GEORGE KILLINGWORTH a.d. 



1555- 

 we dined in his presence, and were set with our faces 

 towards his grace, & none in the chamber sate with 

 their backes towards him, being I thinke neere a hundred 

 at dinner then, and all served with golde, as platters, 

 chargers, pottes, cuppes, and all not slender but very 

 massy, and yet a great number of platters of golde, 

 standing still on the cupboord, not moved : and divers 

 times in the dinner time his grace sent us meat and 

 drinke from his owne table, and when we had dined 

 we went up to his grace, and received a cuppe with 

 drinke at his owne hand, and the same night his grace 

 sent certaine gentlemen to us with divers sortes of wine 

 and mede, to whome wee gave a rewarde. And after- 

 warde we were by divers Italians counselled to take The Italians 

 heed whom we did trust to make the copie of the counse " t0 our 

 priviledges that we would desire to have, for feare it 

 should not be written in the Russie tongue, as we did 

 meane. So first a Russian did write for us a breviat 

 to the Emperor, the tenour wherof was, that we did 

 desire a stronger privilege : & when the Secretary saw 

 it, he did deliver it to his grace, and when we came 

 againe, his grace willed us to write our minds, and hee 

 would see it, and so we did. And his grace is so 

 troubled with preparations to warres, that as yet wee 

 have no answere : but we have byn required of his 

 Secretary, and of the under Chancelor, to know what 

 wares we had brought into the Realme, and what wares [I. 264.] 

 we doe intend to have, that are, or may bee had in this 

 Realme : and we shewed them, and they shewed the 

 Emperor therof. And then they said his graces pleasure 

 was, that his best marchants of the Mosco should be 

 spoken to, to meet and talk with us. And so a day 

 was appointed, and wee mette in the Secretarie his 

 office, and there was the under Chancelor, who was 

 not past two yeeres since the Emperors marchant, and 

 not his Chancelour : and then the conclusion of our 

 talke was, that the Chancelour willed us to bethinke 

 us, where we would desire to have a house or houses, 



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