The copie of the Duke of Moscovie and Emperour of Russia his letters, sent to King Edward the sixt, by the hands of Richard Chancelour.
THE Almighty power of God, and the incomprehensible
holy Trinitie, rightfull Christian beliefe, &c. We great
Duke Ivan Vasilivich, by the grace of God great lord
and Emperor of all Russia
, great Duke of Volodemer,
Mosco, and Novograd, King of Kazan, King of Astracan,
lord of Plesko, and great duke of Smolensko, of Twerria,
Joughoria, Permia, Vadska, Bulghoria, and others, lord
and great duke of Novograd in the Low countrey, of
Chernigo, Rezan, Polotskoy, Rostove, Yaruslavely, Bealozera, Liefland, Oudoria, Obdoria and Condensa, Commander of all Siberia
, and of the North parts, and lord
of many other countries, greeting. Before all, right
great and worthy of honour Edward King of England,
&c. according to our most hearty and good zeale, with
good intent and friendly desire, & according to our holy
Christian faith, & great governance, & being in the light
of great understanding, our answere by this our honourable writing unto your kingly governance, at the request
of your faithfull servant Richard Chancelour, with his
company, as they shall let you wisely know, is this.
In
the strength of the twentieth yeere of our governance,
be it knowen, that at our sea coastes arrived a shippe,
with one Richard, and his companie, and sayd, that hee
was desirous to come into our dominions, and according
to his request, hath seene our Majestie, and our eyes:
and hath declared unto us your Majesties desire, as that
we should grant unto your subjects, to goe and come,
and in our dominions, and among our subjects, to frequent
free Marts, with all sortes of marchandizes, and upon
the same to have wares for their returne. 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 diminions, to be wel entertained, who as
yet is not arrived, as your servant Richard can declare.
And we with Christian beliefe and faithfulnes, and
according to your honourable request, and my honourable
commandement 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 harmelesse. And if
you send one of your majesties counsel to treate with us
whereby your countrey marchants may with all kinds of
wares, and where they will make their market in our
dominions, they shall have their free Marte with all free
liberties through my whole dominions with all kinde of
wares to come and goe at their pleasure, without any
let, damage or impediment, according to this our letter,
our word and our seale which we have commaunded to
be under sealed. Written in our dominion, in our citie
and our palace in the castle of Mosco, in the yeare 7060,
the second moneth of February.
This letter was written in the Moscovian tongue, in
letters much like to the Greeke letters, very faire written
in paper, with a broad seale hanging at the same, sealed
in paper upon waxe. This seale was much like ye broad
seale of England, having on the one side the image of
a man on horseback in complete harnesse 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 Moscovian letters. These letters
were sent the next yere after the date of king Edwards
letters, 1554. 