Papers of John Adams, volume 20
I am honoured with yours of the 5th.
instant I thank you for your kind & polite Offers of Hospitality. Experience has
convinced me of your Friendship on this Head—
I find from the Reflexions occasioned by the just Observations in
your Letter that I have expected too much & am therefore not entitled to the Right
of complaining under Dissappointment. Tho’ placed in a new Situation, we are the same
People & are playing something of the old Game tho’ we have changed our Pack—
Allons—jouez bien votre Cartes— I am only a Stander-by & will patiently wait the
Event: For, after all the grave Calculations of the gravest Politicians (among whom by
the By I do not rank myself) Success in the Eyes of most Men stamps a substantial Value
upon Measures— We were however very near losing our Liberty in the first Stages of the
War by temporary military Expedients, under a Fear that a well organized & permanent
Army might turn out dangerous to it. I wish we may not bring it again into Jeopardy by
the same Fears excited by different Objects. But the Transactions of many Years past
have made me somewhat of a Predestinarian in Politicks I therefore, judging of the
future by what has past, I rest firmly convinced that all will
end well.
I am happy to find by your Letter that you are likely to be settled
so, as I presume, to have your Family with you. This Satisfaction of mine is on your own
Account, for as a Pennsilvanian I do not desire you to be so comfortably settled where
you are as not to be convinced that you could do better where all Pennsilvanians wish
you— Wherever you are be assured of the sincere & respectful Esteem with which / I
am your obedt Servant—
P.S. The Sentiments of Montesquieu on the Subject you mention have indeed been miserably construed. He was a great & sensible Man but has in many Passages of his Works rendered his Meaning obscure by a Habit of too much condensing his Ideas so as to avoid Prolixity. He is a Kind of Bible for Politicians & it fares with his as it 28 does with the good Book—every one finds a Text to suit his own Purposes. If indeed the Text does not exactly fit, convenient Interpretations must do the Business.
RC (MHi:Adams-Hull Coll.); addressed: “His Excellency / John Adams / V President of the United States / New York”; internal address: “His Excy John Adams—”; endorsed: “Richard Peters. / June 15.”; notation by CFA: “1789.”