Boston Octr. 4th. 1757 Sr.,

I herewith send you a Power to act for me as Executor in the doing of wch. I don't doubt you will consult the best Interest of the Estate. If there be any perticular Articles which you think will fetch more at private Sale that public, no doubt you will take the opportunity but let all yr. sales be open & above board and for ready cash & timely public Notice be given of the Vendue for some things will be sold there. Let an Exact Inventory be made of all things Sold at Vendue & the Acct. of Sales duly attested by the Vendue Master So as to have the whole proceeding stand fair, & likewise a fair accompt of wt. you sell at private Sale. I send inclosed an Inventory of some things which were there left loose which may serve to refresh yr. memory & when the whole is sold & the charges of sale paid invest the remainder in a good bill or bills of Exchange & remit it to me. I am loath to trouble you with this affair knowing the nature of yr. business but you are no doubt sensible tis unavoidable. I therefore pray you to do the best you can about the matter, & take a reasonable pay for yr. trouble, & if possible let it be done so as to make remittance by Capt. Jones.

I am not prepared to act on the house as yet. Capt. Jones says you have some inclination to buy it. Let me know wt. claimer there is to it & I shall be able to determine the matter. And also write me word how long you have had the house, wn. you went into it & who improve Kents Room now.

RTP

LbC ; addressed: "To Mr. James Freeman at Halifax pr. favr. Capt. Jones."

Boston Octr. 18th. 1757 Our Eunice,

I have no time to come & see you by Jinkums. I have been this fortnight past up to the Eyes in Old Papers, in the midst of wch. I have sat as I did once among a Room full of scholars, examining them one by one & ordering them to their several Classes, & in short the various Ideas they raise in my mind are as impertinent & confused as 54the tittle tattle of a School, & could tongues be given them they would make infinitely more hubbub. I chastise multitudes for their Ignorance & many a one I turn by; Thus it comes to pass that my head is intirely stuff d with Accounts settled & unsettled, do. drawn out; do. given, Receipts, Notes, Contracts Bonds, Policys, Charterpartys, Bills of Laden Invoices, Letters Orders, & Protests &c.&c. Thus am I at present engaged, besides innumerable Miscellanious Matters. Next week the Court sets by Adjournmt. where I have Business. I suppose you have heard of my breaking bulk & opning my mouth in misterys.1 Well, the week after the Supr. Ct. sets by Adjournment & as soon as that is over I shall embark for Conneticutt, and purpose to take you in my way, & if you get a visit by that time, you'll fare better than most of my country Girls do, some of wch. begin to be impatient. I assure you, you must think your self highly favoured wth. so long an Epistle, for there is a rumour spread in town that I am advancing towards the sphere of the higher Powers, wch. has sett all my Correspondents of the Middling Order on the Watch & caused them to throw forth all their Excellencys. This Circumstance demands all my attention, to recive addresses & give answers which affords me no small gamut, (you know I have a faculty at laughing at wt. scares others to death) so that you would not have had the honour of this long History, were it not I have been for this severall months past most deeply in Love, but who the Object2 is, I can't with all my Inginuity find out, & I hope I never may for I dread the consequences of so dismall a Catastrophe. I keep this a profound secret least the Enemies of my peace should sing to Deam to Venus. However I hope I have gotten over the worst of it, & expect now long Ev'nings are come & Still Nights invite to study, to grow as humgrum as ever. If you should come to Boston it will not be amiss to let you know torn you are there. You may come in yr. homespun for matter of any good fine Cloaths will do you at this markett. I assure you Sister we are intirely glutted. I hear nothing of the Electricity. I expect the season is over for Thunder & lightning. I think of nothing to write about, only that I am as usual

R.T.P.

RC ; addressed: "To Miss Eunice Paine at Weymouth"; endorsed.

1.

RTP spoke in court on Oct. 11, according to his diary.

2.

Possibly Mary Fletcher.