Translation / modern text
[P. 2]
Warsaw, March 20, 1698
Most Illustrious
My Lord and Benefactor!
I have long wished to serve you, my Lord and Benefactor, yet I assumed that you, my Lord and Benefactor, already had a secure and full correspondence from here. Now, as your explicit command reaches me, I hasten to serve you, my Lord and Benefactor, with the utmost readiness and willingness; enclosing the current news, I kiss your feet as
Your most humble servant
Wawrzyniec Franciszek Rakowski
[paraph]
Original wording — transcription
[S. 2]
+ Z Warszawy d[nia] 20 Martij 1698 r[oku]
Jasnie wielmożny
M[ościu] M[ój] Panie Dobrodzieju.
Zyczyłem sobie dawniey służyć Panu y Dobro-
dzieiowi M[oj]emu, tylko gem rozumiał, abyś
W[asza] M[ość] M[ój] Pan Dobrodziey miał mieć pewną ca-
łą z tąd korrespondencyą. Teraz gdy mie
wyrazny zachodzi roskaz Pański, liben-
tissime y wszelka do usług Pana y Dobro-
dzieia fertur ochota, occurrentia in anne-
xis kładąc, całuię Nogi Iego iako
[P]Nayniższy sługa
[P]Wawrziniec Fran[cisze]k Rakowskj
[P][parafa]
Reading notes
The addressee is not mentioned by name. The inventory card identifies the author as the cup-bearer of Wizna (cześnik wiski). The letter was accompanied by reports/attachments (occurrentia in annexis), which are missing. There is no separate address page (perhaps the text was written on a single sheet or the blank page with the address has not survived).