DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.70267#0247
GREAT FIRE OF MOSCOW, IN MAY 1571.
217
were come about two days journey from the Frontiers of
the Duke, he resolved to meet them, and to give them
battle ; but he lost it with a prodigious slaughter of his men.
The Duke knowing that the Tartarian would seek him out,
ran away as fast and as far as he could. He was only
within nine leagues of Moscow, when the Tartarians came
and encompassed the town, thinking he was within ; they
set a-fire all the villages round about it; and seeing that
the war would prove too tedious for them, resolved to
burn that great city, or, at least the suburbs of it. For
this purpose, having placed their troops round about it,
they set fire on all sides, so that it seemed a burning globe ;
then did arise so fierce and violent a wind, that it drove
the rafters and long trees from the suburbs into the city;
the conflagration was so sudden, that nobody had time to
save himself, but in that place where he was then. The
persons that were burnt in this fire, were above 200,000;
which did happen, because the houses are all of wood,
and the streets paved with great fir-trees, set close toge-
ther, which, being oily and resinous, made the incendy
unexpressible; so that in four hours time, the city and
suburbs were wholly consumed. I, and a young man of
Rochelle, that was my interpreter, were in the middle of
the fire, in a magazine vaulted w'ith stone, and extraordi-
narily strong, whose wall was three feet and a half thick,
and had no air but on two sides ; one wherein was the
coming in and going out, which was a long alley, in which
there were three iron gates, distant about six feet from
each other; on the other side there was a window or grate,
fenced with three iron shutters, distant half a foot one from
another: we shut them inwardly as well as possibly we
could; nevertheless, there came in so much smoke, that it
was more than sufficient to choak us, had it not been for
some beer that was there, with the which we refreshed our-
selves now and then. Many lords and gentleman were
stifled
217
were come about two days journey from the Frontiers of
the Duke, he resolved to meet them, and to give them
battle ; but he lost it with a prodigious slaughter of his men.
The Duke knowing that the Tartarian would seek him out,
ran away as fast and as far as he could. He was only
within nine leagues of Moscow, when the Tartarians came
and encompassed the town, thinking he was within ; they
set a-fire all the villages round about it; and seeing that
the war would prove too tedious for them, resolved to
burn that great city, or, at least the suburbs of it. For
this purpose, having placed their troops round about it,
they set fire on all sides, so that it seemed a burning globe ;
then did arise so fierce and violent a wind, that it drove
the rafters and long trees from the suburbs into the city;
the conflagration was so sudden, that nobody had time to
save himself, but in that place where he was then. The
persons that were burnt in this fire, were above 200,000;
which did happen, because the houses are all of wood,
and the streets paved with great fir-trees, set close toge-
ther, which, being oily and resinous, made the incendy
unexpressible; so that in four hours time, the city and
suburbs were wholly consumed. I, and a young man of
Rochelle, that was my interpreter, were in the middle of
the fire, in a magazine vaulted w'ith stone, and extraordi-
narily strong, whose wall was three feet and a half thick,
and had no air but on two sides ; one wherein was the
coming in and going out, which was a long alley, in which
there were three iron gates, distant about six feet from
each other; on the other side there was a window or grate,
fenced with three iron shutters, distant half a foot one from
another: we shut them inwardly as well as possibly we
could; nevertheless, there came in so much smoke, that it
was more than sufficient to choak us, had it not been for
some beer that was there, with the which we refreshed our-
selves now and then. Many lords and gentleman were
stifled