Document: Petition of Egbert van Borsum for payment of a debt contracted by Cornelis van Tienhoven

[ Egb ]ert van Borsum [ shows ] with all due reverence how he, petitioner, on the 27th of November delivered at your honors’ meeting a bill of ƒ128–1–8 at the expense of the former fiscal and receiver, Cornelis van Tienhoven, for drink and ferry money that he owes the petitioner, with the request that it be entered to the petitioner’s credit, upon which your honors were pleased to order that the petitioner would have to confirm this by oath beforehand. Honorable lords, since the petitioner is a ferryman who is almost constantly busy with sailing back and forth, is also unable to write, and accordingly much of the drink was enjoyed by Tienhoven during his absence, sometimes [ obtained ] from his, [ Van Borsum’s ], wife, sometimes from his sons, who are able to read and write, and in whose notes he has never found a mistake; therefore, he does not doubt, but firmly trusts that everything is written down sincerely and in good faith. Therefore, he requests hereby for reasons mentioned above, that your honors please excuse him from the oath, not because he has the least doubt that Tienhoven has enjoyed all of this, but because he himself [several lines lost] this is the mark X made [ by ] himself.

On the above petition it is resolved, that the petitioner is ordered to hand the petition together with the attached account to Cornelis van Tienhoven’s wife, in order to validate the same, or to defend herself if she has anything against it. Dated as before.