The texte.

PAule an Embassadour of Iesu Christ, called therunto by the will of God the father, to declare howe greate the fe∣licitie of the lyfe to come is, whiche he promiseth vnto vs by his sonne Iesus Christe, that we should not care much for the losse of this life: To Tymothee my dearebeloued sonne, grace, mercie, and peace from God the father and from Iesus Christ oure Lorde. I thanke God, whose ser∣uaunte I begonne not of a late tyme to be, but kepte his relygion after the tradicions of myne elders continually with an vpright and a pure conscience, and doe kepe styll: For I serue all one God now beynge a christian, y^e I lately serued a Iewe, though after an other sort, throughe Page  [unnumbered] whose goodnes we chaunced vpō such a man as thou arte, in that thou folo∣west the exāple of me in sincere preaching of the ghospelles doctrine, so as for thine owne deserte I can no lesse hartelye loue thee than mine own very sonne: in so muche that I can not forget thee euen whan thou arte absent. For in my prayers night and daye wherwith I am accustomed to call vpon God, and to commende vnto him suche as I tenderlye loue, thou commest alwayes in my mynde, and I am very muche desirous to see thee, especially as often as I re∣membre thy teares, that thou sheddest at my departyng, as mooste plentuous witnesses of thyne affection and mutuall loue towardes me. By reason wher∣of I am fylled all together full of ioye, whan it commeth to my mynde, howe paynlye thou resemblest me in the sinceritie of faythe, as a naturall sonne his father. And lyke as y^e integritie of religiō was in me (as it were) by enheritaūce, euen so this sinceritie of fayth semeth to be geuen to the by the handes of thyne elders. For it dwelt stedfastly fyrst in thy Grādemother Lois, thā after by & by in thy mother Eunica: & I doubt not but y^u wilt become accordigly like a neuew to so right a religious grādmother & a sonne to so right a good mother, seing y^u hast ben more desyrous to be like to thē, thā to thy kyndred of thy fathers syde.