Miles of it, belong vnto the same. They shewed me the church,
wherein were as many images as could hang about, or vpon the wals of the
Church round about, and euen the roofe of the church was painted ful of
images. The chiefe image was of our Ladie, which was garnished with gold,
rubies, saphirs and other rich stones abundantly. In the midst of the
church stood 12. waxe tapers of two yards long, and a fathom about in
bignesse, and there stands a kettle full of waxe with about 100. weight,
wherein there is alwayes the wicke of a candle burning, as it were a lampe
which goeth not out day nor night.
They shewed me a coffin couered with cloth of gold which stoode vpon one
side within their church, in which they told me lay a holy man, who neuer
eate or dranke, and yet that he liueth. And they told me (supposing that I
had beleeued them) that he healeth many diseases, and giueth the blind
their sight, with many other miracles, but I was hard of belief because I
saw him worke no miracle whilest I was there.
After this they brought me into their sellers, and made me taste of diuers
kinds of drinks, both wine and beere, mead and quassie, of sundry colours
and kinds. Such abundance of drink as they haue in their sellers, I doe
suppose few princes haue more, or so much at once.
Their barrels or vessels are of an vnmeasurable bignes and sise: some of
them are 3. yards long and more, and 2. yards and more broad in their
heads: they conteine 6. or 7. tunnes a piece: they haue none in their
sellers of their owne making that are lesse then a tunne. They haue 9. or
10. great vautes which are full of those barrels which are seldome
remooued: for they haue trunks which come downe through the roofe of the
vautes in sundry places, through which they powre drinke downe, hauing the
caske right vnder it to receiue the same, for it should be a great trouble
to bring it all downe the stayres.
[Sidenote: The hospitalitie of their monasteries.] They giue bread, meat
and drinke vnto all men that come to them, not onely while they are at
their abbey, but also when they depart, to serue them by the way.
There are a great number of such monasteries in the Realm, and the Emperors
maiesty rideth oftentimes from one to another of them, and lieth at them 3.
or 4. daies together.
The same monkes are as great merchants as any in the land of Russia, and
doe occupy buying and selling as much as any other men, and haue boats
which passe too and fro in the riuers with merchandize from place to place
where any of their countrey do traffike.
They eate no flesh during their liues as it is reported: but vpon Sunday,
Munday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday it is lawfull for them to eate
egges, butter, cheese, and milke, and at all times to eate fish, and after
this sort they lead their liues.
They weare all blacke garments, and so doe none other in all the lande, but
at that abbey onely.
[Sidenote: Want of preachers cause of great ignorance and idolatry.] They
haue no preachers no not one in al the land to instruct the People, so that
there are many, and the most part of the poore in the countrey, who if one
aske them how many gods there be, they wil say a great many, meaning that
euery image which they haue is a god: for all the countrey and the
Emperours maiesty himselfe wil blesse and bowe, and knocke their heads
before their images, in so much that they will crie earnestly unto their
images to helpe them to the things which they need. Al men are bound by
their law to haue those images in their houses, and ouer euery gate in all
their townes and cities are images set vp, vnto which the people bow and
bend, and knocke their heads against the ground before them: as often as
they come by any church or crosse they do in like maner. And when they come
to any house, they blesse themselues 3. or 4. times before they will salute
any man in the house.
They reckon and hold it for great sinne to touch or handle any of their
images within the circle of the boord where the painting is, but they keep
them very daintily, and rich men deck them ouer and about with gold, siluer
and stones, and hang them ouer and about with cloth of gold.
The priestes are married as other men are, and weare all their garments as
other men doe, except their nightcaps, which is cloth of some sad colour,
being round, and reacheth vnto the eares: their crownes are shauen, but the
rest of their haire they let grow as long as nature will permit, so that it
hangeth beneath their eares vpon their shoulders: their beards they neuer
shaue: if his wife happen to die, it is not lawfull for him to mary againe
during his life.
They minister the Communion with bread and wine after our order, but he
breaketh the bread and putteth it into the cup vnto the wine, and commonly
some are partakers with them: and they take the bread out againe with a
spoon together with part of the wine, and so take it themselues, and giue
it to others that receiue with them after the same maner.
Their ceremonies are al as they say, according to the Greeke Church vsed at
this present day, and they allow no other religion but the Greeks, and
their owne:
