The Queenes Majesties letters to the Lord Boris
Pheodorowich.
ELIZABETH by the grace of God Queene of England,
France, and Ireland
, defendour of the faith, &c. to the
right honourable and noble Prince Lord Boris Pheodorowich Godonova, Master of the horses to the
great and mightie Emperour of Russia, his Highnesse lieutenant of Cazan and Astracan, our most
deare and loving cousin, greeting. Right honourable, it
hath appeared unto us upon the reading and perusing of
the Letters lately sent unto our Highnesse from our
deare and loving brother the Emperour, in what part his
Majestie tooke the late imployment of our messenger
Jerome Horsey in our affaires into Russia
: wherein we
doe also finde the honourable endevour used by your
Lordship to appease his Highnesse mislike and exception
taken aswell to the person of our Messenger, as to our
princely letters sent by him: both of which points we
have answered in our letters sent by this bearer directed
to our sayd loving brother the Emperour: upon perusing
whereof we doubt not but his Majestie will be well
satisfied touching our sayd Messenger and former
letters. And for the honourable course holden by your
Lordship in the interposing of your opinion and favourable construction in a thing which might grow to the
offence of the league and amitie standing betweene your
Soveraigne Lord and us (wherein your Lordship performed
the office of an honourable and grave Counsellour) we
take our selfe beholding to your Lordship for your readinesse in that behalfe, and doe assure our selfe that the
same did proceed of the especiall love and kinde affection
that your Lordship hath ever borne and continued
towards us, whereof our princely nature will never be
unmindfull. We have bene also from time to time made
acquainted by our chiefe and principall Counsellour
William Lord Burghley, Lord high Treasurour of our
Highnesse
Realme of England, of your letters which have
passed betweene your Lordship and him, concerning the
entercourse of our Merchants trafficke in your Countreys,
and of the honourable offices done by your Lordship with
the Emperour in favour of our sayd Marchants. And
lastly (which wee take a most assured argument of your
undoubted love and affection towards us) that your Lordship hath vouchsafed, and of purpose taken into your
hands the protection of our sayd Merchants, and the
hearing and determining of all their causes and occasions
whatsoever, which shall concerne them or their trade.
All which wee conceive to be done for our sake, and
therefore do acknowledge our selves to be, and still will
continue beholding unto you for the same.
And whereas we have made mention in our sayd letters
written to our loving brother the Emperour of certeine
debts due aswell to our merchants, as to other of our
subjects by one William Turnebull a subject of ours late
deceased in Russia
, wee pray you to be referred to the
sayd letter. And forasmuch as the sayd cause will fall
under your Lordships jurisdiction by reason of your
acceptation of all their causes into your patronage and
protection: we are so well assured of your honourable
inclination to justice, and your good affection towards our
merchants for our sake, that we shall not need to intreat
your honourable furtherance either of justice or expedition
in the sayd cause. And lastly considering that your noble
linage together with your great wisedome and desert hath
made you a principall Counsellour and directour of the
state of so great a Monarchie, whereby your advice and
direction is followed in all things that doe concerne the
same, we have given order to our sayd principall Counsellour William Lord Burghley, treasurour of our
Realme
of England, that as any occasion shall arise to the hinderance of the entercourse betweene these Countreyes, or of
the priviledges graunted by his Majestie to our merchants,
that he may by advertisement treat with your Lordshippe
thereupon: which we by reason of our great princely
affayres can not so conveniently at all times doe with
such expedition as the cause may require. And thus
with our princely commendations we bidde your farewell.
From our royall Pallace of Whitehall the foureteenth day
of Januariee, Anno Domini 1591.