A.D. 

 1555- 



Queene 



Maries letters 

 to the Emper- 

 our of Russia. 



THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



we were sent for to the Emperour his secretarie, and 

 he bade us welcome with a cheerefull countenance and 

 cheerefull wordes, and wee shewed him that we had a 

 letter from our Queenes grace to the Emperour his 

 grace, and then he desired to see them all, and that 

 they might remain with him, to have them perfect, 

 that the true meaning might be declared to the Em- 

 perour, and so we did : and then we were appointed 

 to a better house : and the seventh day the secretary 

 sent for us againe, & then he shewed us that we should 

 have a better house, for it was the Emperour his will, 

 that we should have all things that we did lacke, and 

 did send us meade of two sorts, and two hens, our 

 house free, and every two dayes to receive eight hens, 

 seven altines, and two pence in money, and meade a 

 certaine, and a poore fellow to make cleane our house, 

 & to doe that wherunto we would set him. And wee 

 had given many rewards before, which you shal perceive 

 by other, and so we gave the messengers a reward with 

 thanks : and the ninth day we were sent to make us 

 readie to speak with the Emperour on the morow. 

 And the letters were sent us, that wee might deliver 

 them our selves, & we came before him the tenth day : 

 and before we came to his presence we went thorow a 

 great chamber, where stood many small tunnes, pailes, 

 bowles and pots of silver, I meane, like washing bowles, 

 all parsel gilt : and within that another chamber, wherein 

 sate (I thinke) neere a hundred in cloth of gold, and 

 then into the chamber where his grace sate, & there I 

 thinke were more then in the other chamber also in 

 cloth of gold, and we did our duety, & shewed his 

 grace our Queenes graces letters, with a note of your 

 present which was left in Vologda : and then his grace 

 did aske how our Queenes grace did, calling her cousin, 

 saying that hee was glad that wee were come in health 

 into his Realme, and we went one by one unto him, 

 and tooke him by the hand, and then his grace did 

 bid us goe in health, and come to dinner againe, and 



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