[Footnote48:DucangehascollectedfromtheoriginalauthorsthestateandhistoryoftheVarangiatConstantinople，Glossar。
Med。etInfimaeGraecitatis，subvoce。Med。etInfimaeLatinitatis，subvoceVagri。Not。adAlexiad。AnnaeComnenae，p。
256，257，258。NotessurVillehardouin，p。296—299。SeelikewisetheannotationsofReisketotheCeremonialeAulaeByzant。ofConstantine，tom。ii。p。149，150。SaxoGrammaticusaffirmsthattheyspokeDanish；butCodinusmaintainsthemtillthefifteenthcenturyintheuseoftheirnativeEnglish。]
Inthetenthcentury，thegeographyofScythiawasextendedfarbeyondthelimitsofancientknowledge；andthemonarchyoftheRussiansobtainsavastandconspicuousplaceinthemapofConstantine。^49ThesonsofRuricweremastersofthespaciousprovinceofWolodomir，orMoscow；and，iftheywereconfinedonthatsidebythehordesoftheEast，theirwesternfrontierinthoseearlydayswasenlargedtotheBalticSeaandthecountryofthePrussians。TheirnorthernreignascendedabovethesixtiethdegreeoflatitudeovertheHyperboreanregions，whichfancyhadpeopledwithmonsters，orcloudedwitheternaldarkness。TothesouththeyfollowedthecourseoftheBorysthenes，andapproachedwiththatrivertheneighborhoodoftheEuxineSea。Thetribesthatdwelt，orwandered，inthisamplecircuitwereobedienttothesameconqueror，andinsensiblyblendedintothesamenation。ThelanguageofRussiaisadialectoftheSclavonian；butinthetenthcentury，thesetwomodesofspeechweredifferentfromeachother；and，astheSclavonianprevailedintheSouth，itmaybepresumedthattheoriginalRussiansoftheNorth，theprimitivesubjectsoftheVarangianchief，wereaportionoftheFennicrace。Withtheemigration，union，ordissolution，ofthewanderingtribes，thelooseandindefinitepictureoftheScythiandeserthascontinuallyshifted。ButthemostancientmapofRussiaaffordssomeplaceswhichstillretaintheirnameandposition；andthetwocapitals，Novogorod^50andKiow，^51arecoevalwiththefirstageofthemonarchy。Novogorodhadnotyetdeservedtheepithetofgreat，northeallianceoftheHanseaticLeague，whichdiffusedthestreamsofopulenceandtheprinciplesoffreedom。
Kiowcouldnotyetboastofthreehundredchurches，aninnumerablepeople，andadegreeofgreatnessandsplendorwhichwascomparedwithConstantinoplebythosewhohadneverseentheresidenceoftheCaesars。Intheirorigin，thetwocitieswerenomorethancampsorfairs，themostconvenientstationsinwhichtheBarbariansmightassemblefortheoccasionalbusinessofwarortrade。Yeteventheseassembliesannouncesomeprogressintheartsofsociety；anewbreedofcattlewasimportedfromthesouthernprovinces；andthespiritofcommercialenterprisepervadedtheseaandland，fromtheBaltictotheEuxine，fromthemouthoftheOdertotheportofConstantinople。Inthedaysofidolatryandbarbarism，theSclavoniccityofJulinwasfrequentedandenrichedbytheNormans，whohadprudentlysecuredafreemartofpurchaseandexchange。^52Fromthisharbor，attheentranceoftheOder，thecorsair，ormerchant，sailedinforty—threedaystotheeasternshoresoftheBaltic，themostdistantnationswereintermingled，andtheholygrovesofCurlandaresaidtohavebeendecoratedwithGrecianandSpanishgold。^53BetweentheseaandNovogorodaneasyintercoursewasdiscovered；inthesummer，throughagulf，alake，andanavigableriver；inthewinterseason，overthehardandlevelsurfaceofboundlesssnows。Fromtheneighborhoodofthatcity，theRussiansdescendedthestreamsthatfallintotheBorysthenes；theircanoes，ofasingletree，wereladenwithslavesofeveryage，fursofeveryspecies，thespoiloftheirbeehives，andthehidesoftheircattle；andthewholeproduceoftheNorthwascollectedanddischargedinthemagazinesofKiow。ThemonthofJunewastheordinaryseasonofthedepartureofthefleet:thetimberofthecanoeswasframedintotheoarsandbenchesofmoresolidandcapaciousboats；andtheyproceededwithoutobstacledowntheBorysthenes，asfarasthesevenorthirteenridgesofrocks，whichtraversethebed，andprecipitatethewaters，oftheriver。Atthemoreshallowfallsitwassufficienttolightenthevessels；butthedeepercataractswereimpassable；andthemariners，whodraggedtheirvesselsandtheirslavessixmilesoverland，wereexposedinthistoilsomejourneytotherobbersofthedesert。^54Atthefirstislandbelowthefalls，theRussianscelebratedthefestivaloftheirescape:atasecond，nearthemouthoftheriver，theyrepairedtheirshatteredvesselsforthelongerandmoreperilousvoyageoftheBlackSea。Iftheysteeredalongthecoast，theDanubewasaccessible；withafairwindtheycouldreachinthirty—sixorfortyhourstheoppositeshoresofAnatolia；andConstantinopleadmittedtheannualvisitofthestrangersoftheNorth。Theyreturnedatthestatedseasonwitharichcargoofcorn，wine，andoil，themanufacturesofGreece，andthespicesofIndia。Someoftheircountrymenresidedinthecapitalandprovinces；andthenationaltreatiesprotectedthepersons，effects，andprivileges，oftheRussianmerchant。^55