A briefe description of Moscouia after the later wryters, as Sebastian Munster and Iacobus Bastaldus

But theyr chife haruest consisteth of hony and waxe, forasmuch as the hole region is replenysshed with frutefull bees which make most sweete hony, not in the husbande mens hyues, but euen in holowe trees. And hereby commeth it to passe that both in the wooddes and shalowed [i.e., shadowed?] launes, are seene many swarmes of bees hangynge on the bowes of trees, so that it shall not bee necessarie to caule them togyther or charme theym with the sounde of basens [i.e., basins?]. There are oftentymes founde greate masses of hony combes, conserued in trees of the owlde hony forsaken of bees, forasmuch as the husband men can not seeke euery tree in so great and large wooddes: In so much that in the stockes or bodies of exceadynge great and holowe trees, are sumtymes founde great pooles or lakes of hony. Demetrius thambassadour of the duke of Moscouia whom he sent to the bysshop of Rome not many yeares sence, made relation that a husbande man of the contrey not farre from the place where he remayned, seekynge in the wooddes for hony, descended into a greate hollowe tree full of hony into the which he slypte vp to the brest, and lyued there only with hony for the space of two dayes, caulynge in vayne for helpe in that deserte of wooddes. And that in fine dispayrynge of helpe, he escaped by a marueilous chaunce, beinge drawen owt by a great beare that descended into the tree, with her loynes downewarde after the maner of men. For when the man (as present necessitie and oportunitie serued) perceaued the beare to bee within his reache, he suddeinly clasped her abowt the loynes with his armes, and with a terrible crye prouoked the beast to inforce her strength to leape owt of the tree, and therwith to drawe hym owt, as it chaunced in deede.

A Beare seking for hony, was the cause of deliuering a man out of an hollow tree.

IN Moscouia there is founde greate store of honye in holow trees, and that which is olde honye, is lefte and forsaken of the Bees, so that in the stockes of merueylous great trees, the diligent serchers maye fynde wonderfull plentie of hony combes. Demetrius, sent as Embassadoure to Rome, declared there before a company of learned men that a yeare or two before he came out of his countrye to Rome, a pore countryman beinge a Fermar in the next village by him serched the woods and trees for the gayne, and profite of honnye, and espyinge at the length a very great hollowe tree, clymed vp into the top of it; and lept downe into the hollownes, so that he suncke and dyd sticke fast in a great heape of honye euen to the breast and throat almost, and so remayned faste in that sweete poyson that all hope af [i.e., of] anye deliueraunce was cleane gone, when he had continued two dayes and fed and maintayned his lyfe onely by honye, consideringe that with himselfe that he was now so restraynt from the libertie and healpe of his handes and feete, that with them he could make no shifte to get out, and if he should crye oute with open mouth and full voyce, that this could nothing preuaile in such a solitude and vast place of wood and Trees, because it was not possible that the sound of his voyce & crye, could go far out of that holow tree, so that it might come to the eares of traueilers and passers by, all these thinges, when hee had deliberated in his mynde, now destitute of al helpe and consolacion, he began vtterly to dispayre: and yet by a merueylous and incredible chaunce, hee escaped, being deliuered and drawen out by the benefite of a great Beare, when that by chaunce this Beare verye desyrous & searching for hony, most hastely scaled the tre, & let her selfe down into the holownes therof, with her hinder feete first downward after mans fashion, about the reyns & loynes of the which beast, the man claspinge and taking fast hold, moued and stirred the said Beare to leape out, and violently to enforce hir selfe out of the tree, beinge driuen so to do for verye sodeyne feare, and for the straunge handling and holding about her, and also throughe the great outcries and noyses that he made. And thus the beare by violence deliuered herselfe and the man also, from the hollow tree, and from great feare.

There was reported by Demetrius Ambassador at Rome, from the King of Musco, that a neighbor of his going to seek hony, fell into a hollow tree vp to the brest in hony, where he lay two days, being not heard by any man to complain; at length came a great Beare to this hony, and putting in his head into the tree, the poore man tooke hold thereof, wherat the Beare suddenly affrighted, drew the man out of that deadly daunger, and so ranne away for feare of a worse creature.

And Paulus Iovius [affirms] that in Moscovia there are found in the woods & wildernesses great lakes of hony, which the Bees haue forsaken, in the holow truncks of marvelous huge trees. In so much that hony & waxe are the most certaine commodities of that country. Where, by that occasion, he setteth down this story reported by Demetrius a Moscovite ambassador sent to Rome. A neighbor of mine (saith he) searching in the woods for hony slipt downe into a great holow tree, and there sunk into a lake of hony vp to the brest: where when he had stucke fast two daies calling and crying out in vaine for helpe, because no bodie in the meane while came nigh that solitary place; at length when he was out of all hope of life, hee was strangly delivered by the means of a great beare: which comming thither about the same businesse that he did, and smelling the hony stirred with his striving, clambered vp to the top of the tree, & thence began to let himselfe downe backward into it. The man bethinking himselfe, and knowing that the worst was but death, which in that place he was sure of, beclipt the beare fast with both his hands about the loines, and withall made an outcry as lowd as he could. The beare being thus sodainely affrighted, what with the handling, & what with the noise, made vp again withal speed possible: the man held, & the bear pulled, vntil with main force he had drawne Dun out of the mire: & then, being let go, away he trots more afeard then hurt, leaving the smeared swaine in a ioyfull feare.