Section 195 The Hanse. — II
In Russia the Hanse found a valuable and most virgin field1 for its commercial enterprises. Thence it drew2 large supplies of timber, flax, hemp, ropes, skins, furs, wax, and tallow; bestowing in return3 (for the trade was only one of barter), salt, herrings, and coarse cloth, for the mass of the peasants; and4 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 contact5 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 clerks6, but as a warehouse7 for the goods. The chief exports from this quarter were8 timber, resin, sperm oil, and, above all9, salted fish—a (S. 53, N. 9) commodity10 in great demand at a time when Europe was still Catholic and fasted faithfully on the appointed days. The Hanse had11 two other large factories, one in Bruges, employing three hundred agents, and another in London.
Year by year12 the Hanse grew more rich and powerful. New branches of business were opened up, new factories were founded. Kings and princes were glad13 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 on14 the Diet, to ask15 favours, and to offer trading privileges in return. The original object of the league—mutual protection—was reasonable and legitimate, but was gradually expanded into16 a policy of forcible aggression and imperious monopoly. Not only were foreigners, in17 their voyages to (S. 72, N. 4) the Hanse towns, compelled to employ Hanseatic ships, but18 the commerce of the north-east and west of Europe was almost exclusively in the hands of the league.
Notes
1 and most virgin field = and hitherto quite unused field.
2 beziehen, insep. comp. irr. v. tr.
3 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.
4 Repeat the preposition gegen here.
5 Place ‘in — contact’ after ‘Sweden’.
6 for — clerks, den Beamten und Unterbeamten, which place after ‘only’. Render ‘as a’ by zu, contracted with the dat. of the def. art.
[7] = but was also used as a (als) warehouse.
8 bestanden aus.
9 = but especially. The prep. aus must be repeated here.
10 Artikel, m.; in — demand, welcher... in großer Nachfrage stand.
11 Supply the adv. noch here.
12 Von Jahr zu Jahr.
13 froh; to be on good terms, auf freundschaftlichem Fuß stehen; with — body, mit dem mächtigen Städtebunde, which place after ‘glad’.
14 = appeared before (vor).
15 erbitten; favours, Gunstbezeugungen; in return, dafür.
16 zu; of — monopoly, der Gewaltherrschaft und des Monopols; ‘to expand’, here umgestalten.
17 auf.
18 but... was, sondern es befand sich auch; of = in.