Hus haue wee deliuered vnto you of euerie of these sutes their seuerall examples, wherein you must note, that if you write to your better a letter Remuneratorie, you maie not promise vnto him your gratefulnes with the verie word of requitall, but rather by the proffer of seruice or other affectionate meaning in you, to the answering of such curtesies as haue beene receiued. And next hereunto will we passe vnto the title Iocatorie. The letters of this sute are such as of some pleasant conceipted vain, do procéed from one familiar friend or acquaintance to another, rather of some sporting deuise then of anie important matter. The vse is common among pleasant heades, and rather suted forth according to their present vaines, then vpon anie prescribed order. Such whereof is at the end of our Epistles Commendatorie, & one other vnder the title Consolatorie mentioned in the former of these bookes, and likewise a third vnder the title Deprecatorie, written in this last part of letters, & a like whereunto was once written by my selfe, and three or foure other of a merie acquaintance, to a parson beeing our familiar, and one of good nature and disposition in the country, wherein each one wrote a line of a seueral hand, and as occasion fel out, inserted his sporting deuises, with many odde quips & meriments, wherwith the good Parson thought himselfe greatlie wronged, till he knew from whence it came. But in so much as to an inuention onlie naturallie to be expected, no method can be well prescribed, I leaue the Epistles of this sort to the discretion of the writer, as his fantasie serueth to be pursued. And goe to the next, which are called Gratulatorie. For as the one is a pleasant, merie and sporting vaine, so is this a kind of reioicing, but in a more modest and curteous maner, ouer the good healths, fortune, or other good partes or preferments, of our friendes, kindred, or acquaintance, whose examples to their proper purposes are nowe next to be deliuered.
An Epistle Gratulatorie from one friend to another.
SIr, I was verie sorie to vnderstand by the common report of our neighbours of your great sicknes, as of such a one whom our countrie should misse, and I promise you as much as anie poore welwiller of yours, I grieued thereat, but being certainlie againe assured of your good recouerie, I praise God in my thought for the same, and do reioice it hath pleased his goodnes to bring you to your former strength. Whereof hauing no better nor more apparant token at this present, then my heartie well wishing, I thought it parcell of an honest purpose to signifie the same vnto you by writing, especiallie hauing therunto so good and fitte oportunitie, as this bearer, whome entirelie I knowe to loue and regard you. And euen so with my heartie commendations to your selfe, and my good Coosen your wife, I heartilie bid you farwell, From B. this of, &c.
A Letter Gratulatorie from a wife to her husband.
GOod husbande, I am glad that you haue at the last remembred your selfe by this bearer, to write vnto me, who haue thought it verie long to heare from you. I doe greatlie reioice of the good and prosperous successe of your iourney, and chieflie that you haue endured your trauel so well, being in so good plight and strength of bodie, as I vnderstand you are by your Letter. We are much beholding vnto our good friends in the Countrie, that haue giuen you so great and good entertainment. And I heartilie pray you to commend mee vnto them. Your businesse heere at London goeth well, thankes bee to God, and wee haue no want of any thing but your presence, which if you would once hasten hitherward, it were a comfort vnto vs all to see you, hauing beene as me seemeth verie long absent. But maister C. and his friendes where you are, vseth you so kindlie, that I thinke you cannot well tell howe to winde your selfe out from your good companie. Yet good husbande remember that at the last you must come home, and the sooner the better. I referre all to your good discretion, and so commend mee most heartilie vnto you. From L. this of, &c.
A Letter Gratulatorie from one to his kinsman seruing in London.
GOod Coosen, I am glad to heare of your good preferment in London, and that, as I heare by your father and mother, you are so wel placed there, and with so good a Maister. It is no little comfort vnto mee to vnderstande, that you doe so resolutelie, and with so good a minde dispose your selfe to your businesse, which I gladlie wish you would continue. You must nowe remember that your friends with great charge, care and industrie haue brought you vp, and that their intent and meaning therein was, that in expectation thereof, they should haue ioy and comfort of you in your elder yeares. For which, as you haue now bequeathed your selfe to this place of seruice, so must you for any feare of hard vsage, bitternesse of speech, or other mislike of tauntes or rebukes, make account to endure and continue. It may be, being yet vnacquainted with the customs and vsages of London, you doe now at the beginning thinke well of that, which hereafter maie turne to a discontentment: but good Coosen, so be it you haue no want of things needfull and necessarie, frame your selfe to forbeare all other crosse matters whatsoeuer, and giue you wholie on Gods name, to the benefite of your seruice. You shall want therein no helpe, furtherance, or incouragement on mine and your friends behalfe, who reioycing in that alreadie to see you so well behaued, doe daylie praie to God to prosper and blesse you. And thus with my heartie commendations I bid you fare well. B. this of, &c.
Your Vnkle carefull of your
well doing, T. B.