such a degree which is likewise often attributed to other Knights and somtime to Esquires and other Gentlemen by way of Complement Gentlemen writing to Knights and Baronets often give onely the title of Sir and noble Sir worthy or most worthy Sir sometime Most Noble and the like But I like the plainest best especially when one hath much businesse and little leisure to complement The usuall superscription from one inferiour or of meaner rank is Right worshipfull c. sometime Right renowned or right worthy Sir and this comes sometimes as a Rarity from a punie Scholler as tumbling from his thumping pen And under the degree of a Gentleman or a Gentlemans mate it behoves in writing to have his or your Worship by the end along so often as his speech hath relation to the Baronets or Knights person From a peasant your good Worship will not do amisse But from a Gentleman ridiculous as arguing little breeding One Gentleman or Esquire writing to another usually attribute onely the title of Sir especially if strangers or lesse intimate if better acquainted many times some other addition of Noble Worthy Courteous Generous Kinde and the like according to their intimacie affection and difference of eminency and fortunes Somtime if very intimate more familiar termes which they ordinarily use in discourse But from one of a meaner sort or not a Gentleman would be thought a sawcinesse or arrogancy at least to do so unlesse from such make-sports as Gentlemen make use of onely to foole with From a Tradesman therefore of the ordinary sort I meane writing to an Esquire the title of Worshipfull Sir or Worthy Sir or the like and now and then to pull your Worship out of his pocket especially if to one any wayes eminent or of quality is no more than beseeming and requisite To lesse eminent or of meane fortunes or younger houses Sir will suffice The like ought to be observed in farmers and countrey-people of meaner rank Gentlemen of quality whether Knights Esquires or other Gentlemen of worth and fortune writing to Yeomen of the more substantiall sort such as go under jurisdiction of the common attribute Mr and whom such men please to make their companions in table and discourse if they be any thing intimate usually begin their title Honest Thom. Kinde Ieffrey Good Will such an one c. if lesse acquainted or when they are to be beholding to them for any courtesie then it will not be amisse to hang on their noses as spectacles at first entrance Mr such or such an one c. writing to any kinde of Scoggin or hanger on or the like then nothing but Dick Thom. c. I prethee do such a thing c. To an ordinary yeoman or tradesman Goodman c. is a good beginning But alwayes let Schollers and younger Brothers give the highest of his attributes to any wealthy man for 't is the money and not the man they are to respect and court But in personating a Letter from one to another under the degree or at least the title of a Gentleman he will be accounted more woodcock than wise that shall study any other complement than to begin with the ordinary title appropriate to them and so persist The same kinde of common title appropriate to the Person is to be used in civility when we write to one we hold as an adversary as to a Knight of what sort soever Sir such an one c. To an Esquire if much above our rank it is decent to say Sir if not the same that to a Gentleman If to a Gentleman of what rank or nature soever Mr such an one putting in his surname If under then Goodman thus or thus or from a Gentleman to one much inferiour Iohn Thomas Richard So and So c. And thus much for titles or superscriptions This is usually placed in the first corner in the margent space above the body of your Letter But I had like to have forgot the Ecclesiasticall title of Reverend Sir or Most Reverend c. according to their worth and dignity Having therefore thus instanced the severall sorts of Superscriptions we will now come to the Subscriptions for the body of a Letter can be reduced to no precise or particular rule without too much needlesse labour and innovation and in generall we have already said what we determine The same generall rule therefore that ties you in the superscription and body of the Letter to have respect to the party to whom you write and your owne individuall person ties you to the same conditions in the subscription and indorsement or outward superscription which wee bee still to treat of To a Baron therefore or to a Lord wee usually subscribe thus Your honours most humble servant My Lord Your eternally devoted Honourer and thrice humble servant Your Lordships most faithfull and most humble servant Your Lordships till death Your Lordships to command Your Honours most obliged c. diverse of this sort Subscriptions indeed as common as Hackney horses on Dunstable rode to meaner persons than Barons or Knights either onely leaving out Honour and Lordship But Your thrice humble servant and the like I have often heard from such as I presume understood not the word From Gentleman to Gentleman if equall and acquainted then Your assured friend to serve you Your truly respective friend or the like But if lesse acquainted or different in degree There is so much service professed as they forget all friendship Nothing then but Your servant Your humble servant Sir at your command and the like innumerable which I leave to observation and practice Onely take this by the way that one of inferiour ranke writing to a person eminent in degree above him by the Lawes of our best Secretaries shall commonly write his name at the foot of all the Letter or paper be it never so large and the contents never so small to shew his acknowledgement of distance The other subscription about middle distance betweene the body of the Letter and the name And that either double or single as occasion is offered of your expression and the quantity of space or void paper Sometime they make it in a treble space by interposing My Lord or Sir or noble or worthy Sir and the like according to their degree From an inferiour person to a Baronet or Knight Your Worships most humble servant Your Worships to command in all due respect and the like The same is to bee observed in one of meane ranke to an Esquire especially if of worth or any wise eminent To or between men of ordinary quality whether under the title of Gentlemen Citizens and tradesmen or the like the usuall subscription of Your loving friend Your very loving friend Your assured Your faithfull Your true and sometime Your respective friend for change or where the party written to hath the odds in estimation is most commendable In briefe notes no more but Yours N. N. To a Gentleman of
ordinary quality from an inferiour person Your servant Yours to command c. To an adversary Yours as you use me Yours to use but not abuse Yours if you please if not mine owne Yours as I see cause Yours when not mine owne and the like as your judgement and the occasion offered shall suggest To a servant under hire from a Gentleman of ranke onely his name To such as are tyed to lesse servile conditions or from Masters which are of meaner degree Your loving Master Your very loving Master Your assured c. To a retainer only or voluntary waiter Your loving friend N. N. c. To a parent Your dutifull Your most dutifull or Most dutifull and respective Dutifull and most obedient till death c. whether sonne or daughter To a child Your loving father Your affectionate mother Affectionate is likewise much used between friend and friend especially Lovers Your truly carefull c. diverse in this kinde which we leave to observation And thus much for subscriptions Having thus written or subscribed your Letter date it from such or such a place and set down the day of the moneth and if much distance interposeth the writer and the party written to the yeare after the usuall manner of dating The place allotted for the date is in the margent space just under the superscription or title a little beneath the body of the Letter This done fold up your Letter after a decent order and seale it To a person of quality we usually propose it in a large fold kept very faire To others at your owne discretion especially of equals Now therefore onely resteth that we say somwhat of indorsements or outward superscriptions and so commit them to the Post Your title on the indorsement to a Lord shall be To the right Honourable Thomas or whatsoever other Christian name Lord such or such an one adding the highest of his titles at such a place these present To the right honourable and his very good Lord of or from one of any dependance To the right honourable and most noble Most renowned Right illustrious c. multitudes of Epithetes in this kinde To a Baronet from a Gentleman To his most honoured friend Sir N. N. and Much honoured and most noble friend Most worthy Very noble Renowned c. as you 〈◊〉 think fit The same we commonly use to any other Knight but especially to a Baronet is appropriate the title of Honoured From a person of meaner quality To the right worshipfull Sir N. N. at such a place c. If in any familiarity To the right worshipfull and his most honoured friend c. From an inferiour person To the right worshipfull and most worthy Sir N. N. or the like leaving out friend From one Esquire or Gentleman to another various in respect of intimacy degree affection or courtesie To his noble friend To his worthy approved much respected much esteemed much honoured and to meaner Very loving c. From an inferiour person to an Esquire or Gentleman of worth To the worshipfull The rest he may take out of the precedent Epithetes From a Gentleman to such an one To his loving friend c. To a parent To my most endeared c. Father Or Mother To a child To my loving sonne or daughter To my deare or tenderly respected or beloved may do well enough from a mothers affection From one inferiour person to another To my loving To my very loving To my approved friend and the like of this sort best befits To an adversary For Sir such an one at such a place For Mr or Goodman so or so For Tho. For Richard c. according to the quality of the writer and the person written to Onely setting his name with his common attribute the place whither it is directed with For instead of To his or my c. And now I think it will be time to conclude for the Carrier is in hast This therefore shall suffice to satisfie our present purpose concerning this subject Onely take this by way of peroration 1 Let your Letter be kept faire without blots or soiling especially to one of superiour rank 2 Be cautious by way of Orthography to write true English 3 And lastly what I have often instanced let your Letters be succinct and pithie A quality incommendable estimation and practice among our moderne Secretaries and no lesse pursued among the ancient Latines For who in his familiar Epistles more succinct than Cicero In Orations and otherwise who more profuse The rest I leave to observation easily enough to be acquired since many of our Secretaries have a singular faculty in that kinde This I have written for such as want instructions for those that be better able to help themselves I shall be glad and thankfull to be instructed by them Non omnia possumus I confesse it incident to humane imperfection and to my selfe most peculiar But Nihil est pudoris vel discere vel melius addiscere At least alwayes so reputed by me S. D. Laus Deo FINIS ab eb ib ob ub abe ebe ibe obe abd ebd ibd obd ubd abs ebs c. abt ebt ac ec ic oc uc ace c. ach ack c. act c. ad c. adde ade ades ads adst af c. afe afes aft ag age agh aght agn ah oh ahn. ake ac ack ack'd ack't al c. ale all ald alch alge alf alk alm aln alp alse alsh alt alth alve am ame amme amb. amn amp. an. anne ane ance anch anth. auk and ang. ange angth anst. ap. ape appe appes aph. apt ique ar. are arre arce arch ard arb. arfe arg. arge arke arle arm arn arp arse arres arsh art artch ath arth arve arx as ase asâ—d asâ—e ash ask asme asp ast at ate ates atch at s ave aves ax aze ba be bi bo bu bda bla ble bli blo blu bra bre bri bro bru ca. ce ci co cu. Cha. Chra c Cra. cre cri cro cru Cla cle. cli clo. clu Da. de di do du Dra. dre dri dro dru Dwa. Fa. fe fi fo. fu Fla. fle fli flo flu Fra. fre fri fro fru Ga. go gu ge gi Gha ghe gho Gla. gli gle glo Gna Gra. gre gri gro. gru Gua. Ha. he hi ho hu Ia. Ie. Io. Iu. Ka. ke ki ko ku Kna. kne kni kno knu La. le li lo lu Ma. me mi mo mu. Mna Na. ne ni no nu Pa. pe pi po pu Pha. Phra. Pla. ple pli plo plu Pra pre pri pro pru Psa. Qua. que qui quo Ra. re ri ro ru Rha. Sa. se si so su Sca. sce sci sco scu Ska sko sku ske ski scha scra. scre scri sha she shi sho shu shra. sla sle sli slo slu Sma sme smi smo smu Sna sne sni sno snu spa spe spi spo spu squa squi sta ste sti sto stu stra stre stri stro stru swa swe swi swo swu Ta te ti to tu Tha. the thi tho thu Thra. thre thri thro thru Thwa. Tra. tre tri tro tru Twa Va. ve vi vo vu Wa. we wi wo Wha whe whi who Wra wre wri wro wru Xa xe xi Ya ye yo Za. ze These hard words mentioned are wittingly omitted perceiving the volume to arise to too big a bulk beyond the Authour his intention or expectation
as the Custos or Depositour of Orthoepie as a carefull steward and so by consequence that one should maintaine the other when he wils them by way of institution to speak as they write and write as they speake for their further ease in avoiding multiplicity of rules I could wish the same in our English Tongue but must have patience to expect till time and further industry have reduced it to a further method and perfection by refining and purging away those grosse corruptions which so tumifie it with unnecessary surfeits Which for my part I should be glad to see that there might be no just allegation why we should not have all the liberall Sciences in our own Tongue aswell as France Spaine and other Countreyes It would no question be a great furtherance to reall knowledge But in that kinde I shall not be the first to innovate though I lay this stone for others to work upon to build a larger prospect for the pleasure of my Countrey-men and benefit of strangers Thus courteous Reader Lege perlege elige dilige Qui te diligit in CHRISTO JESU S. D. Certaine briefe Notes or Directions for writing of Letters or familiar Epistles ASwell in regard of my promise in the prescription or Title page as to satisfie the request of some peculiar friends finding perhaps the generall defect aswell in themselves as others of some illustrations in this kinde I have annexed these few directions in generall for the inditing and writing Letters as we terme them or familiar Epistles intended onely for the benefit of children women and persons either altogether ignorant in this respect or discontinued As for Secretaries and those who can better help themselves I leave them to their owne practice and observations For to undertake to reduce this confused quality faculty or art or whatsoever terme you will attribute unto it to any certaine method or classicall precept or to seek out a radix consisting of such principles whereon every particular must ex hypothesi depend would I or any Secretary more commendably versed in those wayes attempt it as we should find it a work no lesse tedious than difficult and almost impossible unlesse it were possible to know every private mans occasion so might we to little purpose and effect frustra oleum operam dare since Quot homines tot sententiae and it is connaturall for every one that is able to apprehend to like his owne imagination best Neither would ever any of the Latines who knew too well severall men have their severall occasions take such a burden upon them in a tongue more incomparably pure and times farre more addicted to industry and knowledge in what concerned both speculation and practice Macropoedius I know shewed a will to do somwhat herein and prescribed certaine generall rules but such as would better suit an Oration than a familiar Epistle which delights in brevity and plainenesse The Paradigma's or examples there be well and commendable but not consorting the streame of English Secretaries more taken with Seneca's succincter stile But for examples I referre you to others since there are every where enough to be had intending onely to deale by way of Instruction In the framing of Letters we are to have respect to our selves and the quality of the Person to whom we write For as it behoves us not to use alwayes and to all persons a like phrase or manner of writing so ought we to be cautious in the performance of it respectivè that is without prejudice to our selves or derogating from the party to whom it is written If therefore to our Superiour or one of rank above us then are we to frame our stile in a lowly and humble manner yet habito scriptori respectu according to the distance of degree the worth of both the objects and the subject of our Letter For it befits not a Gentleman to use those submissive and incroaching termes to one of higher state and fortunes which may well become a Peasant to one of farre meaner rank Neither would we indeavour to insinuate our selves so farre in any other respect as when we have some suit to preferre or some request to make And in generall it is more tolerable to be argued of too plaine a stile so as I said it be done with due respect than by any Rhetoricall flashes of elocution to incurre the censure of a Sycophant as it is incident and usuall to such as use many words to little purpose to be either rejected as idle and impertinent or els suspected of some farther plot than perhaps the party himselfe is guilty of Let therefore your Letters of what nature soever be as succinct as possible may be without circumlocutions which be tedious to Persons of quality and such as have much businesse And if it be so as they be replete with matters of consequence come presently to the businesse of most importance conveniently introduced then persist in order for otherwise if your Letter be copious and carries not as the Proverbe sayes meat in the mouth or matter at the entrance it may hazzard if not well sollicited to be cast by without so much as once reading over as I have knowne some my selfe among men of worth who have been much imployed This I speake not though utterly to debarre the use of civill Complement which is both requisite and no wayes inconvenient so it be used with discretion and not as they say to make a paine of pastime Complement therefore is most seasonable when it accompanies either present or visit I meane aswell in paper as in person And that alwayes better introduced in the close of a Letter than at the beginning unlesse the whole subject be onely by way of complement and nothing concerning any serious businesse A thing ordinary and many times expected betweene friend and friend upon occasions of writing offered And then is afforded liberty of using wit and readinesse of Genius to such as be indued with pregnant phantasies having still a care not to be over-shot by selfe-opinion least a flash of windy matter produce such bubbles as carry no other substance but onely to vapour into ayre or perhaps turne worse than nothing If it be to be written to one inferiour or some degrees beneath you be plausible and courteous to win respect and love but not too familiar since too much familiarity breeds contempt especially among people of the meanest sort most apt in such cases to forget themselves If to a stranger of equall rank shew courtesie in a full proportion yet cloathed with a petty kinde of state aswell to avoid all suspition of intrusion as to shew a kinde of nicenesse in intimating too sodaine familiarity For wise men will consider things easiliest wun are most easily lost and he that comes fastest on goes quickliest off Give mee the friendship comes slowly by degrees for that is most likely to attaine perfection and longest to continue as having the surer ground for