Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	face_n	left_a	right_n	4,099	5	9.2282	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A35310	The antient and present state of Muscovy containing a geographical, historical, and political account of all those nations and territories under the jurisdiction of the present czar : with sculptures and a new map / by J.C., M.D., Fellow of the Royal Society, and a member of the College of Physicians, London.	Crull, J. (Jodocus), d. 1713?	1698 (1698)	Wing C7424; Wing C7425; ESTC R2742	334,877	511

Word or Writing It is transacted by way of Brokeridge so that it is no difficult Matter to put a Counterfeit upon the Bridegroom provided the Parents do but consent to it in the same manner as Laban put the Bleer-ey'd Leah upon Jacob instead of the Beautiful Rebeckah which is frequently practised in Muscovy Their general way of Proceeding is thus If any one have a Marriageable Daughter whom he is willing to bestow upon a certain young Man he approves of he either by himself or his Broker declares his Mind to the young Man's Parents or for want of them to one of the next Kindred If the Match be accepted of two or three Women deputed by him that is to be the Bridegroom are permitted to take a full view of the future Bride stark naked to see whether she has any Defect after which their Friends on both sides treat of and Conclude the Marriage the intended Couple not being allow'd to see one another till they meet in their Bed-Chamber after Marriage When a Marriage is concluded betwixt Persons of Quality Marriage Cerem●ni●s there are two Women appointed one on the Bridegroom 's the other on the Brides side they call them Suacha's whose business is jointly to take Care for the Nuptials The first business of her that is appointed on the Brides side is to prepare the Nuptial-Bed She attended by a great many other Servants who carry all Things necessary for the Bed and Chamber goes on the Wedding-Day to the Bridegroom's House where the Bed is made upon forty Sheaves of Rye compassed about with several Barrels full of Wheat Barley and Oats The same Evening the Bridegroom accompanied by his Kindred goes on Horseback with the Priest before him to the Brides House where being met at the Door and received by all her Friends they are all invited to sit down at a Table with three Dishes of Meat upon it Whilst the Bridegroom is busie in receiving the Compliments of the Brides Friends a young Lad gets into his Place at the Table from whom the Bridegroom is forced to purchase the Place by some Presents when he has taken his Place the Bride is brought into the Room most richly Clad but Veil'd and seated by the Bridegroom but separated by a large Piece of Crimson Taffeta held up betwixt them by two young Lads This done the Brides Suacha paints her tyes up her Hair in two Knots puts the Crown on her Head and dresses her like a Married Woman Whilst the other Suacha is busied in Painting the Bridegroom the Women sing several foolish Songs After that two young Lads in very rich Apparel bring into the Room on behalf of the Bridegroom a very large Cheese and some Loaves the like being done on the Brides part the Priest blesses them all and sends them to Church As they are ready to go to Church there is a Silver Basin put upon the Table fill'd with little pieces of Sattin and Taffeta little pieces of Silver Hops Bar●ey and Oats all mix'd together The Brides Face being covered again the Suacha takes certain Handfuls out of the Basin which she casts among the Company who in the mean while sing a Song and pick up what they find upon the Ground When they come to Church the young Couple standing upon a piece of Taffeta receive the Benediction from the Priest which is performed by holding Images over their Heads The Priest takes the Bridegroom by the Right and the Bride by the left Hand at the same time asking them three times consecutively Whether they are both sides willing and content to Marry and to Love one another After they have both answered Yes all the Company join Hands and the Priest begins to sing the first Verse of the 128 Psalm the Company singing the next and so continue to sing by Turns to the End of the Psalm the Company dancing all this while The Psalm being ended the Priest puts a Garland of Rhue upon their Heads but if a Widow or a Widower about the Shoulders saying Increase and multiply and Consummating the Marriage with these Words Whom God has join'd let no Man separate In the mean while those that are present lighting each of them a Wax-Candle fill the Priest a Glass with Red Wine which he takes off and the Married Couple having pledg'd him by drinking it off each of them three times the Bridegroom throws down the Glass and both of them treading it to pieces under their Feet pronounce these Words May they thus fall at our Feet and be trod to pieces who shall go about to sow Division or Discontent between us Then the Women there present cast some Flax-seed and Hemp-seed at the young Couple wishing them much Joy and Prosperity and pulling the Bride by her Robe as if they would pull her away from her Husband but she keeps very close to him and renders their Endeavours fruitless Then by the Light of several Torches or Wax-Candles they all return to the Bridegroom's House where the Wedding is kept No sooner are they entred the House but the Bridegroom and the Guests sit down at a Table ready furnish'd with all sorts of Meat but the Women carry the Bride up strait-ways to her Chamber where having pull'd off her Cloaths she is put to Bed immediately This done the Bridegroom is call'd away from the Table and conducted by six or eight young Lads with Torches which they stick into the Barrels of Wheat or Barley into the Chamber As soon as the Bride perceives the Bridegroom to approach she goes out of Bed only with her Night-Gown on meets and receives him with a very submissive Reverence with a low Inclination of the Head in the mean while that the new Husband takes this Opportunity to gaze at her this being commonly the first time that he sees her Face Thus they sit down together like Man and Wife for it is to be considered they are not much addicted to Compliment and among other Dishes a roasted Fowl is served up which the Bridegroom pulls asunder casting over his Shoulders that Part which first comes off whether Leg or Wing the rest they eat and all being withdrawn unless it be one old Female Servant that keeps Watch at the Chamber-door to work they go without any further Preamble while their Kindred and Friends are busie in certain Charms which they believe to be of very great Consequence either for fortifying the Codpiece or at least in defending it from Witchcraft which they are sorely afraid of especially People of Quality the Nuns here being accounted very dextrous both in tying and unravelling the Codpiece Point The old Female that stands Centry at the Door asks some time after whether the Battle be won and as soon as the Bridegroom answers that it is she gives the Signal to the Trumpets who make an excellent Noi●● which continues till the Stoves can be got ready where the new Married Couple bathe themselves but apart Here they are wash'd

them with a Day as long but not so tedious as the Night had been before It is then they leave their doleful Huts and apply themselves to their usual Employments which is chiefly Hunting I am apt to believe that it is upon the Account of these Samoyedes that some have founded their fabulous Narrations of a certain People that sleep six Months in the year or that die in the beginning of Winter and rise up again in the Spring like the Swallows or Frogs as that what has been related of some of the Northern Countreys to wit that there are People there without Heads having their Eyes in their Breasts That they have Feet so big as that one of them shades the whole Body and being thus covered with their Feet neither Sun nor Rain can come at them questionless owes its Origin to their Garments and Pattins they make use of in the Winter For their upper Garments are made like Vests or rather Cosaques falling down to the mid-leg border'd below with Furr open only at the bottom by which they get into them and in the upper part where they put out their Faces when the Cold is excessive they cover their Heads with a certain Cap like to the Capuchines made in the same Fashion with the Head of a Man So in the Winter-time these Samoyedes as well as the Laplanders and Finlanders wear a kind of Shooes or Pattins made of Bark of Trees or some very thin Wood Those that are worn by the Samoyedes are an Ell and a half long towards the Toe but those of the Laplanders and Finlanders are as long to the Heels as to the Toes they use them with so much Agility upon the Snow that down a Hill they will out-do in swiftness some Horses For the rest their Garments are made of the Skins of the Reens the Nerves and Veins of these Beasts serving them for Thread to sow their Cloaths At the end of the Sleeves of their Cosaques they have their Muffs sowed on which they either let hang loose or make use of to cover their Hands as occasion requires Under these Cosaques they wear Shirts made of the Skins of young Reens or Rain-Deer which having very short Hair are softer than Linnen and under these Shirts they wear their Drawers Upon their Heads they wear very large Caps or Bonnets which hang down round about their Necks they are commonly made by the Muscovites of Cloath of several Colours lin'd with Furr and sold to the Samoyedes They wear also Boots with the Furr on the out-side which makes them appear at first sght more like Savage Beasts than Men. They have a way of scraping the inside of the Bark of Beech as fine as the Shavings of Ivory which serves them for Handkerchiefs for they take a Handful of it at a time to wipe their Faces Noses or Hands The length of the Winter Season making their Ground not fit for Tillage they have no Corn nor Cattle so that they are contented to live upon what Nature affords them their Food being Fish dry'd in the Wind and Sun instead of Bread Honey and Venison and the Flesh of young Whelps or Puppies is esteem'd a dainty Fare among them Their Stature is very low and mean having very short Legs almost like the Groenlanders of whom we shall have occasion to speak anon their faces large and flat without Beards and their Eyes very little like the Tartars but not so sparkling The Women here are very ugly so that by their Faces and Cloaths which are exactly like to the Men's their Sex is not to be distinguished at first sight Notwithstanding which they are very jealous of them being extreamly nice in preserving their Wives for their own Use For this reason they buy them at the Age of six or seven from their Parents without daring to look upon them before the Bargain is made the usual payment is a certain number of Deers the only valuable Commodity their Country affords thus thinking themselves assured of their Virginity they keep them very close nay more strict than in Italy both before and after Marriage and there is some who affirm that when they go abroad a Hunting they make 〈◊〉 a certain Engine to preserve their Chastity a convincing Instance that Ugliness is no preservative against Jealousie Their Language and Laws are equally unknown to Strangers the latter being altogether established by Custom before they submitted themselves to the Muscovite Government He that is the best Magician is considered among them as the most excellent Man if they happen to sell any of their Deer to Strangers they reserve to themselves the Entrails which they keep for their own eating Their Arms are no other than a Bow and Arrows which they make use of when they go abroad a Hunting which being their continual Exercise they are most excellent at Shooting they have also a certain way of Dancing but the most ridiculous in the World They were formerly all Pagans and Idolaters for when the Hollanders in the Year 1595. in their Voyage to the North landed some of their Men near the Streight of Weigats they found near the Sea-side abundance of Idols for which the Samoyedes had so much Affection that they would not allow the Dutch tho' never so much entreated to carry away one of them But in this Age the Christian Religion was planted there by the help of a Russian Bishop of Wolodimer who having been sent thither with some Priests brought most of them over to the Greek Religion But before we take our leave of these Northern Parts belonging to the Grand Czar of Muscovy's Dominions America 〈…〉 it will perhaps not be amiss to say something concerning a certain Conjecture some of the most Curious among the Russians have of the nearness of America to these Northern Parts They say there is beyond the Oby a very large River call'd Kawoina into which another River named Lepa emptying it self they discharge themselves into the Frozen Sea Near the Mouth of this River is a very spacious Island well peopled whose chief Employment is Hunting but especially after a certain Animal call'd Behemot of which we shall say something anon The Muscovites say that this Creature being very difficult to Hunt most generally upon the sides of the Frozen Sea they oftentimes are obliged to carry their Families along with them so that happening many times to be surprized by a sudden Thaw they are upon huge pieces of Ice that break from one another carried at a great distance They perswade themselves that it were some of these Hunters who being carried upon these floating pieces of Ice to the most Northern Parts of America which is not far from that part of Asia which juts out into the Tartarian Sea settled the first Colonies there They alledge for the confirmation of this Opinion that the Inhabitants of the most Northern Parts of America bordering on that Sea have the same Features with those Hunting Islanders and