The answere of her Majestie to the aforesaid Letters of the Great Turke, sent the 25 of October 1579, in the Prudence of London by Master Richard Stanley.
ELIZABETH by the grace of the most mightie God, and
onely Creatour of heaven and earth, of England, France
and Ireland Queene, the most invincible and most mighty
defender of the Christian faith against all kinde of idolatries, of all that live among the Christians, and falsly
professe the Name of Christ, unto the most Imperiall and
most invincible prince, Zuldan Murad Can, the most
mightie ruler of the kingdome of Turkie, sole and above
all, and most sovereigne Monarch of the East Empire,
greeting, and many happy and fortunate yeeres, with
abundance of the best things.
Most Imperiall and most invincible Emperour, wee have
received the letters of your mightie highnesse written to us
from Constantinople the fifteenth day of March this present yere, whereby we understand how gratiously, and
how favorably the humble petitions of one William Hareborne a subject of ours, resident in the Imperial citie of
your highnes presented unto your Majestie for the obteining of accesse for him and two other Marchants more of
his company our subjects also, to come with marchandizes
both by sea and land, to the countreis and territories subject to your government, and from thence againe to returne
home with good leave and libertie, were accepted of your
most invincible Imperiall highnesse, and not that onely,
but with an extraordinarie speed and worthy your
Imperiall grace, that which was craved by petition was
granted to him, and his company in regard onely (as it
seemeth) of that opinion which your highnesse conceived
of us and our amitie : which singular benefit done to our
aforesaid subjects, wee take so thankefully, and in so
good part (yeelding for the same our greatest thanks to
your highnesse) that he will never give occasion to your
said highnesse (according as time, and the respect of our
affaires will permit) once to thinke so great a pleasure
bestowed upon an ungratefull Prince. For the Almighty
God, by whom, and by whose grace we reigne, hath
planted in us this goodnesse of nature, that wee detest and
abhorre the least suspition of ingratitude, and hath taught
us not to suffer our selves to bee overmatched with the
good demerits of other Princes. And therefore at this
time wee doe extende our good minde unto your highnesse, by well conceiving, and publishing also abroad,
how much we repute our selfe bound in an everlasting
remembrance for this good pleasure to our Subjects, meaning to yeelde a much more large and plentifull testification
of our thankefulnesse, when time convenient shall fall out,
and the same shall bee looked for at our handes.
But whereas that graunt which was given to a fewe
of our Subjects, and at their onely request without any
intercession of ours, standeth in as free a libertie of
comming and going to and from all the lands and
kingdoms subject to your Majestie, both by land & sea
with marchandizes, as ever was granted to any of your
Imperiall highnesse confederates, as namely to the French,
the Polonians, the Venetians, as also to the subjects of
the king of the Romanes, wee desire of your highnesse
that the commendation of such singular courtesie may not
bee so narrowly restrained to two or three men onely, but
may be inlarged to all our subjects in generall, that
thereby your highnesse goodnesse may appeare the more
notable, by reason of the graunting of the same to a
greater number of persons. The bestowing of which so
singular a benefit your highnesse shall so much the lesse
repent you of, by howe much the more fit and necessary
for the use of man those commodities are, wherewith our
kingdomes doe abound, and the kingdomes of other
princes doe want, so yt there is no nation that can be
without them, but are glad to come by them, although
by very long and difficult travels: and when they have
them, they sell them much deerer to others, because every
man seeketh to make profite by his labour: so that in the
getting of them there is profit, but in the buying of them
from others there is losse. But this profite will be
increased to the subjects of your highnesse by this free
accesse of a few of our subjects to your dominions, as
also the losse and burden wilbe eased, by the permission
of generall accesse to all our people. And furthermore
we will graunt as equall and as free a libertie to the
subjects of your highnesse with us for the use of traffique,
when they wil, and as often as they wil, to come, and go
to and from us and our kingdomes. Which libertie wee
promise to your highnesse shalbe as ample, and as large
as any was ever given or granted to your subjects by the
aforesaide princes your confederats, as namely the king
of the Romanes, of France, of Poland
, and the common
wealth of Venice
. In which matter, if your most invincible Imperiall highnesse shall vouchsafe to incline to
our reasonable request, and shall give order upon these
our letters, that wee may have knowledge how the same
is accepted of you, and whether it wilbe granted, with
sufficient securitie for our subjects to go, and returne safe
and secure from all violences and injuries of your people,
we on the other side wil give order, that those commodities
which Almighty God hath bestowed upon our kingdomes
(which are in deed so excellent, that by reason of them
all princes are drawen to enter, and confirme leagues of
amitie and good neighborhood with us, by that meanes
to enjoy these so great blessings of God, which we have,
and they can in no case want) our subjects shall bring
them so abundantly and plentifully to the kingdomes and
dominions of your highnesse, that both the former inconveniences of necessitie, and losse, shall most sufficiently
be taken away.
Moreover the signification and assurance of your highnesse great affection to us and our nation, doeth cause us
also to intreat and use mediation on the behalfe of certaine
of our subjects, who are deteined as slaves and captives
in your Gallies, for whom we crave, that forasmuch as
they are fallen into that misery, not by any offence of
theirs, by bearing of armes against your highnesse, or in
behaving of themselves contrary to honestie, and to the
law of nations, they may be delivered from their bondage,
and restored to libertie, for their service towardes us,
according to their duetie: which thing shall yeeld much
more abundant cause to us of commending your clemencie,
and of beseeching that God (who onely is above all things,
.and all men, and is a most severe revenger of all idolatrie,
and is jelous of his honour against the false gods of the
nations) to adorne your most invincible Imperiall highnesse with all the blessings of those gifts, which onely
and deservedly are accounted most worthy of asking.
Given at our palace of Greenwich
, neere to our Citie
of London, the five and twentieth day of October, in the
yeere of Jesus Christ our Saviour one thousand, five
hundreth, seventie and nine, and of our reigne the one
and twentieth.
