I would not omit writing you, because you seem to think you have been agrieved. I do not recollect what I wrote you, but I have Some Idea, that it was an enumeration of the various accidents you had met with, and advising you to more care and attention in future.1 I had no occasion to chide you for want of application to your studies, because your uncles your Aunts & your Brothers had been witnesses for you, and all of them had Spoken well of you. it has indeed been a great and an abundant pleasure both to your Father & to me to hear the repeated & constant testimony of all our Friends with regard to the conduct of all our Sons, and I flatter myself that what ever else may be our lot & portion in Life, that of undutifull and vicious children will not be added to it.— Not only youth but maturer age is too often influenced by bad exampls, and it requires much reason much experience firmness & resolution to stem the torrent of fashion & to preserve the integrity which will bear the Scrutiny of our own Hearts. virtue like the stone of Sysiphus has a continual tendency to roll down Hill & requires to be forced up again by the never ceasing Efforts of succeeding moralists. if humane nature is thus infirm & liable to err as daily experience proves let every effort be made to acquire strength. nature has implanted in the humane mind nice sensibilities of moral rectitude and a natural love of excellence & given to it powers capable of infinate improvement and the state of things is so constituded that Labour well bestowed & properly directed always produces valuable Effects. the resolution you have taken of persueing such a conduct as shall redound to your own honour & that of your family is truly commendable. it is an old & just observation, that by aiming at perfection we may approach it much more nearly than if we sat down inactive through despair—

you will do well to join the military company as soon as you are qualified. every citizen should learn the use of arms & by being thus qualified he will be less likely to be calld to the use of them.2 War cannot be ranked amongsts the liberal arts, and must ever be considerd as a scourge & a calamity, & should Humiliate the pride of man that he is thus capable of destroying his fellow creatures— I am glad to find you mending in your hand writing, during the vacancies you & your Brother Charles would do well to attend to that. it is of more importance than perhaps you are aware of, more for a Man than a Woman, but I have always to lament my own inattention in this matter. inclosed you will find a little matter which you will make a good use of. your sister sends her Love and will write you soon. I am my dear Son / most affectionately / Yours

I have procured the Books for you, and Captain Folger not sailing quite so soon as I expected, I have sent them to mr Boylstones Store requesting him to send them for me.1 I think it would be worth while to inquire at the post office in Boston with regard to the other Books which were put into the Bag with the Letters, & must have gone to the post office, or have been taking out, before they went from the NewEngland coffe House. I cannot think they were, because I allways carry or send what ever Letters or packages are going by any of the captains to that House; & leave them in the care of the Waiter, & I never lost any thing before. if you should find them give one Set to your cousin Cranch— your sister has not received any Letter from you, tho in yours to me, you mention writing her.2 the Younger captain Folger is just arrived & with him mr Gill, whom I have not yet seen.3 he was asked to dine with us yesterday, but being prengaged could not come. Cushing Barnard & Scot who have all sailed; had letters for you; I hope you got one which I wrote you by way of Nwyork during the winter.4 Col Smith by order of 12congress is going to Pourtugal upon Buisness as soon as your sister gets to Bed which I expect she will the begining of April.5

Callihan will sail in April by whom I hope to write you agreeable intelligence with respect to her—

I have written to your Brothers by mr Martin who sails with captain Folger.6 I quite long to return to America. pray how does my old friend mrs dana? give my Love to her when you see her & my respects to Madam Winthrope. I fear you will grew too Indolent. I very Seldom hear of you at Boston or any where out of colledge your Blood will grew thick & you will be sick. your Pappa is sure of it. he is always preaching up excercise to me and it would be a very usefull doctrine if I sufficiently attended to it. I was afflicted last fall with a slew nervous fever attended with Rhumatick complaints, and I am now labouring under the same disorder for several days past, except that it is not attended with the Rhumatism. as soon as I can get the better of it I am determined to be very punctual in daily walking— your pappa enjoys better Health than I believe he has for many years, reads & writes every Evening; which you know he could not do in France before this reaches you, his Book will have arrived. I should like to know its reception.7 I tell him they will think in America that he is for sitting up a King. he says no, but he is for giving to the Governours of every state the same Authority which the British King has, under the true British constitution, balancing his power by the two other Branches—

I only intended you a line, but how I have spun—adieu your affectionately