4 May 1598 (from Augsburg): “Cum decreverim libellum meum Impp. Assiduo amicorum hortatu denuo mittere in publicum, neminem habeo, Vir clarissime, quem illum commendem nisi tibi, aut nepoti tuo Jacobo Colio, idque vetere motus amicitia et familiarite, quae ante annos plus munus XX vivente adhuc parente meo p. m. inter nos inita erat, eo praecipue tempore quando nobiscum erat Clarissimus dominus Joannes Vivianus cui maxima intercessit cum parente meo familiaritas et amicitia, sicut haud ita pridem me per literas admonuit, hac igitur ratione ductus iam tibi quoque hunc meum libellum (quem modo mitto) commendo ea commendatione quae potest esse maxima et diligentissima, et quia scio tibi ingravescente iam aetate et aliis negociis occupato, id fore difficile et laboriosum forte, peto ut id nepotii tuo Colio comittas, qui ob eam quam in ipso percepi humanitatem et benevolentiam et amorem etiam in studium antiquitatis, forte haud gravatim quicquid erit operae aut laboris subibit, promovendo et monendo dominum Moretum, ut Plantinianis vestigiis insistens, hunc quoque emendatione in publicum prodire velit” (Den Haag, Koninklijke Bibliotheek: MS 79 C 4 (161), f° 165; Hessels 1887, no. 320, p. 750-751).
['Since I have decided finally, at the continuous encouragement of my friends, to publish my little book Impp., I can think of no one, Distinguished Sir, to whom I would entrust it except you, or your nephew Jacobus Colius, and in that I am motivated by our old friendship and intimacy, which was begun amongst us more or less 20 years ago while my father was still alive ... For that reason I have been led to entrust to you this my little book (which I now send), with my strongest and most attentive blessings; and because I know, since you are preoccupied with wearisome old age and other matters, it would perhaps be difficult and troublesome for you, I ask that you entrust it to your nephew Colius, who through that decency and good will that I have seen in him and also his love for the study of antiquity will undertake, perhaps not too onerously, whatever work and effort is needed, to move forward and urge Mr Moretus so that he, who is following the footsteps of Plantin, will wish to publish it, fully corrected. I freely delegate the whole business to him, and let him do what he wants, only taking advice in accordance with your and Mr Colius’s judgment and opinion, which will be as good for me as if I myself was present and on the spot.' (translation from Burnett 2020b, pp. 197-8)]
