Digital SourcesAI-assisted archival digitisation project

132/1/275 · 275-001

Letter from Benedykt Bernatowicz to the authorities of Lwów regarding the defense of his reputation

Benedykt Bernatowicz Mayor and councilors of the city of Lwów ("Panowie Burmistrzu y Raycze Miasta Lwowa")
[August?] 1631 · from the inn

Benedykt Bernatowicz justifies his absence before the Mayor and Councilors of Lwów due to illness, promising to present private letters in defense of his good reputation upon his recovery. Fearing the entrustment of confidential correspondence to intermediaries, he refrains from sending the documents immediately.

AI-assisted edition. Readings must be checked against the original.

Translation / modern text

[P. 2] Most Gracious Sirs, Messrs. Mayor and Councilors of the City of Lwów of His Royal Majesty, I would have wished to appear in person before Your Graces, my Gracious Lords, today, but my illness has not yet allowed me to do so. I would have liked to show Your Graces and bring [the] misfortunes [...] examined myself to the court [...] one for such an examination of this [...] in this all the more so myself [...], as well as to Your Graces, my Lords, I would have shown this today and I would have had to justify myself with the private letters of His Grace, my Benefactor, although I should not have revealed these secrets which [he] writes as a master [to his] servant. But for the sake of my good reputation, I would have had to show this. When God grants that I recover, I will show this not only with the letters that have been sent here so far on April 27th from His Grace, my Lord and Benefactor, but I will also show others written, [which] are with me, [when?] to Your Graces, my Gracious Lords. Do not mind, however, without looking, that he who would strip me [of] such a good, and would have [done] to these lords [...] to Your Graces, my Lords, not [...], for he himself [...] after himself [...], [P. 3] as this [be?] strikes and as the grace of Your Graces, my Gracious Lords, is willing to acquire it. I would have sent even now one secret letter to Your Graces, my Lords, written by His Grace to me, but it does not seem [proper] to me to send it through human hands; however, nothing will prevent me from showing it later, when God grants that I recover. I have also translated the words [...] of my His Grace Mr. Kowaliński to the Lord, for it is a shame if it is so [...] in [...] his hands, then you will recognize in my writing from one to the others [...] which I, having recovered, Lords, God willing, will be, if whose hand is written for the lord, that I will be ashamed of it, or he will not regret what he let out of his writings. Which I finally submit to the great judgment of Their Graces, my Lords, while surrendering myself to the usual love and grace of Your Graces, my Lords. From the inn, [August?] 1631. Your Graces, my Lords' well-wishing friend and servant, Benedykt Bernatowicz [P. 4, address:] To my Most Gracious Lords, Their Graces, my Lords the Mayor and Councilors of the City of Lwów of His Royal Majesty.

Original wording — transcription

[S. 2] M[o]scie Wielce M[o]sći Panowie Panowie Burmistrzu y Raycze Miasta Lwowa J[ego] K[rólewskiej] M[o]sći Życzyłbym był sobie tego abym był mogł dnia dzisieyszego stnąć osobiście do W[aszych] M[ościów] M[oich] M[ościwych] P[anów] ależ mi niezdrowie moie tego do- tąd nie mogło dopuścić, ktorych chciałbym to był pokazać y wnieść nieszczęść [...] to badał sie m[i] do dworu [...] iendno na takie badanie tego [...] owy chube wtym bardzi tak samego siebie banieć, iak y W[aszym] M[ościom] M[oim] P[anom] pokazałbym to był dnia dzie- sieyszego y musiałbym sie był wywodzić z niemi samemi listami privatnemi Jeg[o]m[oś]ci Pana Do- brodzieia mego, chociabym niepowinien sie otwierać sekretami temi, ktore iako pan posługi pisze, ale dla dobrey Reputatiey moiey musiałbym to pokazać; gdy da Pan Bog ozdrowieię, pokaże to nietylko temi listami, ktore donądze są tu przysłane 27. Aprilis od Jeg[o]m[oś]ci M[o]i[ego] P[ana] y Dobrodzieia mego, ale po- każe y z drugich pisane, z mną są [kiedy?] do W[aszych] M[ościów] M[oich] M[ościwych] Panow, niebaczaycie iednak niepatrząc że ten ktoryby mnie odzierał tak dobro, a miałby sie tym panom [...] do W[aszych] M[ościów] M[oich] P[anów] nieroście, bo sam po sobie odra- [S. 3] iakoto [bądź?] bije y iako łaska W[aszych] M[ościów] M[oich] M[ościwych] P[anów] ochotna to nabędzie, posłałbym był y teraz list sekre- tny ieden do W[aszych] M[ościów] M[oich] P[anów] od Jegomości do mnie pisany, a- le nie zda mi sie przez ręce ludzkie go posy- łać, nicz mi to iednak nieomieszka go y potym poka- zać, gdy da Pan Bog ozdrowieię. Tradukowałem tez y słowa [...] mego J[ana?] M[ości] P[ana] Kowalinskiego do Pana, bo wstyd iesli tak iest, prac[...] w [...] ręce iego, to wy poznaią pismie moim od iednego do drugich [...] ktorzy ia ozdrowiawszy Panowie da Bog będę, iesli niczego ręka pisana iest dla pana, ze ia za to będę wstydział, albo ten tego nieb[ędzie] załował, co to pism swoich wypu- szczał, co ia ostatek pod wielki rozsądek Ich M[ościów] M[oich] P[anów] podaię, oddaiąc sie ratem wasz[ey] zwykłey miłości y łasce W[aszych] M[ościów] M[oich] P[anów]. Z go- spodij dnia Au[...] [1]631. W[aszych] M[ościów] M[oich] P[anów] życzliwy przyiaciel y sługa Benedykt Bernatowicz [S. 4, adres:] Moim Wielce M[o]sćiwym PP. Ich M[o]sćiom PP. Moim Panom Burmistrzo- wi y Raycom Miasta Lwowa J[ego] K[rólewskiej] M[o]sći

Reading notes

Italic script, difficult to read in places due to stains and paper abrasions. The day date is destroyed/abbreviated ("dnia Au[...] 631" – likely Augusti 1631, which is consistent with the year date in the inventory). On p. 4, a trace of a wax seal is preserved.

Scope of the edition: Automatic transcription (15.10.2026), not verified against the original by a human; illegible fragments marked [...].

ekstrakcja: 2026-10-15 · model: gemini-3.8-flash

Report a transcription error

Quote the passage and suggest a correction. Your report concerns this document.

Original scan

132/1/275 · preview starts at PDF page 2

If the preview does not load or is too small on your phone, open the PDF directly.