Most worthy and Most Excellent Elector!
Most Gracious Lord!
A
few years ago Your Electoral Excellency was pleased to retire my
father, the Court tenor van Beethoven, and by a most gracious decree
to allow me out of his salary 100 Rheinthalers so as to enable me
to have my two younger brothers clothed, fed and educated and also
to discharge the debts which our father had incurred.
I
was about to present this decree to Your Excellency's Landrentmeisterei
when my father earnestly besought me not to do this lest he should
be publicly regarded as incapable of supporting his famaily by his
own efforts. He added that he himself would pay me the 25 Rheinthalers
every quarter; and this was always punctually done.
After his death, which took place in December of last year, I wanted
to avail myself of your most precious favour by presenting the aforementioned
most gracious decree. I was horrified, however, to find that my
father had done away with it.
Hence with the most dutiful reverence I beg Your Excellency graciously
to renew this decree and also to instruct Your Excellency's Landrentmeisterei
to send me the previous quarterly amount which fell due at the beginning
of February.
Your
Electoral Excellency's
most
humble and most faithfully obedient
Ludwig
van Beethoven
Court
Organist