The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, and Discoveries of the English Nation, vol 3 | Page 6

thereof
beeing wholly addicted vnto heathenish superstitions and idolatrie,
were by the croised [Footnote: _Croised_: wearing the cross,
Crusaders,] knights (who drew other knights professing the same order
in Prussia to aide and accompanie them in this their enterprise) and that
with great labour and difficultie, conuerted vnto the Christian faith:
when as at the same time the Liuonians had no knowledge at all of the
iurisdiction, religion, maners, or language of Moscouie: who had not
onely no conuersation nor dealings with the Moscouites, but were
estranged also from all other nations whatsoeuer: for leading a
miserable, poore, barbarous, and heathenish life, in sauage maner
among wilde beastes, and in the desert and solitary woods, they were
vtterly ignorant of God and destitute of ciuil magistrates. Howbeit this
kind of gouernment was peculiar vnto them, namely that all of one
familie and society vsed a kinde of reuerence vnto their elders more
then to any other, whom also, that their authoritie might be the greater,
they called by the name of kings, and (albeit one of their families
consisted of a 100 persons) they obeyed them in al respects, and after
their rude and barbarous maner did them loyal seruice. At the very
same time the Moscouites had receiued the religion, and the
Ecclesiasticall ceremonies of the Greeke and Easterne Church, which
religion they published and dispersed throughout all prouinces subiect

to their dominion, vsing their owne proper letters and characters for the
same purpose. Of all which things the Liuonians which very
barbarously inhabited a lande beeing enuironed with Russia, Lithuania,
Samogitia, Prussia, and the Balthic Sea, neuer heard any report at all. It
is moreouer to be noted that neuer at any time heretofore either within
the earth, or in other places of Liuonia, there haue bene found any
monuments at all of the antiquitie or letters of the Russes: which verily
must needs haue come to passe, if the Moscouites, Russes, or any other
nations which vse the foresaid particulars, had borne rule and authority
ouer the Liuonians: yea there had beene left some remainder and token,
either of their religion and diuine worship, or of their lawes and
customes, or at the least of their maners, language, and letters. This
indeed we can in no wise deny, that euen in Liuonia it selfe, there haue
bin in times past and at this present are many and diuers languages
spoken by the people. Howbeit no one language of them all hath any
affinity either with the Moscouian tongue, or with the tongues of any
other nations. But whereas the Moscouite pretendeth that there hath
been visually paide a pension or tribute vnto himselfe and his
predecessours out of the whole prouince, it is as incredible as the
former.
About the beginning of this tragicall warre, the Moscouite, to cloke his
tyranny and ambition vnder some faire pretense amongst other of his
demaunds, made mention also of a tribute which should be due vnto
him out of the bishop of Dorpat his iurisdiction, whereof
notwithstanding hee could neither bring any iust account, nor affirm
any certainty: howbeit there is no man liuing to be found which either
can tell of his owne remembrance, or from the relation of others, that
any such tribute was euer paid vnto the Moscouite. What time therefore
he referred al this negotiation vnto the master of the Liuonian order,
and commanded him to get what knowledge hee could therof from the
men of Dorpat, and vrged the tribute, saying if it were worth but one
haire, that he would not remit it: at length it was found recorded in the
ancient Chronicles of Dorpat, that beyond the memory of man, when
the territory of Plesco contained nothing but woods and forrests for
wilde beastes, that the peasaunts of the liberty of Dorpat called Neuhus,
by the consent of the Russian borderers, enioyed Bee hiues in the said
woods, and paid euery yeere in lieu thereof vnto the Russian

gouernours, sixe shillings of Liuonian coine. But so soone as the
Russians had felled the woods and had built townes and villages in
their place, the saide pension ceased together with the trees which were
cut downe. Wherefore the saide sixe shillings were neuer since that
time either demanded by the Russes or paid by the Liuonians. These
things which I knew concerning the causes of the Liuonian warres I
thought good to signifie vnto you. Giuen the 22. of May, in the yeere of
our Lord 1576.
* * * * *
Ordinances, instructions, and aduertisements of and for the direction of
the intended voyage for Cathay, compiled, made, and deliuered by the
right worshipfull M. Sebastian Cabota Esquier, gouernour of the
mysterie and companie of the Marchants aduenturers for the discouerie
of Regiones, Dominions, Islands