h two
thousand marks, Vesteras one thousand marks, and Vexioe five hundred
marks. The amount imposed on Abo seems unreasonably large, which is
probably to be accounted for by the fact that Abo was not present at the
meeting. Brask, in writing to Abo, told the bishop that his quota was
three thousand marks, but did not name to him the individual amounts to
be contributed by the other bishops. Gustavus, in a letter to the
members of his Cabinet in Finland, was even more unfair. He told them
that Abo was to pay three thousand marks, and added that Linkoeping and
Skara were to pay the same. Brask's letter is particularly important in
that it puts the balance of the debt to Lubeck at forty-five thousand
Lubeck marks, equivalent to ninety thousand Swedish marks, of which
amount the archbishop and bishops were expected to raise fifteen
thousand marks. Brask, with his usual shrewdness, urged the king to pay
the debt that autumn, and thus get rid of Lubeck before the winter came.
Gustavus doubtless shared with him this view, but there were several
grave difficulties in the way. Early in October the monarch held a
conference with the Lubeck envoys, and found the balance, as they
figured it, to be larger than he had supposed. Moreover, the peasants in
the north of Sweden declared they could not spare the funds, and urged
Gustavus to postpone the levy till a more convenient time. So that at
the close of 1526 the Lubeck envoys were still clamoring for their
pay.[127]

The cramped position in which Gustavus was held by Lubeck made it of
great importance that he should be on amicable terms with other powers.
So early as 1523, he had sent ambassadors to Russia to ratify the treaty
made by Sture. They had returned, however, with announcement that the
grand duke's envoys would come to Stockholm and arrange the terms. This
promise had never been fulfilled. As soon, therefore, as opportunity was
found, the monarch prepared to send ambassadors again. The person to
whom the matter was intrusted was the monarch's brother-in-law, Johan
von Hoya. In November, 1525, this officer, who had just returned from an
expedition to Lubeck, set sail for Finland, where he already had been
granted fiefs, with orders to determine whether or not it was desirable
that the embassy should go. Considerable delay ensued because Gustavus
was in want of funds. He thought that since the expedition would be
mainly for the benefit of Finland, the cost of sending it sho