to Moscow. These latter were Dimitrievich Sakrevski, who had been sent by Vasiley Ivanovich to the court of Maximilian, and was now on his return to Moscow, and who must, for several reasons, have been very welcome to Herberstein; and next, Chrisostomos Columnos, sent by Isabella Duchess of Milan, widow of John Sforza, to Poland, to bring about a marriage between her daughter Bona and Sigismund, there being now no obstacle to the marriage, his wife Barbara having recently died.
With this numerous company, then, Herberstein continued his journey through Bavaria. During the last days of December, and the early part of January of the next year, he was compelled by various embarrassments to stay for some weeks in Znaym in Moravia, at which place, his companion Petro Mraxi died. Herberstein was thus obliged to write to Vienna for further instructions. The emperor being absent, he was under the necessity of addressing himself to the imperial council, but received for answer, that as they were not aware of his previous instructions, they could not advise him in the present emergency. Herberstein, therefore, continued his journey alone, a resolution which the emperor afterwards approved of. Others, it is true, were ordered to follow him, but some excuse or another was always brought forward to delay or prevent their departure. He first went to Poland to Wilna, where Sigismund then was, and was admitted to an audience. From Wilna he could not take the shortest and ordinary route by Smolensko, on account of the insecurity
