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of Muscovy in signing the articles of truce. When, therefore, the truce with Sigismund, king of Poland, was agreed upon, and the articles drawn up, we were summoned to the prince's palace, and being conducted into a certain apartment, found the Lithuanian ambassadors already there. Those councillors of the prince also who had concluded the treaty with us came into the room, and turning to the Lithuanian ambassadors, addressed them to the following effect :-" Our prince was willing, out of especial regard to the request of certain great princes, to enter into a lasting peace with your King Sigismund, but though it was impossible on any terms to do that at present, he has willingly consented, at the instance of the said princes, to enter into a truce. Which truce being arranged and lawfully signed, the prince has ordered you to be sent for, and requested your presence." Moreover, they held letters made out by the prince to be given to the King of Poland, sealed with a small red seal, which was attached to them. On the obverse was the figure of a naked man, sitting on a horse without a saddle, and transfixing a dragon with a spear. On the reverse, an eagle with two heads, with a crown on each head. They had also the letters of truce drawn up in a certain form, with corresponding letters, only with the names and titles changed, which were to be sent back to the prince in return, in which there was no difference of expression, except in this clause, which was added at the end of the letters: "We, Peter Giska, palatine of Polotsk, and captain of Drogieczin, and Michael

1 The St. George on the seal attached to the letter sent by the Grand Duke of Muscovy to Edward VI. by the hands of Richard Chancelor, is described by Hakluyt (vol. i, fo. 255, ed. 1598-9), as "the image of a man on horseback, in complete harnesse, fighting with a dragon." The Greeks, from whom the Russians in all probability derived their reverence for this saint, always represented St. George clad in armour. naked figure, as above described, is represented in the corner of the frontispiece to the present volume, and shows a coarseness of design, betraying more of the uncultivated Tartar than the civilized Greek.

The

Bohusch Bohutinovich, treasurer of the grand duchy of Lithuania, and captain of Schlovin and Kamenetz, ambassadors of the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, declare, and have thereto kissed the sign of the cross, and have bound ourselves that our king will also confirm the same letters in the same manner by kissing the cross; and for the better confirmation of this engagement, have scaled these letters with our seals." After these letters had been heard and witnessed, we were all summoned together into the presence of the prince. On entering his presence, he ordered us to be seated, and addressed us in the following words:"John Francis, Count Leonhard, and Sigismund, ye have besought us in the name of Pope Clement VII, and of our brother Charles and his brother Ferdinand, to enter into a lasting peace with Sigismund, king of Poland. As we have not been able to effect this on terms convenient to both, ye have requested that at least we should enter into a truce, which truce we now make and accept, out of our love to your respective princes; and while in so doing we show our justice to the king, and confirm these letters of truce, we desire you to be present, and to report to your respective masters that you were present at the completion and lawful signing of this truce, and that you have seen that we have done all this for love of them."

At the conclusion of this speech he called his councillor, Michael Georgeovich, and ordered him to take the gilt cross which hung by a silken cord on the opposite wall. The councillor then took a clean napkin, which was placed on a ewer in a basin, and laying hold of the cross with great reverence, held it in his right hand. At the same time the secretary held the letters of truce in both hands, in such a manner that the letter of the Lithuanians, which lay at the bottom, protruded far enough for the clause by which the Lithuanians bound themselves to be distinctly scen. At the same moment as Michael placed his right hand holding the

cross upon these letters, the prince arose, and addressing the Lithuanian ambassadors, explained in a long speech that he should not have refused peace, recommended by the special request and instigation of the great princes, whose ambassadors they saw then present, if that peace could have been brought about upon any suitable terms; but as it was impossible to enter upon a lasting peace with their king, he had, out of consideration to those princes, entered into a truce of five years by virtue of those letters (pointing to the letters with his finger). "Which truce," said he, "we shall observe as God will, and show our justice to our brother King Sigismund—on this condition, however, that the king give us letters corresponding in every respect, and written in the same tenor; and confirm them in the presence of our ambassadors; and do justice by us; and see that they be at length conveyed to us through our ambassadors. In the meantime you will also bind yourselves with an oath, that your king will perform and observe each and all of these articles." He then looked upon the cross, and signed himself three times with the sign of the cross, bowing his head each time so that his hands nearly touched the ground; then advancing nearer, and moving his lips as if in prayer, he wiped his mouth with the napkin, and spitting upon the ground he kissed the cross, and then first touched it with his forehead and afterwards with each eye; then receding, he again bowed his head and signed himself with the cross. After this he desired the Lithuanians to advance and do the same. Before the ambassadors did so, the one named Bohusch, who was of the Russian creed, repeated the formula by which they had bound themselves, and which was drawn up at great length, although containing little or nothing more than was contained in the sentence above given. Peter, the colleague of Bohusch, who was of the Roman Church, also repeated each word of it, and the prince's interpreter likewise translated it to us word for word. After the formula

had been repeated and interpreted, Peter and Bohusch, each in his turn, kissed the same cross in the presence of the prince. This done, the prince sat down and spoke to the following effect. "Ye have seen that at the special request of Clement, Oharles, and Ferdinand, we have performed our part in justice to our brother, Sigismund, king of Poland: do thou therefore, John Francis, report to the pope; and thou, Count Leonhard, to Charles; and thou, Sigismund, to Ferdinand, that we have done these things for love of them, and to prevent the effusion of Christian blood by wars between the two nations."

After he had made these statements in a long speech, in which the usual titles were given at length, we in our turn promised that we would faithfully carry out his instructions. He then called to him two of his principal councillors and secretaries, and intimated to the Lithuanians that they had been already appointed ambassadors to the king of Poland: he finally ordered several goblets to be brought, and with his own hand presented them to us and to the Lithuanians, as well as to each of our own and the Lithuanian noblemen present. Finally, calling the Lithuanian ambassadors by name, he said: “ You will explain to our brother, King Sigismund, what we have now done, and what otherwise you have understood from our councillors." Having said this, he arose and again said: "Peter and Bohusch, ye will in our name make obeisance (here he slightly bowed his head) to our brother, Sigismund, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania." He then sat down and called each one to him, and presenting his right hand to them and the noblemen of their company in rotation, he said: "Now depart." And so he dismissed them.

66

My Journeys into Russia.

In the year 1515 there came to Vienna, to the Emperor Maximilian, Vladislaus and his son Louis, kings of Hungary and Bohemia, and Sigismund, king of Poland; and after marriages had been contracted and solemnized in that city, between various members of their familes, and a mutual friendship established between them, the emperor, among other things, made a promise that he would send ambassadors to Vasiley, Grand Duke of Russia, who had brought about the peace between himself and the King of Poland. The persons appointed by the emperor to undertake the embassy, were Christopher, Bishop of Laybach, and Peter Mraxi; but as the bishop delayed the undertaking, although John Dantiscus, afterwards Bishop of Helsperg,' who was King Sigismund's secretary, growing impatient of the loss of time, continually urged him to start, the task of undertaking this embassy was allotted to me shortly after my return from Dantzig.

Immediately on my receiving the emperor's commands, at Hagenau, a town of Alsace, I departed; and first crossing the Rhine, passed through the territory of the marquises of Baden, touching at the towns of Rastadt, Erlingen, Pfortzach, and so into the duchy of Wirtemburg. I then came to the imperial city of Erlingen, situated on the Neckar, and thence to Gopingen and Geislingen.

Afterwards, crossing the Danube at Ulm, I passed through Gunsburg and the town of Purgow, from which the marquisate of Burgow takes its name, and so reached Augsburg,

1 Johann Flachsbinder, named Dantiscus, from Dantzig, his birthplace, editor of the Soteria, a collection of panegyrics on Herberstein, of several of which he was also the author.

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