The last Week has indeed been a Week of Joy to me— We have “eat our Bread with gladness, & drank our Wine with merry Hearts—”1

My dear Nephews have done themselves, & their Friends honour by their publick Performances— And Mr Shaw, & myself shared in a very particular manner, the general satisfaction, & Festivity of the Day—

William Cranch had a Dissertation shewing the Utillity, & necessity of three Branches in the Legislature.—

Your Son spoke an English Oration upon the importance of preserving publick Faith, &ce—

Leonard White had a Conference with Loyd, & Amory upon the Question, which had the greatest Influence upon Mankind, Wealth—Power—or Fame—2

Freeman from Sanwich spoke a most excellent Oration, both as to matter, & manner, & I should be too partial, if I had not preserved a Wreath, to bind around his Head—

I think both the Orators (for I cannot now recollect, & separate each part) represented to us the honourable, happy state we were in, at the close of the last War—marked out in very striking coulours, each footstep by which we had fallen into our present state, & shewed that Idleness, & Luxery ever did, & ever would bring on loss of Credit—Scorn, & Derission—Civil Wars—Anarchy, & all its dreadful Consequences—

J,Q,A, & Freeman were the Competiors of the Day, & seemed to vie with each other who should excell the most— The young Ladies charmed with the gracefullness of Freeman, would no doubt have presented him with the Palm—But more accurate Judges, & the admirers of dignity of Sentiment, & Composition would at least have debated upon the Preference—

I am sure no one could be a Judge of Mr Adam's Eloquence unless they kept their Eye fixed upon his Face, & saw each Passion, & each Feeling called up, & most strikingly, & happily delineated there—

It is 17 years since I have attended a Commencement before this— They speak now, there Performances cheifly in English, & of late years have greatly improved in the Art of Speaking—3 I have thought Oratory was too little attended too by this University—& many of our most sensible Youths have suffered sadly by the neglect— I wish they may not now run into the oposite extreme— For whoever expects now to be noticed, & wishes to make a Figure, reads Sheridan, & Blair with the greatest avidity, to the too great neglect (I fear) of Classickcal Authors, & more substantial knowledge— For after all, it must be considered only, as an exterior 136accomplishment as an elegant Dress to a fine Woman, rendering her more conspicuous, & strikingly lovely—

The Centinel I see, has conveyed to the World with its usual good-humour some strictures upon Commencement Performances—But malevolence shall not cast a shade nor Scurility pluck the Laurel from their Brow—4

The Young Gentlemen may well content themselves, with the ample applause of the Day—

The Monday before Commencement we had a very fine rain, & the weather was uncommonly pleasant the whole of the week, I believe there never was so cool a Commencment known— Mr Shaw, & I, lodged at Professor William's— He rose early in the morning to take a walk anew over the classick ground, & found People who were making Booths upon the Common, thressing their Arms acros's their Breasts, to keep themselves warm—A curious sight this upon our Commencment Day—

Dr Tufts, & Mr Cranch had provided a very elegant, & genteel Entertainment— There was quite a large Company at the Chambers; but there was enough of every-thing, & to spare— There was not anything wanting but you, & part of you, to grace, & crown the whole—

It was exceeding pleasant for me, to see, & to recognize so many of my former Friends, & Acquaintance— I stood above an hour answering, & passing the usual Compliments of the Day— I thought of you at the Levee—Though there was this difference I suppose—Complacency & all the social affections of the Heart shone in their Countenances, which is never, or very seldom seen, in a Company of Strangers, wholly uninterested in each others welfare—

The Family Tenants were all there—Belcher—Beale & Pratt—who were very necessary, & useful— But as I returned from Meeting, passing the Colledge Entry, there sate in state our sable Domestic, accompanied by her solemn faced Partner, with his sabbath Day Coat, & tie Wig full powdered, looking like a piece of mock majesty— I could not but be diverted after Dinner to see him devouring the delicious Fragments—now mouthing a sweet crumb of Bread—now a fat slice of Bacon, & Tongue—now a rich piece of alamode Beef—& now a fine spoonful of green Peas—Lettice—Pickles &cc—clearing Plate by Plate & handing them, to his charming dewy, oderiferous Phebe, who was so kind as to wash them—

But what (my Dear Sister) gave a relish to every other enjoyment was the arrival of Callihan the Monday before, which brought us Letters announcing the welfare of your Family, & the Birth of your 137Grandson— May you ever have Cause to rejoice in the Day— Kiss the sweet Fellow once—twice—three & tell the little Cherub his Aunt sent all she could—as a Token of her Love, & ardent Wishes, that his Life, & Health may be preserved— And in this Wish is included a sincere Petition, that its Parents may be surrounded with every Circumstance that can render Life delightful—smooth the Brow of Age—or sweeten the Bed of Death—

Your Letters gave me peculiar pleasure, for though they informed me of your poor Health, yet you was so much better than I feared, that I really felt releived—For my whimsical Brain had suggested to me that something was the matter— Last Fall, my Sisterly Spirit crossed the wide Ocean, & carefully attended you in your Illness—& early this Spring it went forth, & was siting by your side, nursing you night, after night, & kindly endeavouring to alleviate every Pain—

You may say, many wise Things upon this Subject—That I ought not to “believe in lying Vanities, & forsake real mercies—”5 I feel its force—But had much rather hear all were well, than read whole Volumes, upon the Folly of Enthusiasm—6

Judge Blodget deliverd to me your Packet, filld with every Expression of kindness To say I thank you, does not convey half the gratitude I feel— Mrs Allen too sends her Love, looked quite pleased & gratified when I presented her with the Box— She has been a little unwell with Billious disorders—but expected every Day those little matters would come in use—

August 21st.

When I began this Letter I hoped to have sent it imediately, but could not get it into Town soon enough— Mr & Mrs Evans have spent a fortnight with us— He is a worthy, good, sensible man, though the People of Weymouth can hardly say as He passes, “the Lord bless & prosper you”— He was reading in the Book you sent me, (which is an excellent one) the Authors opinion of early marriage He dissaproved of it greatly— I did not think his reasons sufficient— I told him very few had, or could have those Opportunities for improving which Mrs Evans had been favoured with— I was pleased to see they were not lost upon her— She is really a fine woman— An equality of Age, I see is as nothing in the Eye of Affection, for I know of no persons who seem more delighted, & happy in each other company— He is now gone with her to Exeter, & is preaching there—

Your Sons have each of them favoured us with a visit— Thomas has grown so much; you would scarce believe it was the little Lad you left with us— He is as good as ever— The Misses think Charles a mere Adonis—a perfect Beauty— I said to him one Day “Charles the Girls fancy you are handsome”— [“]Do not forget it is a Gift of Nature, & as it is not your own acquisition, you can have no title to be vain— We would wish you to be esteemed (& I think we have Cause) & admired for the more lasting, & valuable Qualities of the Mind—” I hope I shall not make my sister anxious, she has no reason to be—but at a critical age— May Minerva with her broad Sheild, preserve the dear Youth, from every Guile— They are happy in having one who knows the dangers, & Temptations

At length the scene of my collegiate life is closed, and about a fortnight ago I made a public exit from the university: by the public papers you will have some account of the performances of the day. In one of them (the centinel) you will see it very positively asserted that Freeman, who spoke the other oration is my indisputable superior in style, elegance and oratory. in another paper that account is said to be ridiculously partial;1 those of the audience, who were friendly to Freeman, perhaps all thought like the writer in the 139centinel: my friends who were present, perhaps thought me worthy of the preference; but an observer perfectly impartial, might not be willing to give an opinion on the subject, but might say, like Sir Roger de Coverley that “much might be said on both sides.”2 The critic in the centinel, you will easily perceive is not entirely guided by the hand of candor; especially when speaking of me: he mentions my being the son of an Ambassador, & the favorite of the officers of college, as if those circumstances were any thing to the purpose at that time. You perhaps may think it much to my honor that I should be so much in favor with the College government; but it was in fact the most invidious circumstance that could have been mentioned: but the compliment or the accusation, whatever it be, is not true: I have it is true been distinguished twice by allotments for Exhibitions, and by that of an Oration at Commencement. but Freeman perform'd at the same exhibitions, and had likewise an Oration at Commencement. these are the only marks I ever had of their favor. In all other respects they have always treated me, as they do every student who behaves with propriety towards them; I have often laugh'd at the awful superiority, which most of them assume when in company with a student: and at other times I have expressed my opinion freely upon certain transactions, in which they were not wholly justifiable; and further, that opinion has been reported to them: so that abstracted from the characters of preceptor and student I know I am far from being the favorite of some of those officers.— I have a warm and sincere friendship for Freeman; his natural abilities are very good and his disposition is amiable. his oratorical talents are great; and I should never wish to be considered as his rival or competitor: if however we must be view'd in that light, I have not the most distant pretensions to superiority, nor am I conscious of a decided inferiority. our manner both of writing and speaking is very different, and— but I have already said too much on this subject, and hope you will forgive these effusions of vanity, and attribute them to the desire of convincing you that I have not entirely neglected to improve those advantages, which, by the kindness of my parents I have enjoy'd.

I consider as one of the most fortunate circumstances of my life, that I came from Europe, as I did. it has been of great and real service to me in many particulars. It has reduced my opinion of myself and of my future prospects to a nearer level with truth: so that making allowances for the general exaggerations of youth, I do not overrate myself more than people in general are apt to do. it has enabled 140me to form an intimate friendship, with a number of worthy characters of the same standing in life, with myself: and it has been the means of turning my attention to several important branches of study, which otherwise I must have neglected.— There are at the university two private Societies form'd upon a similar plan to that which you mention in one of your late letters. of these Societies, friendship is the soul, and literary improvement the object; and consequently neither of them is numerous. I was received as a member of both these Societies, very soon after my admission at the university; and I am certain that the institutions, are of great service to those who belong to them.3 In short I am now so firmly persuaded of the superior advantages of a public education, that I only regret I did not enter the University a year and an half sooner than I did.

And now having closed with the University, you will naturally Enquire, what I am at present about;?— I have engaged to study with Mr Parsons at Newbury-port, and expect to fix myself down there in five or six weeks from this. I should wish to get upon the business sooner, but Doctor Tufts advises me, to ride about, and remain idle, for a month or two, in order to recover and establish firmly my health, which has suffered by my living so much retired, during the last eighteen months.

And now, my dear Madam, after having talked so long entirely about myself, I will acknowledge the receipt of several letters from you. I have received both sets of Blair's lectures, and according to your desire shall present one of them to my cousin. the vessel by which the first set was sent was driven from the coast in a storm, and was sometime, in one of the West India islands: so that I received it but a short time before the other set came—4 I read with pleasure the pamphlets which came by Callahan, with your letter of May 6th: the name of the author of one of them is kept secret, but from the peculiarity of the stile, I strongly suspect they are both the productions of the same pen. Affairs seem to assume quite an extraordinary appearance in France. And I see by the papers that the Marquis de la Fayette, has got his finger in the pye; (to use a vulgar expression.)5 it was well for de Vergennes that he died as he did; though probably had he lived, he would have prevented any assembly, which might take his conduct into consideration. The marquis appears to me, to be venturing “like little wanton boys who swim on bladders,” and I shall be surprized, if he does not in the end, find himself “far beyond his depth.”6 It is dangerous to tread upon a 141snake, and if the marquis is influenced merely by disinterested patriotism, that circumstance, in a court, will only be the means of making his enemies the more numerous.

I wrote to my dear father about 3 weeks since; and will write soon to my Sister.7 in the mean time, will you please to present to her my congratulations upon her new character, and tell her I hope she will fulfill the duties of it as well as she has those of all the characters in which he has appeared before. I would complain of her if I dared: I would remind her that seven months have elapsed since I received one line from her;8 but as I fear she might in some measure retort the charge, I will e'en be silent and wait with patience.

But my paper stops me, and I can only add, that I am, your dutiful and / affectionate Son.