Adams Family Correspondence, volume 13
I received the Centinal last Evening and found by it that the two
Houses were formed and that a committe had waited upon you; that you could not as
usual attend upon the day following oweing to indisposition.1 You will easily suppose that I must feel very
anxious from reading this; because I know a Slight indisposition would not detain you;
I have a Letter from you of the 4th of December. you do
not mention having a cold, tho I have expected you would, as tis impossible to go into
that city without taking one, even tho you had not exposed yourself as I think you did
upon your Journey. If your complaint is one of those heavey colds to which you are
subject, an early attention to is necessary, and proper nursing. I hope you have a
fire in your bed Chamber and that you do not imprudently throw up & keep up your
windows. if you take Lockers pills, you ought to confine yourself and take no air
colder than that of your Chamber. they are not to be tamperd with, and I fear you will
not be sufficiently Cautious.2 I shall
write to mrs Brisler what to give you, if your complaint is a cold. if any thing more
serious and allarming I pray I may know it, for I certainly shall venture cold fatigue
and 308 every hazard to come on to you. I am not easy to
be absent from you; the more of care and anxiety you have upon your mind, the more
necessary it seems to me it is, that I should be with you— I shall be very unhappy
untill I hear from you I pray Heaven to preserve a Life invaluable to me, and of the
utmost importance to the publick. I should think the sacrifice of my own of little
consideration in comparision, and I shall certainly consider it my indispensable duty
to risk it, if thereby I can prolong, or render yours more comfortable—
I hope twesday morning will bring me Letters from you, and that you will not fail to let me hear particuliarly how you are. put your Feet into warm water, and let William shaw or Richard have a Bed put in the little octogon Room that you may be readily attended—if you have occasion for any thing in the Night.
My own Health is better, and if the travelling was not the worst that could be, and the weather intencly cold, I would not stay to consult Physicia[ns] I would inlist under the wing of the old Generall & push forward—
I am my dearest Friend your / anxious
pr favour captain Beal I have just received the speech in a hand
Bill.3 the mail for monday was
anticipated and it was publishd last night. his son brought it out this noon. I like
it well. it does not flinch. I should have been mortified if it had been possible. I
cannot however omit observing how perfectly it in sentiment coinsides with the Letter
I sent you of Sep’br 4th, or rather the Letter coinsides
with the speech;4 I am still anxious
for your Health. I hope you are not very sick
RC (Adams Papers); addressed: “The President of the / United States /
Philadelphia”; endorsed: “Mrs A. Decr 16 / 1798.” Some
loss of text where the seal was removed.
The Boston Columbian Centinel, 15
Dec., reported that Congress indicated its “readiness to receive communications” from
JA on 6 Dec., but owing to “his present indisposition” proceedings
would begin on 8 Dec., for which see JA to AA, 14 Dec., and note 1, above.
Lockyer’s Pills, named after their inventor Lionel Lockyer, were
a medicinal blend allegedly extracted from the rays of the sun (Hector A. Colwell,
“Lionel Lockyer,” Proceedings of the Royal Society of
Medicine, 8:126–134 [May 1915]).
JA’s 8 Dec. speech to Congress was printed in broadside (Evans, No. 34832).
That is, JQA’s letter to AA of 14 Sept., above.