A eulogy of the Abbé de Mably has come to light, written under the auspices of two old abbes well-known to your excellency, one of whom (in my judgment) is a great rogue, and the other a complete blockhead.1 According to said eulogy, your excellency begs the Abbé de Mably to have the goodness to illuminate us poor, ignorant Americans on the principles of legislation and administration, and when his worthless book appears, your excellency says to the two abbés, “This book will be either our happiness or our shame. If we do what it teaches us, it will be our happiness: if we do not do it, it will be our shame.” For two years I have had the honor to write to you that the abbés have had the brazenness to say the same thing to me, but I never believed that they would have dared to announce the same audacious assertions to the public, and present you as producing testimony for them. If you judge it appropriate to contradict the bold and impudent lies, that I (if they were about me) would take as slander, I will be sure to have everything that you communicate to me regarding this particular inserted into the public papers. In such a case (to show how ridiculous the 255 claim is) it would be worth citing what Piron used to say, that is, “People today take things to the letter so much so, that when I say to someone most humble servant, I am always afraid that the next day they will send their livery all the way to my house.”2

Mr. Pietro Molini, a bookseller in London, will receive two copies of my book in four to six days, one to send to your excellency, and the other to Colonel Smith. I hope with all my heart that the quality of the materials may correspond to the quantity.3

I beg you to send my most respectful and sincere regards to your worthy wife, and have the honor of signing myself, your excellency’s most devoted and most humble servant