like a furnace, in the centre of six
several rooms, like a stove; the funnel to carry the smoke went up one
way, the door to come at the fire went in another, and all the rooms
were kept equally warm, but no fire seen; like as they heat the bagnios
in England.

By this means we had always the same climate in all the rooms, and an
equal heat was preserved; and how cold soever it was without, it was
always warm within; and yet we saw no fire, nor were ever incommoded
with any smoke.

The most wonderful thing of all was, that it should be possible to meet
with good company here, in a country so barbarous as that of the most
northerly part of Europe, near the Frozen ocean, and within but a very
few degrees of Nova Zembla.

But this being the country where the state criminals of Muscovy, as I
observed before, are all banished; this city was full of noblemen,
princes, gentlemen, colonels, and, in short, all degrees of the
nobility, gentry, soldiery, and courtiers of Muscovy. Here were the
famous prince Galilfken, or Galoffken, and his son; the old general
Robostisky, and several other persons of note, and some ladies.

By means of my Scots merchant, whom, nevertheless, I parted with here, I
made an acquaintance with several of these gentlemen, and some of them
of the first rank; and from these, in the long winter nights, in which I
staid here, I received several agreeable visits. It was talking one
night with a certain prince, one of the banished ministers of state
belonging to the czar of Muscovy, that my talk of my particular case
began. He had been telling me abundance of fine things, of the
greatness, the magnificence, and dominions, and the absolute power of
the emperor of the Russians. I interrupted him, and told him, I was a
greater and more powerful prince than ever the czar of Muscovy was,
though my dominions were not so large, or my people so many. The
Russian grandee looked a little surprised, and fixing his eyes steadily
upon me, began to wonder what I meant.

I told him his wonder would cease when I had explained myself. First, I
told him, I had the absolute disposal of the lives and fortunes of all
my subjects: that notwithstanding my absolute power, I had not one
person disaffected to my government or to my person, in all my
dominions. He shook his head at that, and said, there, indeed, I outdid
the czar of Muscovy. I told him, that all the lands in my kingdom were
my own, and all my subjects were not on