Beauplan.
all the Ruins of old Castles and antient Towns in those parts are upon high places, and Mountains, and not so much as one on the Plain, which gives cause to believe it was under water. Besides all this, in some of those Ruins there have been found Cellars full of a sort of Copper Coin with this Impression.
However it was, I shall only add, that all the Plain reaching from the Boristhenes to Muscovy, and further, is very low and Sandy, except only the Northern Bank of Sula, and those of Worsko, and Psczol, as may be seen much better in the Map.
It is further to be observ'd, that the motion of these Rivers is almost undiscernable, and much like a standing water: and if you add all these reasons to the violent and rapid motion of the Channel in the Black Sea, which running before Constantinople falls into the White-Sea, you will find it no difficult matter to grant that these places have been formerly under water.
Let us go on with the description of our Boristhenes. A League above Kiow, and on the other side of it, the River Desna falls into the Boristhenes, which comes from near the City Moscko, and is above 100 Leagues in length.
[Kyiv Pechersk Lavra] Half a League below Kiow is a Burrough, and in it a great Monastery, the usual Residence of the Metropolitan, or Patriarch. Under the Mountain, that is, near the Monastery, there are abundance of Caves in the nature of Mines, full of great number of Bodies, preserv'd there these 1500 Years, in the nature of the Egyptian Mummies. It is believ'd the Primitive Christian Hermits dig'd those Subterraneous places to serve God there in private, and liv'd peaceably in those Caverns during the Heathen Persecutions.
There they show a certain S. John, who is intire down to the Waste, being so far bury'd in the Ground. The Religious Men of that Place told me, that the said S. John finding the hour of his Death draw near, dig'd his own Grave, not at length after the usual manner, but in depth. His time being come, for which he had long before prepar'd, and having taken leave of his Brethren, he put himself into the Earth; but Divine Providence so ordain'd it, that he could go but half way in, tho the Hole was deep enough. There is also to be seen one Helen, whom they hold in great veneration, and an Iron Chain, wherewith they say the Devil beat S. Antony; and that it has the virtue of expelling those wicked Spirits out of such Bodies as are bound with it. There are also thece Mens Heads on Dishes, from which there daily distils an Oil of Sovereign use for curing of certain Distempers. In those places are kept also the Bodies of several Persons of Note, and among the rest those of twelve Masons, who built the Church; and these are preserv'd like so many precious Relicks to be shown to curious Persons, as they did to me several times; I having once my Winter Quarters at Kiow, where I had leisure to learn all these particulars. For my part, as I said before, I find no great difference between these Bodies and the Egyptian Mummies, but that their Flesh is neither so black, nor so hard; and I believe it is the Nature of those Caves or Mines that preserves them from corruption, they being of a sort of petrefy'd Sand, hot and dry in Winter, and cold and dry in Summer, without any dampness. There are abundance of Monks in that Monastery, where, as has been said, the Patriarch of all Russia resides, and owns no Superiour but him of Constantinople. Before this Monastery there is another where a great many Nuns live, to the number of a hundred, who work at their Needle, and make abundance of fine Works on curious Handkerchiefs, to sell to those that come to visit them. They have the liberty to go abroad when they will, and their usual Walk is to Kiow, about half a League distant from their Monastery. Their Habit is all Black, and they go two and two together, as most Catholick Religious Men do. I remember I have seen as fine Faces among those Nuns as any in all Poland.
On the Mountain that looks towards the River between Kiow and Piecharre, there is a Monastery of Russian Monks, which has a very fine Prospect, and is call'd S. Nicoly. Those Monks eat nothing but Fish, but they have the liberty to go abroad when they please, to divert themselves, and make Visits.
In a Bottom under Piecharre, is a Burrough which they call Tripoly.
Below that is Stayky on the top of a Mountain; the Town is antient, and there is a Ferry-boat to pass over the River.Then
