Month after they are 
buried ; during all that Time the Dirt is not thrown in 
upon them, but their Graves are covered with a thick 
Mat, to keep out the Rain. All the Carnival Time the 
Mufcovites abandon themfelves to all Manner of Debau- 
chery, and drink fo exceffively the laft Week before 
Lent, that one would think they ought to drink no 
more as long as they lived. There is a Sort of Brandy 
drank among them, fo ftrong, and fo fubtle, that it will 
take Fire in their Mouths ; from whence I have been 
told, that fometimes Flame will iffue out, and the Coun- 
try People fancy it would kill them prefently, if they 
had not Milk ready at Hand to extinguifh it. Many 
of them, after a Debauch, in the Time of Carnival , 
going home, fall down on the Snow, and would freeze 
to Death, if others, fomewhat more fober, did not meet 
with them. 
It is a very melancholy Sight, at that Time, to fee 
ten or twelve dead Men drawn along on a Sledge, one 
having a Shoulder eaten off by Dogs, another his Face, 
and fome nothing but Bones left. There feldom paffes 
a Carnival without two or three hundred fuch terrible 
Accidents. If a Ruffian finds any one of his Acquaint- 
ance in Danger of Death, he will not affift him to get 
out of it ; becaufe if he dies in his Hands, he muft pafs 
Examination by the Judge of the Zemfky preeauSy who 
always takes Care to make him pay feverely before he 
acquits him. 
The Mufcovite Images, while they had any,, were like 
the ancient Greeksy only they were more ugly and courfe. 
My Friend afking them, Why they reprefented their 
Gods under fuch deformed Figures? they replied, Pheir 
Gods were not proud. When the Painting of any Images 
was worn out, it was carried to a Place, called Goas 
Markety where thofe that bought it had another given 
them in Exchange, for which they paid fome Money. 
If the Man who made the Image was not fatisfied with 
it, he gave the Perfons that would exchange the Image 
a Puiff ©n the Back, which was a Token that he did 
not 
