Boston June 10. 1755 Sr.,

After presenting my respects & Compliments to yr. Family wishing the restauration & Establishmt. of health, I proceed to entertain you1 with the history of any Excursion in his Majesty's Service made by two Personnages which have lately cut an extraordinary figure on the Stage of Action.2 The perticulars of their history are so many & curious as would require a large Voll: sufficiently to describe, but I shall content my Self to abbreviate the whole & give you as near as I can a tolerable Idea of their Merit & noble Atchievemts.

The late misunderstanding between the courts of England & France having greatly alarm'd our Country 'twas thought expedient to raise a Number of able Bodied effective Men to clear our Frontiers of these in-273cumbrences which it at present labours under by means of the large Encroachmts. of the French, & we well knowing that the strength of An Army depends more on the Quality than the Number of Men, it was judged necessary that some one Person of Skill should review the Troops raised, granting his Majestys Royal bounty to those that were deserving, & dismissing the Rest to meaner Employments, to supply & execute this important Trust the Board of War made choice of & presented a Commission for the same purpose To his Grace the Duke of Limbs,3 making an honorable Establishmt. & providing proper Attendence. But to illustrate my Story tis necessary I should in breif describe the Lineage & Person of this dignified Peer. He was descended on both sides from Antient & honble. Ancestors & has acceded to the dignified Title of his Mother,4 but being the Youngest Son can lay no claim to Honours of his Father5 who was Earl of Worcester & sustain'd many offices of Profit & Honor, but that wch. rais'd so high in the world & gaind him the Dukedom over Limbs, was the vigourous Improvemt. he made of the Gifts of Nature, & the real Merit of all his performances. His person was gracefully tall & his Limbs of a most manly proportion wch. gave rise to his title, & was one prevailing Motive to calld him from a retired Life where he was Solliciting at the Court of Venus to examine the Sons of War, proposing himself for the Standard of a well proportioned Man. On receiving the Commission the Duke immediately equipp'd himself for the Expedition, hanging on those Badges which are so very necessary to indicate An Heroic Soul within. The Duke thus prepar'd was taking his leave of a few freinds & overlooking the Hardships of War relucted Nothing but the want of some Companion for An Intimate, wn. to his very great Surprise he met his old friend the Marquis of Bones, 6 who without ceremony he enjoyn'd to attend him. The Marquis, being fond of many Circumstances that attended the Tour determind to go. We take a concise description of the Marquis. It is a difficult thing to determine where, when, or how, he was born, there are so many Records of him and all differ very widely. It appears by some as tho' he was burthened with Years, & by others as tho' he was not Arrived at the Bloom of Life, nor is it certain where he was born. Many think him a foreigner, & some of good Judgment in Astronomy conjecture him descended from some Neighboring Planet. However be that as it will tis genrally agreed that hes a very old fashoned fellow & goes much on Notions & whims, that were in Vougue 100 years ago. As for his Title he aquired it by the univer-274sal Consent of all Mankind, not that his Bones were so very large but because they were the constituent parts of his Body. The Marq. in his Younger days (if he ever had any) devouted himself to the Travells for a further acquaintance of those things that make mankind happy or Miserable & by Much Observation he found that the bones are really the most Usefull & least hurtfull part of the human System; that the Flesh & Muscles that attract the Praise of people in genrall is really the moving Cause of all Evils & Unhappiness that we Experience here. The Effect of this Observation was, that the Marquis became an Avow'd Enemy to every Carnal, & was never more uneasy than wn. he saw the least Prospect of its encreasing or heard blot every Some thought he was really no Enemy to the Beautys of flesh but that his chief Aim was to make his Philosophy consistent with his circumstances. This is genrally in the description of Our Heroes. As for some other perticulars of the Characters you'll find them interspers'd through the Story. Early in the morning the Duke & Marquis being properly accoutred sat out; the weather being exceeding hot the Duke had neer fainted with the Vehemence of Scorching Sun Beams which never affected the Bones of the Marquis; the Road being badly provided for the Entertainment of such Peerages, required the Duke to Summons his Martial Spirits & the Marquis to come to the immediate practice of his all supporting Philosophy. The Duke observed that it was essential to a Soldier to endure Hardship. The Marq: Observed that it was worth any Man's while to Starve Sometimes that he might know the pleasure of eating at Another. Thus Supported by different principles they endured the fatigues of a Schorching Sun an Ill-improved Country & almost inaccessible Roads till after a travel of I cant say how many days & a very many Shrewd Observations made on Occurrencys they arrived 8 oClock PM at the Mansion House of the Earl of Bristol.7 The Duke thought proper with advice of his freind to recruit here from his past labours before he proceeded to the Business of the Expedition, & accordingly were receiv'd with that magnificence wch. became their Grandeur & made Abundant Recompence for the fatigues of the Journey. It must be Observed that in times past the Duke had been a frequent visitor here, induced thereto by the agreable collection of Gentlemen & Ladys of which this family was Compos'd. 'Tis sd. that the Duke in his younger days had propos'd a Connubial Contract here. Those that are intimate with him think otherwise, he being of too Universal a Disposition to confine from doing good at large. This former acquaint-275ance made his presaent visit easy & uncerimonious & by that means much more agreable to his freind the Marquis who thought an open behaviour to be a mark of Sincerity & good Will, & thereupon indulged himself in those freedoms which belong only to Honesty. A long Evning was thus spent in the height of happiness. The Duke was happy in the revivial of old Acquaintance & the Marquis rejoiced to find himself so Suddenly Surrounded with an agreable Mixture of Honor & Affability. I Should have Observed that this mansion is likewise the residence of the Renown'd Prince of Arms,8 whose great Atchievments has acquired for him the high Post of Superintender of the Artillery Works & the huge Smithery when Vulcan forges out the whole machinery of war. This Prince shew'd us great respect & entertained us with a veiw of those terrible fire Works. On our Approach we heard the trembling Stroak of the Mighty hammer & on our Entrance we saw Old Vulcan in all his fury attended by his brawney Cyclops performing Such Operations with flames & liquid fire as caused the Duke & Marquis to resemble their Corpse in paleness. At high Midnight with much difficulty our Guests retired to repose. The Marquis complaind much of a headack the cause of which he did not care to tell. In the Morning our Heroes arose to the happiness of their Scituation & prepared to perform the Business of the Expedition. The Prince was condescending enough to afford his Company, & the Duke & he Entertaind themselves before while the Marquis jogg'd on behind musing on the various Prospects of Nature. I should have observed that the Prince had obtain'd the honor of another Commission different from the former, to which likewise his merit advanced him & that was to be the Recorder General of Courtship the faithfull performance of which Office rendered him respected & apply'd to by all. The Duke spent his time profitably in consulting his records & learnt many things which afforded him much Satisfaction. Upon their arriving at His Majesty's Muster Ground they found a concourse expecting our Arival & recevd us with signals of Respect & while things were preparing some visits of honor were performed in great State. After a magnificent Dinner the Duke perform'd his office to admiration, the Marquis assisting him in Sundry Matters, in perticular to turn by one Man he not being like the Standard, which the Dukes Modesty would not Suffer him to do. Our Heroes returnd with the Prince & continued a most endearing Conversation till they had quite forgotten the fatigues thro' which they got there. But to describe the agreable manner in which they spent the remainder276of their residence there is beyond the compass of words & equall to the Strech of Fancy, so unamious a Spirit flow'd among 'em that there was not much party Conversation, perhaps not so much as the Duke could have relish'd, but the Marquis was so taken up in the Enjoyment of Generals that he never thought of descending to perticulars, Various were the Topicks of Discourse & various the methods in which they were handled, so that wn. the time of parting arrived it seem'd as tho' discourse were but just entered on. Thus our Heroes were constraind to leave the place where they had been so happy & once more to encounter the hardships of Adversity. & having taken their leave they departed, meeting with no Remarkable Occurencys on the way, but however, Renderd their Journey easy by recollecting the various scenes of pleasure they had pass'd through.

R.T:P

Dft ; addressed: "To George Leonard Esq."; endorsed: "To G L Allegorical Description of a Journey." An earlier draft of this piece is found in the RTP Papers but not here reproduced.

1.

George Leonard (1729–1819), son of Hon. George Leonard (1698–1778) of Norton. Graduated from Harvard in 1748, he was admitted to the Bristol bar, practiced in Norton, and held positions of local responsibility including representative. In 1759 he married Experience White, daughter of Samuel White, Taunton's attorney. Leonard later became chief justice of the Court of Common Pleas of Bristol County (1784) and was elected to the first U.S. Congress and again in 1794 (Sibley's Harvard Graduates, 12:281–283).

2.

This allegory refers to the trip mentioned in the following diary entries from June 1755:

5 Early this morning sat out with Mr. Gardner Chandler, dind at Kingman's at Easton PM 5 oClock arrived at Collo. Leonard's at Norton there Lodged, Exceeding hot day

6 Cold raw day PM Rain went with Majr. George Leonard and Majr. Chandler to Taunton there mustered 3 Companies of men and return'd to Coll Leonards

7 Raw drizley day. Sat out for home arrived at Boston by sun down saw James Freeman

3.

Gardiner Chandler (1723–1782), second son of John and Hannah (Gardiner) Chandler. He married first Hannah Greene of Providence, Rhode Island, who died in 1765; and married second in 1767 Ann Leonard, daughter of Maj. George Leonard of Taunton. He served his home town of Worcester, Mass., in various capacities including selectman (1754–1756) and was treasurer of Worcester County (1754–1762) and then sheriff until 1775. His home was described by Timothy Dwight in his Travels as "one of the handsomest which I have seen in the interior of the country." (George Chandler, Descendants of William and Annis Chandler [Worcester, Mass., 1883], 231–236).

4.

Hannah (Gardiner) Chandler (1699–1738/9). Her family owned the 3000-acre Gardiner's Island off the east end of Long Island which was called "The Lordship and Manor of Gardiner's Island." Ibid., 116.

5.

John Chandler (1693–1762) was from Woodstock, Conn. He served in many local offices in Worcester, Mass., including selectman, representative, town treasurer, and was later clerk of the courts for the county, register of probate, register of deeds, and judge. Ibid., 115–121.

277 6.

Presumably RTP.

7.

Col. George Leonard (1698–1778), owner of the Norton iron works, was a judge of both the probate and common pleas courts and colonel of the 3d Bristol County militia regiment. Rev. William Tyler of Northampton commented that "the Norton family of Leonard . . . have come the nearest to a baronial spirit and style of life of any family I have known in New England" (NEHGR 5[1851]: 408).

8.

Maj. George Leonard (1729–1819), son of the preceeding, succeeded his father as colonel in 1772.