/ 
Chap. II. ■ Northern Coafts (^EuiiOiPE. 475 
hot like the Sum, and the Perfons gave him morej till 
he was content. This Traffic was carried on without 
any Words, to fave Decencies, for they would not have 
it thought they fold their Gods. It was a great Crime 
for any one to fay he bought an Image ; he only called 
it exchanging. Thofe Images that were done with were 
thrown into the River, with a Piece of Silver. Thofe 
that flung them in, making the Sign of the Crofs, and 
faying, Profii ; in Englifh^ Adieu Brother ; or elfe, Profti 
Grandi, that is, God he with you my Brother. When 
there happens a Fire any where, the firft Care of the In- 
habitants was to' fave their Images ; and if by Chance 
they were burnt, they did not fay they were burnt, but 
Vanifhed on high. When a Church is burnt, they do 
not call it burning, but afcending j as that, Such a 
Church is afcended. They give to their Nicholas’s., fo 
their Images were named, becaufe, generally, they were 
that of St. Nicholas, their moft precious Treafures. A 
Woman v/ho had dreffed up her Nicholas very rich with 
Pearls and Diamonds, being fallen to decay, went to 
Church to beg him to lend her fomething, reprefenting 
the Neceffity llie was in. 
The Nicholas made her never a Word of Anfwer. She 
took his Silence for Confent, and prefumed upon it to 
take away a Ruby or two. The Priefts v/atching her 
narrowly, fav/ her take it off, feized her, and carried her 
before a Magiftrate, who condemned the poor Woman 
to have both her Hands cut off ; which Sentence was 
executed accordingly. As for the Images that were in 
private Houfes, they put Jewels upon them, and took 
them away as they thought fit; and when they were 
ftreightened in their Affairs, they fometimes ftript them 
to their very Shirts. When one is convidted of Flerefy, 
he is put upon the Top of a low Houfe, whence he is 
to be thrown down headlong into a Fire, and there con- 
fumcd to Allies. The Rules of the Mufcovite Monks 
and Nuns are not very ffridl. The Monks are great 
dealers in Wheat, Barley, Flops, Horfes, and every 
tiling they can get a Penny by. The Nuns take a great 
deal of Liberty ; they go out of their Nunneries when 
they pleafe, vifit their Friends, and commonly live with 
more licence than becomes their Sex, as well as their 
Profeffion. 
The Ruffian Mufic is very bad, notwithftanding they 
have fevcrai Schools where their Children are taus-fit to 
O 
fing and play upon mufical Inftruments, with Care and 
fevere Difcipline. They borrowed their Notes, either 
from the Greeks or Sclavonians ; their Gamot is not at all 
varied; inftead of Sol fa la, they fmg, Ga ga ge. Their 
.Cadences are the moft extravagant of any in the World ; 
and nothing can be more ridiculous, or rather mon- 
ftrous, than their awkward Imitation of the Italian Red- 
tativ'o. The laft Patriarch having forbidden the making 
mufical Inftruments, and it being thought by fome of 
the Ruffian Minifters, that the Ufe of them was preju- 
dicial to the good of the State ; they have very few In- 
ftruments, of any Sort, left among them : However, 
they ftill referve the Bag-pipe, which is in great Repu- 
tation there. They have fome Violins, the Bellies of 
which are made like a Lute ; but they can’t play above 
four or five Notes upon them. 
Eliah, the Emperor’s Father-Indaw, being fent Em- 
baffador to the Hague, the Dutch, who were willing to 
gain his good Graces, prepared an Entertainment for 
him ; at which their beft Muficians, and beft Voices, 
performed their utmoft to divert him. Some Gentle- 
men, afking him. How he liked the Mufic and Singing? 
he. anfwered. Very well ; for the Beggars in his Country 
ajked Alms after the fame Manner ; meaning the Beggars 
there, alv/ays fing when they beg, as they really do in 
Mufcovy. The warlike Mufic of the Mufcovites, is the 
Kettle Drum, whofe dull Sound agrees with the melan- 
choly Genius of the Nation. They have fome Trum- 
pets which they found very ill, and hunting Horns made 
of Brafs. I have feen fome Anthems of theirs fet by 
the Patriarch of one of their Choirs, for fo the chief 
Mufician is called. The Rjuffians do not know how 
to dance ; they imagine it does not fuit well with their 
Gravity. I'heir chief Dancers are their Tartarian and 
Polifh Slaves, whom they call in to divert them at their 
Debauches with rude Dances. 
15. Pht Circafft arts inhdHitP 2iVt Part ary. They are 
barbarous in their Manners, and fwarthy in their Com- 
plexions. The Circaffian Women are fat, and extreme- 
ly given to drinking ; they fometimes get drunk at a 
f'eaft, before they fet down to Table ; grow fober with 
eating ; get drunk a fecond Time, as foon as their 
Meal is ""over ; and a fecond Time grow fober, either 
with dancing, or fome other Exercife. They are all, in 
general, fo much in Love with dancing, that he who 
has not a Fiddle in his Floufe, is looked upon as a very 
pitiful Fellow. Their Government is entirely an Anar- 
chy. The People, in an Infurreclion they made, de- 
ftroyed all the Nobility ; and they are now governed by 
Chiefs or Colonels, chofen among themfelves, with 
whom the Vulgar are as familiar as they pleafe. Though 
their Religion is the fame, they don’t like the RuffiianSy 
forbid all the Strangers to enter their Church-doors ; on 
the contrary, they are open to all Nations, and they re- 
ceive every body with all poffible Demonftrations of 
Good-nature and Flofpitality. 
Their Soldiers are called Coffiacs, in the Language 
of the Country ; from whence fome Perfons have ima- 
gined, that the Coffiacs are a Nation of themfelves, 
whereas they are only the Militia of the Circaffitans, 
The Soil of Ruffiia is not fo fruitful and warm as that of 
Circaffiia. Witchcraft is very common among them, and 
theW omen of the higheftRank, ftudy what they efteem fo. 
The Government of Mufcovy is an abfolute Monarchy, 
There are feveral Courts of Juftice, called Precauces 5 
and the Judgments they pronounce are decifive. The 
Ruffians have few written Laws ; and their Judges, 
when not biaffed with Bribes, which have more .Power 
over them than Right and Precedents, govern thera- 
felves in all Caufes by Ciiftom. Their Clerks write al- 
ways kneeling, notwithftanding they have Tables before 
them. They leave a great Space between each Line, 
to wafte Paper, of which prodigious Quantities are con- 
fumed amongft them, and thus pick their Clients 
Pockets. Podiack is a Name given to the Clerks, or Se- 
cretaries of their Courts ; and their principal is called 
Diack. 
All their Bufinefs at Law runs in the, Nature of Peti- 
tions. They are rolled up in Rolls. The Advocate 
prefents them to the Judge, over whom there is com- 
monly a Boyar fet, to obferve his Adtions, and to inter- 
pofe his fuperior Authority, when he thinks fit. If the 
Boyar fits in Perfon, all Petitions are prefented to him,, 
who gives it to the Secretary, if he does not incline to 
return an Anfwer prefently ; and the Secretary will not 
put him in Mind of it, unlefs the Advocate bribes 
him. They have two and forty Charafters in their Al- 
phabet, and moft of them Greek. 
The Czar now reigning. Anno 1670, was born in 
the Year 1630. Fle defeended, by his Mother’s Side, 
from John Bajilowitz, and had an elder Brother that 
died young, who was a Prince of great Hopes, only he 
fhev/ed too miuch Inclination to Cruelty. He took De- 
light in pluckii% out Pidgeon’s Eyes, calling them 
Rebels and Traitors, and fometimes to puli off their 
Pleads ; faying, they had betrayed his Father and him- 
felf, and deferved to be fo ufed. The prefent Czar is 
fix Feet high ; his Mien is lofty and majeftic ; he is 
fat, and of a fanguine Complexion. His Hair is of a 
light-brown Colour ; he never fhaves his Beard. When 
he is angry he is very cruel, but otherwife good- 
natured. Being one Day preffed very hard by the Offi- 
cers of his Army to condemn a Deferter, he anfwered. 
It was not reafonable to do it^ for God hath not given 
Courage alike to all Men. He loves his Wife tenderly, 
and is given to' no Manner of Debauchery he is very 
kind to his Children and Sifters. Fie has an excellent 
Memory ; is very devout ; and never miffes to go to 
Morning and Evening Prayer. If he is not well, he 
has divine Service performed in his Bed-chamber , but 
if his Health permits him, he conftantly goes to Cha- 
pel at Prayer Hours, to be prefent at the public Wor- 
ffiip. 
* I® 
