and having there made my mone and complaint of those Rebelles, and they comming thither not as possessors but as subjectes to answer, I wold have besought you to heere my justification of that which they have faulsly set furth against me and if I could not purge myself therof, you might then discharge your handes of my causes, and let me go for such as I am. But to do as you say, if I wer coulpable, I wold be better advised. But being not so, I cannot accept this dishonnor at their handes, that being in possession they will conime and accuse me before your Commissioners, wherof I cannot lyke. And seeing you think it to be against your honor and cousynage to do otherwise, I beseech you that you will not be myne enemye untill you may see how I can discharge my self every waye. And to suffre me to go into France where I have a dowery to mainteyn me; or at the least to go into Scotland, with assurance that if there come any strangers thither, I will bynd my self for their retourne without any prejudice to you. Or if it please you not to do thus, I protest that I will not impute it to falshode if I receyve strangers in my contrey, wythout makyng you any other discharge for it. Do with my body at your will, the honnor or blame shalbe yours. For I had rather dy heere, and that my faithfull servants may be succourid (though you wold not so) by strangers, then to suffer theim to be utterly undon upon h. .* to receyve in tyme to come particuler commodite. There be many things that moove me to feare that I shall have to doo in this contrey with other then with yow. But forasmuch as nothing hath followed upon my last mone, I hold my peace. Happen what may happe, I have as leef to abyde my fortune, as to seeke it and not fynde it. Further, it pleased you to gyve lycence to my subjects to go and come. This hath ben refusid me by my Lord Scroope and Mr Knolles (as they say) by your commandement, because I wold not depart hence to your charge untill I had answer of this Lettre; though I shewed them that yow requyred my answer upon the two pointz conteyned in your Lettre. Th' one is (to let you breefly understand them) I am come to you to make my mone to you; the which being heard, I would declare unto you myne innocency, and then requyre your ayde. And for lack therof I cannot but make my mone and complaint to God, that I am not heard in my just quarrell; and to appele to other Princes to have respect therunto, as my case requyreth; and to you Madame first of all, when you shall have examynid your conscience before and have him for witnes and th' other, which is to come further into your Contrey, and not to come to your presence: I will esteeme that as no favor, but will take it for the contrary: obeying it as a thing forced." * Hit. This is piteous work: and where could we find a more just yet melting exposure of the crafty policy pursued by Elizabeth and her ministers towards the unhappy captive who had fled into their thrall, and whom they finally murdered? No. IV.-Temp. 2. Eliz. The Visit of the first Turkish Ambassador to to "Honourable Knight,-Hoping to finde pardon for my long silence, I will at this present em "The panic which had seized on Europe at the close approach of the Ottoman power in the fifteenth century, fixed a jealousy which was not very quickly removed. Above a century elapsed before any of the Powers in this part of Europe could be persuaded to send a minister to the Turk; and near a century and a half, before his accredited Agents were received at their Courts. "The Turkey Company was established in this country in 1579, after Amurath the Third, upon a treaty between William Harborne and Mustapha Beg a Turkish bassa, had granted to the English merchants the same freedom of traffic through his empire as was at that time enjoyed by the French, the Venetians, the Polonians, and the Germans. "It was probably upon this occasion that the thought of sending an embassador to the Porte from England, was first entertained.--"Harborne remained as agent at Constantinople, partly for the English government and partly for the merchants, till about 1591, when he was succeeded as embassador by Mr. Edward Barton, and he, in 1601, by Mr. Henry Lello, who remained at Constantinople at least till 1605., bolden my selfe to resume that duty which I have so long dispensed with. 66 The Letter inclosed containeth, as you see, a recommendation of the Turke lately arrived, both from his quality and his errand, by that famous Murat-Rey admiral of Algier, being now a man of seventy yeares olde, who heretofore was as much renowned for his exploits in the Levant seas, as ever Drake was for his attempts upon the Ocean. "For the person of this Mustapha, he seemes to me and others that have visited him, a man of a goodly presence and a gallant spirit, sociable, affable, and full of intertainment to all comers, and one who to give the better content to those that come to see him, is content to dispense with some of his Turkish fashions, and to accustome himselfe to ours. For being invited to accompany St Thomas Low governor of the Company to diner, I saw Mustapha sitt in a chayer "The Turk, however, had no minister or agent, during all this time resident in England "The Cottonian Collection of Manuscripts in the Museum contains numerous documents illustrative of the first intercourse between England and Russia: as well as one or two earlier Manuscripts of Russian History. "The greater part of these have been recently transcribed at the expense of the Russian government. "The communication between the two countries can hardly be said to have begun before the time of Philip and Mary; but it so ripened in the time of Elizabeth, that the Czar Ivan Basilovitch, in 1583, was even desirous to have an English wife.” at the bourdes ende, and drink a solemne helth to the King of Great Brittaine and the Grand Signor. He hath bene two yeares in his Journey, having accompanied Mons'. de Brebis the French ambassador, through Natolia, Armenia, Soria, Palæstina, Ægypt, and Barbary as far as Algier, where indeed they stayed seven moneths, and where the French Ambassador by his meanes was in good hope to have obtained of the King there and Murat-Rey the Coral-fishing upon the Coast of Algier, which was flatly denied him. With this denyal they went both for Marsellis, where Mons' de Brebis, for the courtesies he had received at this mans hand in so long a Journey, promised he would make the King his Master acquainted with the worthines of the man and with his message, and then would come and fetch him. But there Mustapha attended six months, and heard neither by word nor letter from Mons' de Brebis. Hereupon he wrote to the French King that he had the Grand Signors Letters, and that he hoped he would not deny him the lawe of nations, but would graunt him accesse and audience as the Grand Signor used to do to the ambassadors of all Christian Princes. The French King wrote an answer persuading him to returne back, and sending him a present of 1000 crownes. Which present he refused, and did still peremptorily demand audience and his charges to be defrayed, |