M O S 
lin and the Khitaigorod differed lead at that time, and 
we have therefore been dill able, in defcribing thofe parts, 
to avail ourfelves of the defcriptions given by Coxe and 
Tooke. And the mod: recent accounts (Mar. 1817.) date, 
that Mofcow has rifen from its allies more beautiful than 
ever, which may very well be, as mod: of the houfes were 
of wood thatched with mud. The univerfity is, however, 
rebuilt of better materials, and is in a flourifhing condi¬ 
tion : the library already contains 7000 volumes; and 
every thing connefted with education, and the ufeful and 
elegant fciences, is encouraged and promoted by the go¬ 
vernment. 
The lofs that was fudained, upon that dreadful occa- 
fion, in lives and property, has been thought to be greatly 
exaggerated ; for it was dated, that, befides 30,000 lick, 
100,000 lives were lod. But, if we look back into hidory, 
we lhall find that Mofcow has endured diil greater cala¬ 
mities. In the Harleian Mifcellany, there is a curious 
pamphlet, which gives an account (by an eye-witnefs) of 
a mod dreadful plague and fire, which happened there in 
the fixte#hth century. We lhall make fome extrafts from 
this very curious and fcarce trait. 
“ Being departed from Nerva about the xoth of July, 
1570, we came, on the beginning of Augud, to Mofcow. 
A few days after, a horrid plague invaded the town, and 
the places about it, with fuch violence, that in four 
months there died above 250,000 people ; and it was par¬ 
ticularly obferved, that in eight days, that is from the 
10th to the 18th of Augud, there died 2703 prieds; and 
this plague did continue fo fiercely, that, in the end of it, 
every one wondered when he met any body of his ac¬ 
quaintance. 
“ This extraordinary mifery was followed the year after, 
on the x 5th of May, by a drange ruin and conflagration : 
the occafion was, that the emperor of the Tartarians, 
being difcontented that the Ruffians did not pay him 
fome annual tribute,, and hearing befides, that the great 
duke (Ivan III.) by his tyranny and maflacres, had fo de¬ 
populated the country, that he Ihould find no great refid- 
ance that way, did fummon him to pay the laid tribute ; 
but the great duke returned nothing in anfwerbut fpight- 
ful and reproachful words ; wherefore the Tartarian came 
out of his country, about the end of February, followed 
with an army of one hundred thoufand horfe, who, within 
the fpace of two months and a half, did ride about five 
hundred German leagues ; which make two thoufand 
Englilh miles. When they were come about two days’ 
journey from the frontiers of the duke, he refolved to 
meet them, and to give them battle; but he lod it with a 
prodigious daughter of his men. The duke, knowing 
that the Tartarian would feek him out, ran away as fad as 
he could : he was only within five leagues of Mofcow, 
when the Tartarians came and encompafled the town, 
thinking he was within. They fet on fire all the villages 
round about it; and, feeing that the war would prove 
too tedious for them, refolved to burn that great city, or 
at lead the fuburbs of it; for this purpofe, having placed 
their troops round about it, they fet fire on all fides, fo 
that it feemed a burning globe; then did rife fo fierce and 
violent a wind, that it drove the rafters and long trees 
from the fuburbs into the city ; the conflagration was fo 
fuddeni that nobody had time to fave himfelf, but in that 
place where he was then. The perfons that were burnt 
in this fire, were about 200,000; which did happen, be- 
caufe the houfes are all of wood, and the dreets paved 
with great fir-trees, fet clofe together, which, being oily 
and rofinous, made the incendy unexpreffible ; fo that, in 
four hours time, the city and fuburbs where wholly con- 
fumed. I and a young man of Rochelle, that was my 
interpreter, were in the middle of the fire, in a magazine 
vaulted with done, and extraordinarily drong, whole wall 
was three feet and a half thick, and had no air but on two 
fides; one wherein was the coming in and going out, 
which was a long alley, in which there were three iron 
Vol. XVI. No. 105,3. 
N 
C O W. 61 
gates, diflant about fix feet from each other; on the other 
fide there was a window, or grate, fenced with three iron 
Ihutters, diflant half a foot one from another; we Ihut 
them inwardly as well as poffibly we could ; neverthelefs p 
there came in fo much fmoke, that it was more than l'uf- 
ficient to choak us, had it not been for fome beer that was 
there, with the which we refrefhed ourfelves now and then. 
Many lords and gentlemen were flifled in the caves where 
they had retired, becaufe, their houfes being made of great 
trees, when they fell they crufhed down all that was un¬ 
derneath ; others, being confumed to allies, flopped all the 
paflages of going and coming out, fo that for want of air 
they all perilhed : the poor country people that had faved 
theml'elves in the city, with their cattle, from threefcore 
miles round about, feeing the conflagration, ran all into 
the market-place, which is not paved with wood as the 
red ; neverthelefs, they were all roaded there, in fuch 
fort, that the tailed man feemed but a child, fo much had 
the fire contrafted their limbs ; and this by reafon of the 
great houfes that were round about it. A thing more 
hideous and frightful than any can imagine, in many 
places of the faid market, the bodies were piled one upon 
another to the height of half a pike, which put me in a 
wonderful admiration, bejng not able to apprehend, nor 
underdand, how it was poffible they Ihould be fo heaped 
together. 
“ This wonderful conflagration caufed all the fortifica¬ 
tions of the town-wall to fall, and all the ordnance that 
were upon it to burd. The walls were made of brick, 
according to the ancient way of building, without either 
fortifications or ditches. Many that had faved themfelves 
among them were neverthelefs roaded, fo fierce and ve¬ 
hement was the fire; among them many Italians and 
Walloons of my acquaintance. While the fire laded, we 
thought that a million of cannons had been thundering 
together; and our thoughts were upon nothing but death,, 
thinking the fire would lad fome days, becaufe of the 
great circumference of the caflle and fuburbs; but all 
this was done in lefs than four hours time; at the end 
of which, the noife growing lels, we were curious to know 
whether the Tartarians, of whom we flood no lefs in fear 
than of the fire, were entered. But, after we had heark¬ 
ened awhile, we heard fome Ruffians running to and fro 
through the fmoke, who were talking of walling the gates,, 
to prevent the coming of the Tartarians, who were ex¬ 
pected when the fire went out. I and my interpreter, 
being come out of the magazine, found the aflxes fo hot, 
that we durfl fcarce tread upon them ; but, neceffity 
compelling us, we ran towards the chief gate, where 
we found twenty-five or thirty men efcaped from the 
fire, with whom, in a few hours, we did wall that gate 
and the red, and kept a drift watch all that night with 
fome guns that had been preferved from the fire. In 
the morning, feeing that the place was not defenfible 
with fo few people as we were, we fought the means 
to get into the caflle, whofe entry was then inacoeffi- 
ble : the governor was very glad to hear of our inten¬ 
tion, and cried to us that we ihould be very welcome; 
but it was a mod difficult thing to come in, becaufe 
the bridges were all burnt, fo that we were fain to get 
over the wall, having, indead of ladders,, fome high fir- 
trees thrown from the cadle to us, wherein, indead of 
rounds to get up, they had made fome notches with a hat¬ 
chet, to keep us from Hiding. We got up them with 
much ado ; for, befides the evident inconvenience of 
thofe rough ladders, we did carry about us the fum of 
four thoufand thalers, befides fome jewels, which was a 
great hindrance to us to climb along thofe high trees; and 
that, which did double our fear, was, that we faw before 
our eyes fome of our company, that had nothing but 
their bodies to fave, yet tumble down from the middle of 
thofe high trees into the ditch, full of burnt bodies, fo 
that we could not tread but upon dead corples, whole 
heaps were fo thick every where, that we could not avoid 
R ta 
