Chapter 2

In Russia the Hanse found a valuable and most virgin field for its commercial enterprises. Thence it drew large supplies of timber, flax, hemp, ropes, skins, furs, wax, and tallow; bestowing in return (for the trade was only one of barter), salt, herrings, and coarse cloth, for the mass of the peasants; and brocades, jewels, wines, and other articles of luxury, for the wealthy boyards and princes. A factory at Novgorod conducted these transactions. Another factory at Bergen placed the Hanse in direct contact with Norway and Sweden. This was an establishment of considerable magnitude, comprising twenty-two courts, and serving not only as a lodging for the staff of agents and clerks, but as a warehouse for the goods. The chief exports from this quarter were timber, resin, sperm oil, and, above all, salted fish—a (S. 53, N. 9) commodity in great demand at a time when Europe was still Catholic and fasted faithfully on the appointed days. The Hanse had two other large factories, one in Bruges, employing three hundred agents, and another in London.

Year by year the Hanse grew more rich and powerful. New branches of business were opened up, new factories were founded. Kings and princes were glad to be on good terms with so influential a body. Ambassadors from the Kings of England, France, Sweden, and Denmark, and even from the Emperor himself, waited on the Diet, to ask favours, and to offer trading privileges in return. The original object of the league—mutual protection—was reasonable and legitimate, but was gradually expanded into a policy of forcible aggression and imperious monopoly. Not only were foreigners, in their voyages to (S. 72, N. 4) the Hanse towns, compelled to employ Hanseatic ships, but the commerce of the north-east and west of Europe was almost exclusively in the hands of the league.

and most virgin field = and hitherto quite unused field.

+beziehen+, insep. comp. irr. v. tr.

bestowing in return = Liter. which it (+sie+, to agree with +die Hansa+) for (+gegen+) ... exchanged. The verb stands, of course, after ‘princes’, and the clause ‘for — barter’ is best placed after it.

Repeat the preposition +gegen+ here.

Place ‘in — contact’ after ‘Sweden’.

for — clerks, +den Beamten und Unterbeamten+, which place after ‘only’. Render ‘as a’ by +zu+, contracted with the dat. of the def. art.

= but was also used as a (+als+) warehouse.

+bestanden aus+.

= but especially. The prep. +aus+ must be repeated here.

+Artikel+, m.; in — demand, +welcher ... in großer Nachfrage stand+.

Supply the adv. +noch+ here.

+Von Jahr zu Jahr.+

+froh+; to be on good terms, +auf freundschaftlichem Fuß stehen+; with — body, +mit dem mächtigen Städtebunde+, which place after ‘glad’.

= appeared before (+vor+).

+erbitten+; favours, +Gunstbezeugungen+; in return, +dafür+.

+zu+; of — monopoly, +der Gewaltherrschaft und des Monopols+; ‘to expand’, here +umgestalten+.

+auf+.

but ... was, +sondern es befand sich auch+; of = in.

Section 196.

THE HANSE.