Moldavia

Sources from old books

1685. Geographia universalis: the present state of the whole world by Pierre Duval.

Moldavia has been sometimes known under the Name of Great Walachia, and of Walachia Cis-Alpina. It is rich in Wax and in Honey, out of which it raises every year about 2 hundred thousand Crowns, only for the tenths of the Prince. There are several Heaps of Stones which are said to have been set up by order of Darius King of Persia, who made war upon the Scithians. Its capital Cities are Yasi and Sockou. Choczin near the Niester, is the place where a Polish Army was defeated under King Sigismond-Augustus; and where King John Sobieski a little before his election, gained over the Turks a Victory, the most memorable of our age. The Eastern part, called Bessarabia, butts upon the Black Sea, and belongs to the Grand Seignior, who is Master of the Mouths of the Danube and of the Niester, and who takes all possible means to subdue those of the Nieper, and subject entirely the rich Province of the Ukrain. The Champaign of Budziac is twelve Leagues in length, ten in breadth, is possessed by the Dobruck Tartars, who are the greatest Robbers of all those parts. They are said to amount to above 15000. They inhabit the Country round about Bialigrod. About the year 1500. a Governour of Moldavia, called Estienne, rendred himself the Soveraign thereof, and at several times vanquished the Turks, the Lesser Tartars, and the Polanders. His Successours have played there as it were, at Bo-peep, and several of them have been massacred by their Subjects, upon the account of their Cruelties. Of a score of its Princes, which be there called Waivodes, not two of them succeeded their Fathers. They did for sometime hold of Poland, now of the Turk at disposal. The ordinary Tribute was a hundred and fourscore thousand Livers. The Port augments from time to time the Tribute of the Moldavians, as well as that of the Walachians, for the rendring them poor and obedient; if it protects in appearance their Princes, who are commonly of low Birth, it imitates those who defend Sheep, and suffer Bees to live, upon the account of the Wool and the Honey they afford.