Braintree
May 7th Fast day
My dearest Friend
Our parson has been praying for you to day that you
may be enabled to discharge the high and important Trust, committed to you with
equal integrity and abilitis as you have heretofore excercised in Negotiations
at Foreign courts and embassies abroad, and with equal Benefit and Satisfaction
to your Country. I have been reading with attention the various addresses to
the president and his replies. They are all pathetick but none more so than that to the citizens of
Alexandria. Throughout all of them he appears to be most sensibly affected with
the Supreme and over ruling providence which has calld him to Rule over this great people rather to feel
Humble than Elated, and to be overpowered with the weight and Magnitude of his
Trust, who that reflected, who that weighed and considerd but must lay his Hand upon his Breast, and
say what am I that this great Trust is committed to me? Your Legislature are
promulgating a perfectly New Doctrine. I had always supposed that in point of
Rank the Senate were Superiour to the
Representatives. This perfect equality brought to my mind a story told of
Johnson, that dining one day with Mrs. Macauley she was
conversing upon her favorite topick of the Natural
equality of Mrs. Johnson heard her very gravely, after some
time he rose from the table and bowing very respectfully to the Servant who
waited behind his chair, pray Mr. John, take my place and let
me wait in my Turn, you hear what your mistress says; that we are all equal --
there debates as given to the publick do not prove
them all Solomons, forgive me if I am too Sousy -- tis only to you that I think thus freely.
I shall not forward the papers of this week they contain nothing more than
what you have already had. I hope it will not be long before you will be able
to take
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a House, living upon a Friend cannot be long
agreable to you I know and now John is
away I fear you will suffer some inconvenience. I cannot prepare my things for
Removal
untill I hear further from you, but I should
suppose it would be best to get Mr. Tufts vessel to take them
either here or at Weymouth. If there are any Number of Books that
you would wish for I will have them packed and ready if you can point them out.
With regard to the Horse I should be very glad that our Son might have him, but
upon maxims of prudence will it do at this time? I need not give my reasons for
the Question, French must be paid before I leave home, there are Six Months
wages due to Brisler on the first of May, which he will have
occasion to leave with his wife, and to purchase some articles of furniture. I
shall be obliged to pay for what work has been done by your Brothers hands upon
the place, an
expence I would not have incured if I
had supposed he would not have kept the place. You wish to give a look at your
Farm, the Hills begin to look green, but the Season is so backward that
scarcely a Tree has leaved
Lilack excepted. 3 hands
with a Team were
all yesterday
employ'd in
picking up the stones,
andthrown out of the ditches and carried upon
Quincy
medow in the Manure. I could have wished more
Manure might have been put there, attempted it but found it would out the
ground to
peices. Tomorrow will be
employd in carrying on the Manure behind the House, and
cleaning the ground of Stones. The Sheep have gone very quiet since the wall
was poled the Weathers excepted whom no fence would hold but
them
they are parted with. Shall I do all the work necessary upon the place for the
present, and at my leaving it request your Brother to take it, he paying one
third of the taxes upon it, or shall I leave it to him to say upon what terms
he will look after it. Mr. Baxter very kindly sent me word
yesterday that he would hire it for four years but I asked no Questions,
presuming you had rather it should lie un
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unimproved. Your Son
Tom says if he was out of college he would come and
live with Pheby and Abdee and improve it
himself before it should go a beging thus. One of your Townsmen told me the
other day that he was very sorry you was gone away, for there was no body left
in town to buy Land.
All your Friends desire to be affectionately remembered to you, but
none more tenderly than your ever affectionate
A Adams
Compliment to Miss Livingstone and all the Ladies who so
kindly inquire after your Friend
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