Document: Petition of Ludovicus Cobes to be appointed court messenger at Fort Orange

[ ] high councilors

[ ] New Netherland.

Highly esteemed lords,

I come and earnestly offer my services to your honors to benefit from and assume the function or office of court messenger at Fort Orange; whereas Petrus Ruyverdingh has decided to return to the fatherland, and whereas I know no trade and in my youth have always studied, I am now constrained as a result of this fortuitous opportunity to earnestly petition my esteemed honors to be allowed to benefit from this same office through your honors’ highly esteemed kindness to thus provide by appropriate and good means what a human needs. Therefore, I earnestly and humbly request and petition your highly esteemed honors that I may be granted such certification and authorization, expecting, through God’s assistance, to behave honestly in all matters, doubting not whether your highly esteemed honors shall act therein according to their good council. Your highly esteemed honors, the director general and lords councilors of New Netherland. (Below was written) Your humble and loving servant (was signed) Ludovicus Cobes. In the margin was written: Done 7 August Manhatas.

[several lines lost] The petitioner [ ] as the court messenger [ ] subaltern bench of justice in Fort Orange. Dated as above.