A. D. I57I- ^53 



"' one year, fo much as fliall be referved by way of ufury above the prin- 



* cipal, for any money fo to be lent or forborn, fhall be forfeited,' &c. 



Thus, although the legillature knew that every one, who had occafion, 

 gave intereft for money, yet the old prepofleffions againft the lawtulnefs 

 of ufury or intereft were tlien ftill fo ftrong and univerfal, that fome- 

 what was thought neceflary to be faid againft the very thing they now 

 found themfelves neceflitated to re-eftablifti for the welfare of the nation. 



N. B. By an ad of the 39th of EHzabeth [c. 18] this ad was made 

 perpetual. 



Mr. Anthony Jenkinfon, who had before made three voyages to Ruf- 

 fta, was now appointed ambaflador from Queen Elizabeth to the grand- 

 duke John Bazilowitz ; but at his arrival he found, that prince had fuf- 

 pended the company's privileges, through the bad condud of lome ot 

 their fervants, the envy of fome irregular Englifti traders, and the mif- 

 reprefentations of the Ruftian ambaflador, returned from England, who 

 could not bring Queen EUzabeth into all his mafter's views. The com- 

 pany had alfo fuffered many lofl'es by ftiipwrecks, by the Polifti pirates 

 at fea, and by bad debts, &c. and were now in other refpedts in a bad 

 fituation : Yet Jenkinfon had fo much addrefs as to obtain a reftoration 

 of their privileges from the czar, and fatisfadion for ibme part of their 

 lofles, which amounted to above 100,000 rubles; although the greateft 

 part was never made good to them, notwithftanding the czar's promife. 



1572. — Ever lince the year 1553, the Englifti had at various times 

 traded to the coaft of Guinea, notwithftanding the claim of the Portu- 

 guefe to an excluftve right to that coaft, as the firft difcoverers, who had 

 frequently difturbed the Englifti and other nations in their trade for 

 gold duft, Guinea grains, and ivory. But now, the Portuguefe finding, 

 they could not hold all that coaft iolely to themfelves, made a treaty of 

 peace with England, whereby all former difputes were adjufted, and 

 freedom of trade thither was ftipulated. 



The Hanfeatic fociety, relying on the many privileges and immuni- 

 ties they enjoyed or claimed, fell into a frefh quarrel viith the neigh- 

 bouring princes, on the following occafion. In the preceding year, the 

 city of Lubeck had concluded a peace at Stettin with John king of 

 Sweden, after a war of eight years : one ot the articles thereof was, that 

 the Lubeckers might freely trade with Livonian Narva, then in the 

 hands of RulTia ; yet now, the Swedifti monarch finding himfelf more 

 powerful, on pretext of his war with Ruflia, prohibited the Lubeckers, 

 &c. from reforting to Narva, and even feized their fliips trading thither. 

 Hereupon the Hanfe towns held this year a grand aftembly of their de- 

 puties for deliberating on this and other points. Thuanus fays [L. lij 

 ' that fome of the points they agreed on related to their internal go- 

 ' vernment ; but that other refolutions reluted to foreign ftates and 



* princes, moft part of which laft proved ineffedual :' which (hows that the 

 Hanfeatics were at this time greatly decUning in power and influence. 



Vol. II. U 



