Dear Arachnes, I've come in a little late on this thread. But for what it's worth, sables were very prized skins for trimming robes much as the ermine is used on the robes of peers in the house of Lords. They were traded from Russia, and gifts of live sables & skins were to be presented to Queen Elizabeth by the first ambassador, only he got shipwrecked off Scotland and they were looted. There's a nice description in Richard Hakluyt's Discovery of Muscovy, at Project Gutenberg (and also a very nice fictional version in Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles The Ringed Castle - I think it is that one)
Here are the gifts, what I'd like to know what is the measure "a timber of sables" ? Gifts sent to the King and Queen's Majesties of England by the Emperor of Russia, by the report of the Ambassador, and spoiled by the Scots after the Shipwreck. 1. First, six timber of sables rich in colour and hair. 2. Item, twenty entire sables exceeding beautiful with teeth, ears, and claws. 3. Item, four living sables with chains and collars. 4. Item, thirty Lausannes large and beautiful. 5. Item, six large and great skins, very rich and rare, worn only by the Emperor for worthiness. 6. Item, a large and fair white Jerfawcon, for the wild swan, crane, goose, and other great fowls. Together with a drum of silver, the hoops gilt, used for a lure to call the said hawk. Louise In cold Cambridge, grateful to avoid the snow for now. To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [email protected]. For help, write to [email protected].
