Something I didn’t know before…
Apparently Queen Elizabeth I wrote a letter to Emperor Wanli of Ming back in 1602. The letter didn’t get to its destination as it was supposed to be delivered by George Weymouth on his unsuccessful voyage in search of a North-West passage to Asia.
In fact that letter wasn’t the first time Queen Elizabeth I attempted to send a letter to the Emperor of China. She tried to do so in 1583, and 1596. All of them failed to reach the Ming court. These letters eventually made it to China in 1984.
The letter was written in English, Italian, Latin and Portuguese, in hopes of someone in China being able to read one of them.
ELIZABETH BY THE GRACE OF GOD QUEEN of England, France and Ireland Defendor of the faith etc. To the great, mighty, and Invincible Emperour of Cathaia, greeting. Wee haue receaued dyuers, and sondry relacions both by our owne Subiects, and by others, whoe haue visited some partes of your Maiesties Empire and Dominions, wherby they haue reported vnto vs aswell your Inuincible greatnes, as your kynd vsage of Strangers, that resorte vnto your Kingdomes with trade of merchandize, which hath wrought in vs a desire, to fynd oute some neerer waye of passage by Seas from vs, into your cuntrey, then the vsuall frequented course that hetherto hath byn houlden by compassing the greatest part of the world, By which neerer passage, not only opportunity of entercourse of traffique of merchandize may be offered between the Subiectes of both our Kingdomes, but also a mutuall league, and amity may growe, and be contynued, between your Maiestie and vs, our Cuntries, and Dominions being in their distance of scituacions, not so farr remote, or seuered, as they are estranged, and vnknowen the one to the other, by reason of the long and tedious course of Navigacion hetherto vsed from theis parts unto yow. To which ende wee haue heretofore many yeares past, and at sundry tymes synce made choice of some of our Subiects, being a people by nature enclyned to great attemptes, and to the discouery of Contries, and Kingdomes vnknowen, and sett them in hand with the fynding out of some neerer passage by Seas into your Maiesties Contries, through the North, or East partes of the world, wherin hetherto not preuayling, but some of their Ships neuer returning back agayne, nor being heard of synce their departure hence, and some of them retourning back agayne being hindered in their entended voyag by the frozen Seas, and intollerable cold of those Clymates; wee haue yett once more of our earnest desire to try the vttermost that may be done to performe at length a neerer discouery of your Contrye, prepared and sett fourth two small Shipps vnder the direction of our Subiect, and Seruant George waymouth, being the principall Pylott of this present voyage, a man for his knowledge and Experience in nauigacion, specially chosen by vs to this attempte whom if it shall please god so to prosper in his passage, that either hee, or any of his company shall aryue in any port of your Kingdome, wee pray your Maiestie in favour of vs, who haue soe desired the attayning this meanes of accesse vnto yow, and in regard of an enterprize performed by hym, and his company with so great difficulty, and danger, that you will vse them with that regard that maye gyue them encouragement to make this their newe discouered passage, which hetherto hath not byn frequented, or knowne by any to become a vsuall frequented trade from theis partes of the world to your Maiestie. By which meanes your contrey may hereafter be serued with the natyue commodityes of theis partes of speciall seruice, and vse, both for your Maiestie and Subiectes and by returne, and enterchange of your contrey comodities, wee and our Subiectes may be furnished with thinges of lyke seruice and vse, out of which mutuall benefitt amity, and frendshipe may growe, and be established between vs, which wee for our part will not let hereby to offer vnto yow for the honorable report which wee haue heard of your Maiestie and because in this first discouery of the waye to your conntrey, it seemed to vs not convenient to ymploy Shippesof that burthen, which might bring in them any great quantity of our natyue commoddities wherby they might be pestered, wee did resolue to vse small shippes as fittest for an vnknowen passage, laden for the most part with such necessaries, as were of vse for their discouery; It may please your Maiestie by the particulers of such things, as are brought in theis Shippesto vnderstand that of goodes of those kyndes, our kingdome is able to furnish your Maiestie most amply, and also of sundry other kyndes of merchandize of like vse, whereof it may please your Maiestie to be more particulerly enformed by the said George waymouth, and his company, of all which upon significacion vnto vs by your Maiesties Lettres to be returned by our said Subiect that our visiting of your Kingdomes with our shippes, and merchandize shalbe acceptable, and kindly receiued, wee will in the next fleet, which we shall send vnto yow, make it more fully appeare what vse, and benefitt, our amity, and entercourse may bring to your Maiestie and contrey. And in the meane tyme do commend your Maiestie to the protection of the Eternall God, whose prouidence guideth, and preserueth all Kinges, and Kingdomes. From our Royall Pallace of Greenwiche the fourthe of May anno Domini 1602 and of our Raigne 44°.
Strange usage of u and v in the letter, but that’s just how the pdf has them too.
I’m guessing haue is have, vs is us, and vnto is onto… Does that mean v and u were flipped back then? Don’t remember Shakespeare writing with u and v flipped. The pdf also spelt the first invincible with a v, and the second inuincible with a u.
