Introduction
In 1553, Richard Chancellor led an expedition to see whether the Northeast passage might be used to reach Russia, bypassing the jealous states of the Hanseatic League along the Baltic shore. The gamble paid off, and before long the English were rewarded by the chance to visit Great Novgorod, the founding city of Russia and the country’s commercial capital.
Next unto Moscow, the city of Novogorod is reputed the chiefest of Russia; for although it be in majesty inferior to it, yet in greatness it goeth beyond it.* It is the chiefest and greatest mart town of all Muscovy; and albeit the Emperor’s seat is not there, but at Moscow, yet the commodiousness of the river falling into the gulf which is called Sinus Finnicus,* whereby it is well frequented by merchants, makes it more famous than Moscow itself. This town excels all the rest in the commodities of flax and hemp; it yields also hides, honey, and wax.
The Flemings there sometimes had a house of merchandise, but by reason that they used the like ill-dealing there which they did with us they lost their privileges;* a restitution whereof they earnestly sued for at the time that our men were there. But those Flemings, hearing of the arrival of our men in those parts, wrote their letters to the Emperor against them, accusing them for pirates and rovers, wishing them to detain and imprison them; which things, when they were known of our men, they conceived fear that they should never have returned home. But the Emperor, believing rather the king’s letter which our men brought* than the lying and false suggestions of the Flemings, used no ill treaty towards them.
From ‘The Principal Navigations, Voyages, and Discoveries made by the English Nation’ (1589) by Richard Hakluyt (1533-1616), as reproduced in ‘The Discovery of Muscovy’ (1893). Acknowledgements to ‘Early English Voyages to Northern Russia’ (1857), edited by Joseph (Iosif Khristianovich) Hamel (1788-1861).
* Not so today, of course. Together with Kiev, Veliky (Great) Novgorod is considered a mother-city of Russia, and its beginnings are traced back to the ninth century: see Invitation to a Viking. Moscow did not rise to prominence until the thirteenth. The population of Novgorod in 2024 was estimated to be just over 224,000. The city should not be confused with Nizhny (Lower) Novgorod.
* The Gulf of Finland, at what is now St Petersburg; in Chancellor’s day, the city had not yet been founded. To be precise, the Volkhov runs out of Lake Ilmen, a short distance from Novgorod, away north into Lake Ladoga, and then the Neva flows out of Lake Ladoga west into the Gulf of Finland.
* The Flemish were among the cities of the Hanseatic League, an association of merchant cities that banded together to control trade in the Baltic. London was the furthest west of the cities of the league, but by Chancellor’s time the activities of the League had become irksome for London, and London had become irksome for the league. See An Odious Monopoly. The English continued to make frequent visits to Novgorod in after years: Joseph Hamel named several of them in his painstaking study of early English relations with Russia.
* That is, the letter of King Edward VI of England which he placed in the hands of the merchants, assuring Tsar Ivan of their integrity. For Ivan’s reply, see With Good Intent and Friendly Desire.
Précis
Richard Hakluyt, the sixteenth-century historian, told how Sir Richard Chancellor took his English merchants to Veliky Novgorod, then Russia’s commercial capital. There was some conflict with the Flemish merchants there, who were desperately trying to regain trade privileges they had forfeited, and who spread lies about the English, but Tsar Ivan preferred to trust the word of King Edward VI. (60 / 60 words)
Richard Hakluyt, the sixteenth-century historian, told how Sir Richard Chancellor took his English merchants to Veliky Novgorod, then Russia’s commercial capital. There was some conflict with the Flemish merchants there, who were desperately trying to regain trade privileges they had forfeited, and who spread lies about the English, but Tsar Ivan preferred to trust the word of King Edward VI.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: besides, despite, if, just, must, otherwise, ought, since.
Archive
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 City. Hide. Sue.
2 Dealing. Sinus. Than.
3 But. Frequent. Toward.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
Your Words ()
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