RICHARD HAKLUYT, PREACHER,
and Editied by
Edmund Goldsmid, F.R.H.S
VOL. III.
NORTH-EASTERN EUROPE AND ADJACENT COUNTRIES.
PART II.
THE MUSCOVY COMPANY AND THE NORTH-EASTERN PASSAGE.
Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, and Discoveries
IN NORTH-EASTERN EUROPE.
A briefe Treatise of the great Duke of Moscouia his genealogie, being taken
out of the Moscouites manuscript Chronicles written by a Polacke.
It hath almost euer bene the custome of nations, in searching out the
infancie and first beginnings of their estate, to ascribe the same vnto
such authors as liued among men in great honour and endued mankinde with
some one or other excellent benefite. Nowe, this inbred desire of all
nations to blaze and set foorth their owne petigree hath so much preuayled
with the greater part, that leauing the vndoubted trueth, they haue betaken
themselues vnto meere fables and fictions. Yea and the Chronicles of many
nations written in diuers and sundrie ages doe testifie the same. Euen so
the Grecians boasted that they were either Autocthones, that is
earthbredde, or els lineally descended from the Gods. And the Romans
affirme that Mars was father vnto their first founder Romulus. Right well
therefore and iudicially sayth Titus Liuius: Neither meane I to auouch
(quoth he) ne to disable or confute those thinges which before the building
and foundation of the Citie haue beene reported, being more adorned and
fraught with Poeticall fables then with incorrupt and sacred monuments of
trueth: antiquitie is it to be pardoned in this behalfe, namely in ioyning
together matters historicall and poeticall, to make the beginnings of
cities to seeme the more honourable. For sith antiquity it selfe is
accompted such a notable argument of true nobility, euen priuate men in all
ages haue contended thereabout. Wherefore citizens of Rome being desirous
to make demonstration of their Gentrie, vse to haue their auncestors armes
painted along the walles of their houses: in which regarde they were so
puffed vp, that oftentimes they would arrogantly disdaine those men, which
by their owne vertue had attained vnto honour. In like sorte Poets, when
the originall of their woorthies and braue champions was either vtterly
vnknowen or somewhat obscure, would ofte referre it vnto their Gods
themselues. So in these our dayes (to lette passe others) the Turkish
Emperour with great presumption boasteth himselfe to bee descended of the
Troian blood. Likewise the great duke of Moscouie, to make himselfe and his
predecessours seeme the more souereigne, deriueth the beginnings of his
parentage from the Romane Emperours, yea euen from Augustus Caesar. Albeit
therefore no man is so fonde as to accept of this report for trueth, yet
will wee briefly set downe what the Moscouites haue written in their
Chronicles as touching this matter.
Augustus (beleeue it who listeth) had certaine brethren or kinsfolkes which
were appoynted gouenours ouer diuers prouinces. Amongst the rest one
Prussus (of whome Prussia was named) had his place of gouernment assigned
vnto him vpon the shore of the eastern or Balthick Sea, and vpon the famous
riuer of Wixel.
