Diuerse Orders of Greetings, Farewels and Sub- Scriptions. Cap. 5
Greetings of humilitie or acknowledgment of dutie.
Greetings familiar.
Acknowledging my selfe deepelie bounde vnto your L. for manie sundrie fauours: I doe remaine in all humble reuerrence. Finding my selfe manie wayes beholding vnto your exceeding courtesies, I ende. Remembring howe much I am indebted vnto your L. for your sundrie benefites: I conferre the regard thereof to my present imaginations, and doe beseech thereof at your honourable handes an euerlasting continuance. All humble loyaltie and seruice protested vnto your honorable calling, I rest nowe and perpetuallie your L. &c. Fearing in speeches, neuer with sufficiencie to manifest the conceit I haue of your most honourable fauours: I solace my selfe with the remembrance, and humblie leaue your L. to your woonted perseuerance. Praying the Almightie to haue your L. euermore in his gratious protection, I humblie take my leaue. Your worship in this, besides manie other occasions hauing perpetuallie bound mee, how can I but rest such, as you haue expected and shall euer find me. Eftsoones recording my bounden seruice vnto your worship and my good Ladie, I remaine as euer before. Not forgetting howe manie wayes I am charged, in dutifull remembrance towards you, I rest as I haue protested. More grieued at my mishap and disabilitie, then wanting either will or liking to doe seruice vnto you: I affix my selfe euermore vpon the acceptance of your woonted cuʳtesie, and humblie there withall do take my leaue: Commending the safetie and good estate of your worship to the Almighties protection, I rest in all dutifull regard to the same. Rather desirous to shewe my selfe thankful, then otherwise able in like sort to giue you any requital, I continue, &c. Binding my self by all possible indeuors, neuer to be fréed from the charge of so excéeding benefites, I wish I might as I would, be vnto you in verie deed, &c. Wishing vnto you and yours, as much happinesse, as my selfe am clogged with carefulnesse, I surcease. Desiring vnto you no worse successe in these and all other your laudable endeuors, then my selfe haue eftsoones craued in performance of my chiefest trauels, I recommend you to the tuition of the Almightie. Not forgetting our accustomed gréetings and interchangeable welwishings, my hastie Letter taketh ende. Weighing howe much you are alreadie busied, and not willing to keepe you further occupied, I ende my long and tedious discourse, beeing in nothing exempted from woonted salutations, and accustomed kind of greetings. Thinke not though my haste be such, but that I remember (notwithstanding all this breuitie) how greatlie I stand charged both to you and yours, to whome, and all the rest to you knowne I eftsoones commend me. Reioycing not a little at the health of you and all other our friends, I hartily bid you fare well. Reiocing my self on your wel-wishing, and the hope I haue to be returned in safetie I commend my hap to fortune, and our gouernement to the Almightie. Rendring vnto you as manie thankes, as I conceiued comfort of your good intreatings, I leaue to detaine you. Omitting what else to bee amplified in these or anie other occasions I expect your happie returne, and in hope thereof doe bid you farewell. Knowing howe well I loue you, the lesse ceremonies I néede to vse in greeting you, onlie you shall remember to your parents in most hartie maner to commend mee. Salute I praie you your friendes in my name, and thinke in my best and serious wishes I neuer forget you. My father willed me in his behalfe to salute you, and all the rest of your acquaintance here do most hartilie greete you. Forget not in what sort I haue heretofore receiued you, and thinke in the selfe same maner I do still intertaine you. My gréetings to our friend R. let not bee vnremembred, and deeme that in all my vowes I haue (vnto you all) most heartilie wished. I had almost let slip my commendations vnto your brother, which for anie thing I would not had bene forgotten, vpon whom, as of greatest choic, I will make my reposing.
The liking I haue to N. maketh mee here to remember him whose good demeanour as your own, I haue in chiefest reckoning. My gréetings and paper haue all one ende togither, onelie our friendship indissoluble can neuer be forgotten.
Thinke how exceedinglie I haue alwaies well wished vnto you, and accordinglie thereunto measure the rest of mine affections towards you. Haste compelleth mee to ende sooner than I would, wherin notwithstanding I can neuer omit sufficientlie to gréete you, eftsoones recognizing as behooueth, your especall good liking towards me, &c.
Innummerable of these and such like might be imagined both in greetings and farewels, the course whereof beeing furnished with such varietie as it is, I haue left the residue vnto the conceit of the learner, accounting the plentie herein set down, for anie studious follower to be alreadie sufficient.
Subscriptions.
And now to the Subscriptions, the diuersities whereof are (as best they may be allotted in sence) to either of these to bee placed, forwarned alwaies vnto the vnskilfull herein, that writing to anie person of account, by howe much the more excellent hee is in calling from him in whose behalfe the Letter is framed, by so much the lower, shall the subscription thereunto belonging, in any wise be placed.
And if the state of honour of him to whome the Letter shall be directed doe require so much, the verie lowest margent of paper shall do no more but beare it, so be it the space bee seemelie for the name, and the roome fairre inough to comprehend it, which Subscriptions in all sortes to be handled shall passe in this or the like order or substance.
Maner and varietie of subscriptions.
Your L. most deuoted and loyallie affected. Your Honours most assured in whatsoeuer seruices. Your L. in whatsoeuer to be commanded. The most affectionate vnto your L. of all others. Hee that hath vowed to liue and die in your Honourable seruice. Your L. most faithfull and obedient Sonne. Your La. louing and obedient Daughter. Who but by your L. is onelie to be commaunded. Whose heart is your Honours, and his life by your L. to be disposed. He that liueth not but for your worship, and to doe you seruice. Whose regard stretcheth vnto your Worship more then vnto anie others. He that vnto your worship hath vowed to become most assured. Whome none haue euer bound so much, as the deserts of your L. Your L. in all humblenes. Your Honours euer to be commaunded. At your worships command. Your La. most bounden and affectionate. At your honourable direction. Alwaies attendant vpon your L. pleasure. Your worships in all good account. Yours euer louing and most assured. To none so much as your selfe. Hee that in all accounts tendereth your welfare. Whome by your onelie curtesie you haue conuinced. The same which I accept from you, and not otherwise. Such as I am, or as you wish to finde me. He that in his liking is onlie yours. Whome you haue euer knowne, but neuer prooued. Whose liking onelie accounteth of your worthinesse. Such as you haue euer founde me, and not otherwise. Yours in what soeuer to bee imploied. More chary of your welfare, then carefull of himselfe. Yours as you like to haue me. Yours faithfull and euer assured. Yours or not his owne. He who found you, but neuer knew you. He that once fauoured you, but sithence hath vowed neuer to regarde you. Whose liking by your ingratitude hath beene quenched. In whose account you once were, but now abandoned. Who once wished to loue, but could neuer hate thee. Whom thy deserts haue made an enemie. Whom hereby you may win, (if you list) for euer to become a friend. To each one louing, but to the most charie. Whose heart shall faile in any thing, sooner then in conceit towardes thee. Hée, whose in loialtie thou didst protest to be. Who liueth not but to pursue thee. Who euer looked on, but neuer loued thee. The same as you left me. Such as you saw when you departed from me. The same and none other, which I haue euer seemed to be. Whose worde hath bounde him, and faith shall assure him. Yours most affectionate. Yours deuoted till death. Yours while life swaieth within me. Yours as far forth as anie others. &c. with manie other applications, whose Epithets are infinite, and rather vpon the cause suggested then otherwise, to bee euermore added, altered, or conceiued. These and the others may only suffice for the present purpose, referring what else to be expected, to the regarde of a more curious or delicate inuention.
Acknowledgemēt of duty in the Exordium.
And herein I thought good to aduertise the learner, that sometimes it falleth out, that this acknowledgement of dutie, mentioned in the beginning of the greetings and farewels, is in diuers Letters expressed in the foremost part, and the Exordium thereupon framed: (for that the same in truth is one of the parts thereunto belonging effected in the person or condition of him to whom we write) which to doe, if in his writing also the same maie be deemed necessarie, he maie then vse some other order of farewell or taking leaue, either by imitation of others, or if hee thinke meete, what herein else prescribed, consonant and agreeing to the state and reputation of the same partie to whome hee writeth. Now then shall followe the directions, which on the outside of euerie Letter (the same being made vp and sealed) are alwaies fired, and commonlie are termed by the name of Superscriptions.