ad. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



J 57 6 - 



vite pretendeth that there hath bin usually paide a pension 



or tribute unto himselfe and his predecessours out of the 

 whole province, it is as incredible as the former. 



About the beginning of this tragicall warre, the Mos- 

 covite, to cloke his tyranny and ambition under some 

 faire pretense, amongst other of his demaunds, made 

 mention also of a tribute which should be due unto him 

 out of the bishop of Dorpat his jurisdiction, whereof 

 notwithstanding hee could neither bring any just account, 

 nor affirm any certainty : howbeit there is no man living 

 to be found which either can tell of his owne remem- 

 brance, or from the relation of others, that any such 

 tribute was ever paid unto the Moscovite. What time 

 therefore he referred al this negotiation unto the master 

 of the Livonian order, and commanded him to get what 

 knowledge hee could therof from the men of Dorpat, & 

 urged the tribute, saying if it were worth but one haire, 

 that he would not remit it : at length it was found 

 recorded in the ancient Chronicles of Dorpat, that beyond 

 the memory of man, when the territory of Plesco con- 

 tained nothing but woods and forrests for wilde beastes, 

 that the pesaunts of the liberty of Dorpat called Neuhus, 

 by the consent of the Russian borderers, enjoyed Bee- 

 hives in the said woods, and paid every yeere in lieu 

 thereof unto the Russian governours, sixe shillings of 

 Livonian coine. But so soone as the Russians had telled 

 the woods and had built townes and villages in their 

 place, the saide pension ceased together with the trees 

 which were cut downe. Wherefore the saide sixe shillings 

 were never since that time either demanded by the 

 Russes or paid by the Livonians. These things which 1 

 knew concerning the causes of the Livonian warres I 

 thought good to signifie unto you. Given the 22. of 

 May, in the yeere of our Lord 1576. 



194 



