ong subjected to.

Marcus made me a visit two days afterwards, and supplied me with some
necessaries, exhorting me, as on the part of his sovereign, to keep a
good heart. I returned his visit next day; and being very desirous to
return home to Venice, I requested him to introduce me to the grand duke,
which he promised to do as soon as possible, and I soon afterwards was
desired to go to court. Immediately on my getting there, I was conducted
to an audience; on which I made my obeisance in due form to the grand
duke, to whom I returned thanks for all the attentions I had received
from his ambassador, Marcus, in the course of my journey, by whose
assistance and advice I had escaped a thousand dangers; assuring his
highness that I attributed these marks of kindness as done to the
republic of Venice, whose ambassador I was, and that the republic would
unquestionably evince a due sense of the obligations, to which I owed my
life and safety. The grand duke interrupted my harangue, by complaining
with much emotion of the conduct of _John Baptista_ of Treviso, and said
a great deal on this subject, which is not proper for me to report. After
a conversation of some length, in which I spoke to his highness about my
departure, he closed my audience, postponing his answers to my requests
to a future opportunity. The grand duke was very shortly to quit Moscow,
on purpose to visit several parts of his dominions, and particularly the
Tartar frontier, where one of his officers was stationed, with the
command of 500 horse[4], to repress the incursions of robbers on that
side: I therefore endeavoured to procure an answer about my departure,
and solicited a second audience for that purpose. On this occasion I was
very politely received by the grand duke, accompanied by three of his
principal barons. At first they expatiated at some length on the subject
of John Baptista, formerly mentioned; but at length I received liberty to
remain or to depart as I thought proper. They dismissed me with this
vague answer, and the grand duke set out from Moscow soon afterwards. I
owed a great deal of money to Marcus, which he had expended for me and my
people, as he had defrayed the whole expences of our journey, and had
supplied me with many things of which I stood in need. I requested
permission from him to go away, giving him the most solemn assurance that
I would transmit full payment to him immediately after my arrival at
Venice. But he declared thi