lodged and defrayed at the charge of the
Muscovy Company." This seems rather to
have been a commercial minister than a royal
ambassador. In a few days he is, however,
conducted to Court. "All the servants of less
esteem marched all the way on foot before
him (the rest in coaches provided by the
merchants), each of those on foot carrying
before them, with ostentation, to open view,
some parcell of the various present sent to
his Majesty by the Emperour. This consisted
of sable furres, black foxes, ermynes, hawkes,
with their hoods and mantles covering their
backs and wings, all embroydered with gold
and pearle, two living sables, a Persian dagger
and knife set with stones and pearles, two
rich cloath of gold, Persian horsecloathes, a
Persian kettledrum to lure hawkes with, &c.,
&c. Besides many other sables and black
fox furres sent to the King from three of
the principal nobles of the Emperour's
Court, and besides, some presented to his
Majesty from the ambassador and the
Chancellour."

The generosity of the Czar meets with a
very poor return. James apparently will give
nothing, and the Muscovy Company comes
to the rescue, and engages the services of the
worthy Sir John Finnett to put on his robes
of ceremony, and present the barbarians with
a few silver gilt dishes, pretending they come
from the King and the Prince. "With these
bestowed in two hampers carried by two
porters, I went (that they might not be
suspected if met by any of his followers to come
from anywhere than the Court and from the
King) first down to Queenhite, and then up
to the ambassador's at St. Thomas Apostle.
Brought to his house I caused my man (after
I had finished my feigned compliment in
name of Majesty and of his Highness) to
range the plate orderly, each portion by
itself, on a table; that done, the ambassador,
with a formall oration of thanks, took one of
the King's bowles, and one of the Prince's,
and drank their healths in each, inviting me
the next day to dinner." The ambassador
also presents Sir John with sables and
ermines to the value of thirty pounds. A
set of jolly hard drinking gentlemen were the
Russian ambassadors of those times. On
their first presentation they dismayed the
Lord Chamberlain and the other dignitaries,
by dropping suddenly on their knees and
knocking their foreheads three times on the
ground at James's feet. On rising again,
they were requested to address the Council
on the object of their mission—but they said
that on such festive occasions as seeing the
eyes of a king, they always dismissed business
and treated themselves to a night's drinking.
It was not of course for James, the tipsiest
monarch of his time, to make any objection
to this agreeable custom; so the Muscovites
did justice to innumerable toasts. "Dinner
being ended, and the table uncovered, the
health to his Emperor was begun and
pledged round, then our King's; then the
Emperor's father (the Patriarch), then the
Prince's; his own and others, usque ad
ebrietatum."

When he was going away, the shifty usher
was again employed to deceive the Muffe.
He took him fifty pounds for his expenses
home, in the name of the Lords of the Council:
though the money was really advanced by
the Muscovy merchants; but the Muffe is
greatly discontented with the smallness of
the sum, and applies for more—a mean fellow
he turns out to be, indeed, in spite of his
liberality in furs. He petitions further, that
"whereas in Lent he had forborne to take
the first fasting week his allowance of fish,
he might (as he had formerly," he said,
"requested) have an allowance in money
(equivalent) for it. Also that their Lordships
would be pleased before his departure to order
some course about a woman that had deceaved
him upon account of worke done for him of
eighteen pounds."

This shabbiness is congenially responded
to, by a message from the Muscovy Company,
in the name of the Lords, that his allowance
for sea stores was greater than usual; but in
respect of the saving in fish they send him
ten pounds more. With regard to the woman,
he must leave a letter of attorney, and have
her prosecuted according to law. It is
satisfactory to know that this answer did not
lead to his indignant departure, or to the
assertion of any claims of protectorate or
authority. This was a representative of the
first sovereign of the present reigning house,
and did honour to the Romanoffs.

There are other receptions of "forren"
ambassadors in every page; with quarrels
among them all, as to precedence at banquets,
and amount of presents. The Venetian goes
off in a huff because his parting donation
consists of only two thousand ounces of silver
plate, whereas the Spaniard had four
thousand. James has to explain that a
diminution must take place in his gifts
to all.

On laying down this record of falsehood,
meanness, bitterness and ill temper, we
only marvel that diplomacy has survived
the present time, or that any Master of
Ceremonies has ever remained for half a
out of the congenial walls of Bedlam.