book <jay Was the 23d of Auguft. It was indeed a natural miftake
■ nl' .in our fervant, who did not know that the Ruffians ffill adhered
to the old ftyle; and as he had palled the 23d of Auguft
in Lithuania, it is no wonder that he was furprized at
finding it again fo foon at Mofcow.
Until the reign of Peter the Great the Ruffians began their
year in September, and dated their sera from the creation of
the world *, and not from the nativity of our Saviour. In
1700 Peter inftituted a grand jubilee at Mofcow, and ordained,
that from that period the year ffiould commence in January,
and be computed from the. Chriftian sera, according J o the
old ftyle then in ufe in England. Out of veneration to his
•memory no alteration has been fince made in the Ruffian
calendar:; fo that at prefent Ruffia, and fome of the pro-
teftant -Swifs republics, are the only European nations who
ftill retain the old ftyle.
The fame morning we carried a letter o f recommendation
from count Stakelbergh, the Ruffian embaflador at Warfaw, to
prince Volkoniki governor of the province, who received us
with great franknefs and cordiality, and immediately invited
us to dinner, deiiring us to confider his table as ours as long as
we continued at Mofcow. The prince is in his 67 th year, and
remembered, when he was about thirteen, to have feen Peter
the Great; whom he defcribed as very tall, above fix feet in
height, ltrong and well made, with his head ilouching and
awry, of a dark complexion, and a countenance continually
fubjeft to diftortions; he was generally drefled in his blue uniform,
or a plain brown coat, was.remarkable for the finenefs of
his linen, wore hisihort black hair without.powder, and whilk-
ers. The prince amufed us with relating feveral curious anec-
* They reckoned alfo, .according to the opinion of the Greeks, 5508 years, inftead
o f only 3369, from the creation id the nativity.
a dotes
dotes of that great monarch, .and, amongft others, the fol- CHAP-
lowing, which he received from prince Menzikof,
After the battle of Pultava, while prince Volkoniki, the
father of our noble hoft, was folio whig Charles XII. with a
corps of light horfe, and was at no great diftance from him,
an aid-de-camp, brought an order from Menzikof to halt:
he obeyed, but difpatched a meflenger to acquaint the prince,
that be was purfuing the king of Sweden with the faireft
profpeft of over-taking him. Menzikof was greatly afto-
niihed at this meflage, ¿s no ordefs for difcontinuing the
purfuit had iffued from h im: and his fuppofed aid-de- camp
who delivered them was never difcoyereck As Peter, when
informed of this tranfacfion, inftituted no inquiry concerning
the perfon who had probably prevented the capture of his
moil: formidable rival, it is fufpeiled that the ftratagenr was
contrived by himfelf, in order to avoid being embarraffed
with a prifoner, whom he would be unwilling either to re-
leafe, or to detain long in captivity.
Nothing can exceed the hofpitality of the Ruffians. We
could never pay a morning vifit to any nobleman without
being detained to dinner; we alfo conftantly received feveral
general invitationsbut as we confidered them in the light
of mere compliments, we were unwilling to intrude
ourfelves.. without further notice. We foon found, however,
that the principal perfons of diftincfion kept open
tables, and were highly obliged at our reforting to them
without ceremony.. Prince Volkoniki in particular, having
cafually difcovered that we had dined the preceding day at
our inn, politely upbraided us ; repeating his affurances, that
his table was ours, and that whenever we were not particularly
engaged, he ffiould always expert us for his guefts.
V o l . I. N n Indeed