Taunton January 5th. 1767 Dear Eunice,

After wishing you a happy New Year, at the begginning of which I hope you did not freeze up, I inform you that I recd. yrs. of 17th ult.1Not having heard from you for an intollerable while before, I cant now tell you in what a scituation it found me, & what I thought of some of it. Had we been together, we should have had one good Laugh at least. You mistake me if you think I would not have you write because of the Danger of Miscarriage, tho' it is best not to write what we would not have seen. From Mr. Laughton's Letters generally come safe, & if instead of signing a Name we should put a No. at the Bottom as by way of example I intend to here it would prevent the knowledge of the writer & serve to shew if any Letters were missing. I intended to have seen you before this Time, but Business, Cold, Perplexitys &c. hinders. The Substance of yr. Letters raises unpleasant Commotions in my mind, because I can't do for you what lays next my heart respecting you. When382you think you are strong enough to know the grounds of my conduct let me know it & I'll tell you. Depend upon it towards you I am actuated by the tenderest care. You're welcome to all my Happiness; but I would keep you from my Vexations. Don't let this alarm you, 'tis not all worth a T—. 'Tis our misfortune to be born with thin Skins or rather None. Read the 120th Psalm. I believe David lived a while at—.2 You wonder if I ever think of you. If I say yes, you'll wonder if it be any time but when I read yr. Letters. On the other Hand I wonder how it would seem to live without thinking of you; Thinking of you has hurt us both, (what escapes thus is always true). Were it not for yr. Pattern that has haunted my mind, 'ere this I had married some dull daughter of Earth. How would that have help'd us? Why we had then had a home where you would have been unhappy & I miserable. O beatifick! Of these two Evils then which is the greatest; but I dont think of you to purpose, I dont plan for you, direct & steer you thro' yr. difficulty! A bright figure I should make a steering you, me poor Mortal can't plan for myself. I do try incessantly to plan for you & behave in it just as you describe your self, but they say people plan for others better than they do for themselves. I believe we must change Work. In short, not being able to do for you what would fully answer yr. Comfort I feell diffident of doing any thing; tho' I wished you had proposed to me some of yr. Schemes that I might try my possibles at consultation. Especially I want to know what those Temptations are that attack you so feircely as to make you take notice of an Escape. Upon the whole I'm dispos'd & desirous to make yr. Life as Comfortable as in me lays & if you Comunicate freely you'll have at least the Ease to yr. mind that arises from Communication & perhaps some chance benefit from my observations on them; the Best way is as far as we can to follow the Stoical Rule, to let nothing affect us that we cant help. Perhaps an agreeable change may soon come. I'm in greater Extremitys than you are, but I consider that adversity is the School of Heroism, & perhaps that Heroism is the most valuable if of the right sort, which is least known here. I purpose to send by the Bearer hereof two 1/2 Johannes to Mr. Elliots which you'll recieve by sending for. which Wishing your Rationality may afford you the same Happiness which others derive from a thick Skin, strong Nerve & Slugglish Blood I subscribe yr. affectionate

No. 1

P:S. If you are at a loss to know who this comes from, you may impanell383a Jury in the Old Colony. Yesterday D. Leonard & A. White were publish'd.3

RC ; addressed: "To Miss Eunice Paine at Boston. To be left at Mr. Bracketts"; endorsed.

1.

Not located.

2.

The 120th Psalm ("In my distress I cried unto the Lord, and he heard me.") says that David sojourned at Mesech.

3.

Daniel Leonard and Anna White published their intentions of marriage at Norton, Mass., Jan. 3, 1767. According to Davol, Two Men of Taunton (p. 159), the wedding took place at Taunton on Apr. 2, although town records there do not record the marriage or intentions.

Daniel Leonard (1740–1829), a friend of RTP who as a loyalist later became chief justice of Bermuda. Leonard was the author of the articles defending Crown policies which appeared in the Massachusetts Gazette in 1774–1775 under the pseudonym "Massachusettensis." John Adams published articles in rebuttal under the pseudonym "Novanglus" (DAB).