These are the things, most excellent Queen, which your subjects newly
returned from Russia have brought home concerning the state of that
country: wherefore if your Majesty shall be favourable, and grant a
continuance of the travel, there is no doubt but that the honour and
renown of your name will be spread amongst those nations, whereunto three
only noble personages from the very creation have had access, to whom no
man hath been comparable.
THE COPY OF THE DUKE OF MUSCOVY AND EMPEROR OR RUSSIA HIS LETTERS, SENT
TO KING EDWARD VI., BY THE HANDS OF RICHARD CHANCELER.
“The almighty power of God, and the incomprehensible Holy Trinity,
rightful Christian belief, etc. We, great Duke Ivan Vasilivich, by the
grace of God Emperor of all Russia, and great Duke of Vladermerskij,
Moskowskij, Novogrodskij, Cazanskii, Pskanskii, Smolenskii, Tuerskij,
Hugorskij, Permskii, Veatskii, Bolgarskii, with divers other lands,
Emperor also and great Duke of Novogoroda, and in the low countries of
Chernigouskii, Rezanskii, Volotskii, Refskii, Belskii, Rostouskii,
Yaroslavskii; Belocherskii, Oodorskii, Obdorskii, Codinskii, and many
other countries, lord over all the north coast, greeting.
“Before all right great and worthy of honour Edward, King of England,
&c., according to our most hearty and good zeal, with good intent and
friendly desire, and according to our holy Christian Faith and great
governance, and being in the light of great understanding, our answer by
this our honourable writing unto your kingly governance, at the request
of your faithful servant Richard Chanceler, with his company, as they
shall let you wisely know, is thus. In the strength of the twentieth
year of our governance, be it known, that at our sea coasts arrived a
ship, with one Richard and his company, and said, that he was desirous to
come into our dominions, and according to his request hath seen our
Majesty and our eyes; and hath declared unto us your Majesty’s desire as
that we should grant unto your subjects, to go and come, and in our
dominions, and among our subjects to frequent free marts, with all sorts
of merchandises, and upon the same to have wares for their return. And
they have also delivered us your letters which declare the same request.
And hereupon we have given order, that wheresoever your faithful servant
Hugh Willoughbie land or touch in our dominions, to be well entertained,
who as yet is not arrived, as your servant Richard can declare.
“And we, with Christian belief and faithfulness, and according to your
honourable request and my honourable commandment will not leave it
undone, and are furthermore willing that you send unto us your ships and
vessels, when, and as often as they may have passage, with good assurance
on our part to see them harmless. And if you send one of your Majesty’s
council to treat with us, whereby your country merchants may with all
kinds of wares, and where they will, make their market in our dominions,
they shall have their free mart with all free liberties through my whole
dominions with all kinds of wares, to come and go at their pleasure,
without any let, damage, or impediment, according to this our letter, our
word, and our seal, which we have commanded to be under-sealed. Written
in our dominion in our town and in our palace in the Castle of Moscow, in
the year seven thousand and sixty, the second month of February.”
This letter was written in the Muscovian tongue, in letters much like to
the Greek letters, very fair written on paper with a broad seal hanging
at the same, sealed in paper upon wax. This seal was much like the broad
seal of England, having on the one side the image of a man on horseback
in complete harness fighting with a dragon.
Under this letter was another paper written in the Dutch tongue, which
was the interpretation of the other written in the Muscovian letters.
These letters were sent the next year after the date of King Edward’s
letters, 1554.