I hartily salute you hopeinge of your good health the recouery wherof I desire siccis faucibus to hear of. You shall god willinge receiue per this bearer mr. Peirce 2 great drie fats marked as in the margin I.W.

At the motion of my brother Downeinge I willingly Condescended (if not 82boldly intended) my selfe to be a third partner with him and you in this parcell of goods, which is such wares as your father gaue advise for, And I haue endeuored to get good and as good Cheap as I Could. the Cloth was provided by my brother Downing and mr. Smith the tayler, and it is such as master Winslow did buy heer to trucke with the natiues. for the rest of the wares if they be not well bought I only must be blamed. You shall find in one of the fats a book sent by my brother Downeinge to his son for his direction to keep a marchants booke and therin also some letters you shall find, and 2 paper bookes for the keepinge of this partable account, the lesser for a memoriall wherin you may write as you shall buy sell or barter, and the broader may serue to post it into by way of Debitor and Creditor if you be so skilfull. but for my part I shalbe carefull to keep all things right and straight heer though in a more rude and playne method for want of skill. The Comodity to make returne of I suppose will be beuer, it beinge almost the only Comodity of that Contry and therin your skill may be lesse then mine a word therfore of direction will be requisite. Note that there is great difference in beuer although it be all new skins for some is very thicke of lether and thin of wooll, which is best discerned by layeinge your fingers on the middle or backe of the skin. 1 pound of deep wooled skins may be worth 2 li. of thin wooled skins. Mr. Peirce brought a parcell for his owne account which was much of it of that bad sort he offered it to mee for 12s per li. and I hear he hath now sold it for 11s or 11s 6d at most also note that the old Coates are better by a third part then new skins are, partly for that they generally dresse the best skins for that purpose, partly for that the lether is thinner and so consequently lighter by dressinge, and partly for that the Course haire is in part worne of from the wooll. but I pray be carefull that you take not old worne otter skins or Coates for beuer, for they ar nothinge worth if they be so much worne that the glossy top haires are decayed, but ther are some good otter skins in Cotes 5 or 6 skins in a Cote, which are sowed together with the tailes on and beinge not perceiued to haue been worne but by the soyleinge of the lether and beinge very black and glossy may be worth 50s per Coate or 10s per skin, you may know the otter skin from the beuer partly by the Fabricke, for the otter is more longe though the tayle be of, and the wooll is more short and of euen haire the glossy haire not much exceedinge the wooll in lenght, but the Course glossy haire of the beuer doth more ouertop the wooll and is more stragleinge and more wild. I haue sent you some paternes of old otters for your better information.

For newes, the most is of the successefull kinge of Sweden who hath now taken all Bauaria. Ingelstad did hold out the longest but is now lately taken. 83Also the prince of Orange hath gotten a stronge towne in Gelderlant Called Venlo a towne of great Consequence for that through it the Spaniard did convey all his provisions vp into Germany. also he hath taken the halfe of a towne in Cleuelant Called Mastich, but not the other halfe it beinge diuided (as it seemeth) by a riuer. and this taken with some difficulty, for Graue Ernste was slayne there and some other Comanders of the Hollanders. I earnestly desire to receiue a letter from you of the Contry and your Condicion there, which I shall receiue I hope per mr. Peirce if not before. I pray remember mee to your second selfe your good father and mother your sisters bretheren my Cosen James with all the rest of mine and your frends. We must intreat you to take Care of these goods and dispose of them. you may imploy my Cosen James in it so far as you thinke fit, but as yet I thinke he is vnfit to take the sole Charge of them. I pray make no bad debts, but rather keep them till you can haue mony or comodity for them.

The 2 driefats containe as followeth

Memorandum by John Winthrop, Jr., on the superscription leaf: Sandever or Sal alcali. In barrells. a barrell of sope ashes. ¼ of 100 tinne: ¼ 100 Copper.