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Rh his other conversations with the grand-prince in obtaining his favour and confidence in a very high degree. It was not without great trouble that Herberstein could prevail upon Sigismund to send ambassadors. At length, however, they arrived; but no sooner had he had an audience and commenced negotiations with them, than the grand-prince received intelligence that Sigismund had already sent a new army into Russia, a circumstance which not only made him suspect the ambassadors, but even Herberstein himself. The latter, nevertheless, was soon able to clear his own character; but when the Polish delegates declared that their king insisted on the restoration of Smolensko, then, in spite of Herberstein’s indefatigable exertions, all hopes of a peaceable termination vanished. The grand-prince, however, gave perfect credit to his intentions and his zeal; and in the Russian archives we find, amongst other distinctions given to him, that whenever he was invited to court together with the Poles, the grand-prince always gave him his hand, an honour never bestowed on the other delegates.

At length, on the 15th of November, Herberstein sent in his last memorial, to which he received on the following day a decisive answer, destroying all hopes of a friendly arrangement with Sigismund, and of so definite a character as to cause the Polish delegates to leave Moscow on the 18th of November. Meanwhile Herberstein was treated constantly with regard and respect, and invited to different festivities and amusements of the court; amongst others, he wit-