Queen Bona, the mother of Sigismund Augustus, presented to me two girdles of this kind, one of which my most serene mistress, the Queen of the Romans, graciously accepted as a present from me.
There is an animal in Lithuania, named in their language "loss", which the Germans call "ellem", and to which others give the Latin name "alce".[1] The Poles maintain that it is the "onager", which means wild ass; but it does not correspond in form to that animal, for it has cloven hoofs, although it is true that some are found with the hoof solid, but this is of rare occurrence. The animal is taller than a stag, with rather prominent ears and nostrils, with horns somewhat differing from those of a stag, and of a colour more tending to white. It is very swift of foot; it does not run like other animals, but rather with an ambling gait. Their hoofs are worn as amulets against the falling sickness.
In the desert plains about the Dnieper, the Don, and the Volga, is a wild sheep, called by the Poles "solhac", by the Russians "seigack", of the size of a doe, but with shorter hoofs, with high stretching horns, marked with rings, of which the Russians make transparent knife-handles. They are swift of foot, and take very lofty leaps.[2]
Samogithia is a province which lies to the north of the Baltic sea, and is next to Lithuania. It divides Prussia from Livonia by the space of four German miles. It is not remarkable for any fortress or fortified town. It is governed by a prince from Lithuania, who is designated in their language Starosta, which signifies an elder: this governor is not easily removed from his office, except upon very serious charges, but holds it in perpetuity as long as he lives.
The province has a bishop, who is subject to the Pope of Rome.
