Page:The travels of Macarius, Patriarch of Antioch - Volume II.djvu/21



the Patriarch had dismissed the chiefs of the Dog-faced tribe, he called in other persons; for just at this time had arrived the Voivode of the province of the Inner or Northern Siberia, called in Greek فاريوس ماروس which is in Turkish ينكي دنيا that is, the New World; which has recently, in the reign of the present Emperor, within a period of three years, been added to his dominions. The occasion of its conquest was, that in the Outer or Southern Siberia is settled a vast portion of the nation called Cossacks, who are men of great bravery, and are they who effected the subdual of this Southern Siberia, in the time of Czar Ivan, or the Emperor John, whose memory is spread in our country; who lived about one hundred and twelve years ago, and, before he died, became a Monk. Till the reign of this prince, the sovereign ruler of Muscovy was not styled Emperor, but Kniazi, with the rank of Great Beg, or Grand Duke; and could with difficulty assemble an army of one hundred thousand men. The whole of the Muscovite territory was in the hands of the Kniazes, each of whom main tained private possession of a portion of it, as inherited from his father and grandfathers; precisely in the same manner as the countries of Poland are now held, each of the Governors of which is lord of his own demesne, and is independent of the Crâl. In this situation were formerly all the Muscovite land- Rh