The Queenes Majesties letter to Theodore Ivanovich
Emperour of Russia, 1591.
ELIZABETH by the grace of God Queene of England,
France, and Ireland
, defender of the faith, &c. to the
right high, mighty, and right noble prince Theodore
Ivanovich great Lord, King, and great Duke of all
Russia
, Volodemer, Mosco, Novogrod, King of Cazan,
and Astracan, Lord of Vobsko, and great Duke of
Smolensko, Otver, Ughory, Perme, Viatski, Bolgory, and
other places: Lord and great Duke of Novogrod in the
low countrey, of Chernigo, Rezan, Polotsky, Rostove,
Yeraslave, Bealozero, and Lifland, of Oudorsky, Obdorsky, Condinsky, and commander of all Sibierland and the
North coasts, great Lord over the countrey of Iversky,
Grisinsky, Emperor of Kabardinsky, and of the countrey
of Charkasky, and of the countrey of Gorsky, and Lord
of many other countreys, our most deare and loving
brother, greeting. Right noble and excellent prince, we
have received your Majesties letters brought over by our
merchants in their returne of their last voyage from your
port of S. Nicholas; which letters we have advisedly
read and considered, and thereby perceive that your
Majesty doth greatly mislike of our late imployment of
Jerome Horsey into your dominions as our messenger
with our Highnesse letters, and also that your Majesty
doth thinke that we in our letters sent by the sayd
messenger have not observed that due order or respect
which apperteined to your princely majesty, in the forme
of the same letter, aswel touching the inlargement of your
Majesties stile and titles of honor which your Majesty
expected to have bene therein more particularly expressed,
as also in the adding of our greatest scale or signet of
armes to the letters which we send to so great a Prince as
your Majesty is: in any of which points we would have
bene very loth willingly to have given just cause of offence
thereby to our most deare and loving brother. And as
touching the sayd messenger Jerome Horsey we are sory
that contrary to our expectation he is fallen into your
Majesties displeasure, whom we minde not to mainteine
in any his actions by which he hath so incurred your
Majesties mislike: yet that we had reason at such time
as we sent him to your Majesty to use his service as our
messenger, we referre our selves to your princely judgement, praying your Majesty to reduce into your minde
the especiall commendation, which in your letters written
unto us in the yeere 1585, you made of the sayd Jerome
Horsey his behaviour in your dominions: at which time
your Majesty was pleased to use his service as your
messenger to us, requiring our answere of your letters to
be returned by him and by none other. That imployment,
with other occasions taken by your Majesty to use the
service of the sayd Jerome Horsey (as namely in the yeere
1587) when your Majesty sent him to us againe with your
letters, and your liberall and princely priviledge at our
request granted to our merchants (for which we have
heretofore given thanks to your Majesty, so doe we
hereby reiterate our thankefulnesse for the same) mooved
us to be of minde, that we could not make choise of any
of our subjects so fit a messenger to your Majesty as he,
whom your Majesty had at severall times used upon your
owne occasions into this our Realme. But least your
highnesse should continue of the minde that the letters
which you sent by our ambassador Giles Fletcher (wherein
some mention was made of your conceived displeasure
against the sayd Horsey) came not to our hands, and
that wee were kept ignorant of the complaint which your
Majesty made therein against the sayd Horsey, we do
not deny but that we were acquainted aswell by our ambassadour as by those letters of some displeasure conceived
against him by your Majesty: but your sayd letters
giving onely a short generall mention of some misdemeanour committed by him, expressing no particulars,
we were of opinion that this offence was not so hainous,
as that it might utterly extinguish all your former princely
favour towards him, but that upon his humble submission
to your Majesty, or upon better examination of the matter
of the displeasure conceived against him, the offence
might have beene either remitted, or he thereof might
have cleared himselfe. And to that end we were not
onely by his great importunity long sollicited, but by the
intercession of some of our Nobility giving credit to his
owne defence, we were intreated on his behalfe to use
his service once againe into Russia
as our messenger to
your Majesty, whereby he might have opportunity to
cleare himselfe, and either by his answere or by his
submission recover your Majesties former favour: whereunto our princely nature was mooved to yeeld, wishing
the good of our subject so farre foorth as his desert
might carry him, or his innocencie cleare him.
Thus noble Prince, our most loving and dearest
brother, it may appeare unto your Majesty how we were
induced to use the service of the sayd messenger, aswell
for the recovery of your Majesties favor towards him (if
he had bene found woorthy of it) as for experience of the
maners and fashions of your countrey, where he hath
bene much conversant. But sith by your Majesties
letters it appeareth that he hath not cleared himselfe in
your Majesties sight, we meane not to use him in any
such price hereafter.
And as touching your Majesties conceit of the brevitie
which we used in the setting downe of your Majesties
stile and titles of honour: as nothing is further from us,
then to abridge so great and mighty a Prince of the
honour due unto him (whom we holde for his greatnesse
to deserve more honour then we are able to give him) so
shall we need no further nor surer argument to cleare us
of the suspicion of the detracting from your Majesty any
part of your just and princely honor and greatnesse, then
the consideration of our owne stile, which is thus contracted, videlicet, Elizabeth by the grace of God Queene
of England, France, and Ireland
, defender of the faith
&c. which kingdomes and dominions of ours are expressed
by these generall words, videlicet, England, France, and
Ireland
: in every of which there are severall principalities,
dukedomes, earledomes, provinces and countreys: which
being severally expressed would enlarge much our stile,
and make it of great length; which by our progenitours
hath not bene used: notwithstanding, we thinke it no
dishonour to us, compendiously to abridge the same
in all our writings and letters written to what Prince,
King, or Potentate soever. Whereupon we inferre, that
holding your Majesties generall stile, we offer your Highnesse no dishonour in not expressing all the particular
provinces: albeit we can willingly content our selfe, upon
the knowledge of your usages and customes, to observe
that course, which your selfe shall thinke most honourable. And for the sealing up of our letters which we
write to all our allies, kinsemen, and friends, Kings and
Princes, we have in use two severall seales; both which
we esteeme alike honourable, being our princely seales.
And as the volume of our letters falleth out to be great
or small, so accordingly is our greater or lesser seale
annexed to the sayd letters, without esteeming either of
them more or lesse honourable then the other. So as,
our most loving and dearest brother, in the said letters
there was nothing done of purpose to detract from your
Majesty any thing of the usuall regard, which our Highnesse was woont to yeeld unto your most noble father of
famous memory Ivan Basilivich Emperor of al Russia
, or
to your selfe, our dearest brother. For the residue of
the points of your Majesties letters concerning the entertainement of our ambassadour, and proceeding in the
cause of Anthonie Marsh we holde our selfe satisfied
with your princely answere, and doe therein note an
honourable and princely care in your Majestie to prevent
the like troubles, controversies and sutes, that Marshes
cause stirred up betweene our merchants and your subjects, which is, that your Majestie doeth purpose from
time to time to purge your Countrey of such straglers of
our subjects, as doe or shall hereafter abide there, and
are not of the Company of our merchants, but contemptuously depart out of our land without our Highnesse
licence: of which sort there are presented unto us from
our merchants the names of these severall persons, videlicet, Richard Cocks, Bennet Jackman, Rainold Kitchin,
Simon Rogers,
Michael Lane, Thomas Worsenham:
whom it may please your Majesty by your princely order
to dismisse out of your land, that they may be sent home
in the next shippes, to avoid the mislike which their
residence in those parts might breed to the disturbance
of our brotherly league, and the impeaching of the entercourse.
And whereas, most loving and dearest brother, one
William Turnebull a subject of ours is lately deceased in
your kingdome, one with whom our merchants have had
much controversie for great summes of money due unto
them by him while he was their Agent in their affayres
of merchandises: which differences by arbitrable order
were reduced to the summe of 3000 rubbles, and so much
should have beene payed by him as may appeare by your
Majesties councell or magistrates of justice by very
credible information and testimony: and whereas also
the sayd Turnbull was further indebted by billes of his
own hand to divers of our subjects, amounting in the
whole, to the summe of 1326 pounds, which billes are
exemplified under our great seale of England, and to be
sent over with this bearer: of which summes he hath
often promised payment: it may please your most excellent Majestie in your approoved love to justice, to give
order to your favourable councell and magistrates, that
those severall debts may be satisfied to our merchants
and subjects out of the goods, merchandise, and debts
which are due to the state of the sayd Turnbull: whereof
your Majesties councell shalbe informed by the Agent of
our merchants.
We trust we shall not need to make any new request
by motion to your Majesty that some order might be
taken for the finding out of the rest of our merchants
goods seised to your majesties use in the hands and
possession of John Chappel their servant, being a thing
granted, and no doubt already performed by your
Majesties order. We therfore intreat your Majesty, that
as conveniently as may be, satisfaction or recompense be
given to our said merchants towards the repairing of
their sundry great losses aswell therein as otherwise by
them of late sundry wayes sustained. And lastly, our
most deare and loving brother, as nothing in all these
our occasions is to be preferred before our entire league
and amitie, descending upon us as an inheritance, in
succession from both our ancestours and noble progenitours: so let us be carefull on both sides by all good
meanes to holde and continue the same to our posterity
for ever. And if any mistaking or errour of either side
do rise, in not accomplishing of circumstances agreeable
to the fashion of either of our countreys and kingdomes,
let the same upon our enterchangeable letters be reconciled, that our league and amitie be no way impeached
for any particular occasion whatsoever. And thus we
recommend your Majesty to the tuition of the most High.
From our royall Palace of Whitehall the 14 of January,
anno Domini 1591.
