Europe - The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques And Discoveries Of The English Nation - Volume 4 - Collected By Richard Hakluyt
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He Also Got Granted For Them The Repayment Of Fifteene Hundred Marks, Which
Had Bene Exacted Of Them The Two Last Yeres Before His Comming Thither.
He got also for them order for the repayment of an olde and desperate debt
of three thousand marks,
A debt so desperate, as foure yeeres left out of
their accounts, and by the opinion of them all, not thought fit to be dealt
with, for too much offending the Emperour, or impeaching his other
businesse, which was thought at least otherwise sufficient, and was
therefore left out of his instructions from her Maiesty.
He obteined that all strangers were forbidden to trade any more into
Russia, and that the passage and trade to all the Emperors Northern coasts
and countries, from the Wardhouse to the riuer of Ob should be onely free
to the English nation.
Lastly, of a great desire he had to do the merchants good, without motion
either of themselues here, or their Agents there, or any other of them, he
obteined of the Emperour the abatement of all their custome which they had
long before payd, and agreed still to continue, which custome the Dutchmen
and strangers being remooued, as now it was agreed, amounted to two
thousand pounds yerely.
All these were granted, some already payd before his comming from Mosco,
the olde priuilege ratified, newly written, signed and sealed, and was to
be deliuered to the ambassadour at his next comming to Court, before when
the Emperor fell sicke of a surfet, and so died.
After whose death the case was woondrously altered with the ambassador: for
whereas both, in his owne conceit, and in all mens opinion els, he was in
great forwardnes to haue growen a great man with the Emperor, what for the
loue he bare to her Maiesty, and the particular liking he had of himselfe,
he now fell into the hands of his great enemies, Mekita Romanouich and
Andre Shalkan the chanceller, who, after the death of the Emperour, tooke
the speciall gouernment upon themselues, and so presently caused the
Ambassadour to be shut vp a close prisoner in his owne house, for the space
of nine weeks, and was so straightly guarded and badly vsed by those that
attended him, as he dayly suspected some further mischiefe to haue
followed: for in this time there grew a great vprore in Mosco of nigh
twenty thousand persons, which remembring that his enemies reigned,
somewhat amazed the ambassadour, but yet afterwards the matter fell out
against that great counsellor Bodan Belskoy, whom I noted before to be a
speciall man in the old Emperors fauor: who was now notwithstanding so
outragiously assaulted, as that he was forced to seeke the Emperors chamber
for his safety, and was afterwards sent away to Cazan, a place he had in
gouernment, fiue hundred miles from Mosco, where he hath remained euer
since, and neuer as yet called againe to court, at which time the
ambassador expected some such like measure, and prepared himselfe aswell as
he could, for his defence: yet happily after this, was sent for to court,
to haue his dispatch, and to take his leaue of the Emperor: whither being
conducted (not after the woonted maner) and brought to the councell
chamber, came to him onely Shalkan the chanceller and a brother of his, who
without more adoe, tolde him for the summe of his dispatch, that this
Emperour would not treat of further amity with the Queene his mistresse,
then such as was betweene his late father and her, before his comming
thither: and would not heare any reply to be made by the ambassadour, but
presently caused both himselfe and all his company to be disarmed of their
weapons; and go towards the Emperor. In which passage there were such
outrages offered him as had he not vsed more patience then his disposition
afforded him, or the occasion required, he had not in likelihood escaped
with life, but yet at length was brought to the presence of the Emperour
who sayd nothing to him, but what the chancellor had already done, but
offered him a letter to carry to her Maiesty, which the ambassadour (for
that he knew it conteined nothing that did concerne his ambassage) refused
till he saw his danger grow too great: neither would the Emperour suffer
the ambassadour to reply ought, nor well he could, for they had now of
purpose taken away his interpretor, being yet vnwilling (as it seemed, and
suspecting the ambassadours purpose) that the Emperor and other should know
how dishonourably he had beene handled: [Sidenote: The great friendship of
L. Boris Pheodorouich.] for there, was at that time, in that presence a
noble braue gentleman, one Boris Pheodorouich Godenoe, brother to the
Emperor that now is, who yet after the death or the Emperour did alwayes
vse the ambassadour most honorably, and would very willingly haue done him
much more kindnesse, but his authority was not yet, till the coronation of
the Emperor: but notwithstanding he sent often vnto him, not long before
his departure, and accompanied his many honourable fauours with a present
of two faire pieces of cloth of golde, and a tymber of very good sables:
and desired that as there was kindnesse and brotherhood twixt the Emperor
and her Maiesty, so there might be loue and brotherhood twixt him and the
Ambassadour. Sauing from this man, there was now no more fauour left for
the ambassadour in Moscouia: for the chanceller Shalkan had now sent him
word that the English Emperor was dead: he had now nothing offered him but
dangers and disgraces too many, and a hasty dispatch from the Mosco, that
he might not tary the coronation of the new Emperour: offences many in his
preparation for his long iourney, onely one meane gentleman appointed to
accompany him to the sea side, expecting daily in his passage some sudden
reuenge to be done vpon him, for so he understood it was threatned before
his comming from the Mosco, and therefore with resolution prouided by all
the meanes he might, by himselfe and his seruants for his defence (for now
was his danger knowen such, as the English merchants did altogether leaue
him, although he commanded them in her Maiesties name to accompany him)
that if any such thing should happen to be offered him, as many of them as
he could that should offer to execute it, should die with him for company:
which being perceiued was thought to make his passage the safer.
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