eased of her burden, which otherwise could not be done. They hunt
their buffes for the most part a-horseback, but their bears afoot,
with wooden forks. The north parts of the country are reported to
be so cold, that the very ice or water which distilleth out of the
moist wood which they lay upon the fire is presently congealed and
frozen, the diversity growing suddenly to be so great, that in one
and the selfsame firebrand a man shall see both fire and ice. When
the winter doth once begin there it doth still more and more
increase by a perpetuity of cold; neither doth that cold slake until
the force of the sunbeams doth dissolve the cold and make glad the
earth, returning to it again. Our mariners which we left in the
ship in the meantime to keep it, in their going up only from their
cabins to the hatches, had their breath oftentimes so suddenly taken
away, that they eftsoons fell down as men very near dead, so great
is the sharpness of that cold climate; but as for the south parts of
the country, they are somewhat more temperate.


OF MOSCOW, THE CHIEF CITY OF THE KINGDOM, AND OF THE EMPEROR
THEREOF.


It remaineth that a large discourse be made of Moscow, the principal
city of that country, and of the prince also, as before we have
promised. The empire and government of the king is very large, and
his wealth at this time exceeding great. And because the city of
Moscow is the chiefest of all the rest, it seemeth of itself to
challenge the first place in this discourse. Our men say, that in
bigness it is as great as the city of London, with the suburbs
thereof. There are many and great buildings in it, but, for beauty