Shrewsbury June 8th. AD: 1747 Dear Sir,

Gratitudo ac Amicitia respondere Cogent.1 It was when the tuneful Larks had Sung thier Vespers & the Sun had dip'd it Self in the Western Ocean: when the wakeful Stars to make thier Splendid apearance while a Crimson red hung over the blusing horison, twas then my pencive Soul Sorroing at your absence would repair to the groves to tell the rocks it's grief & make the grove a witness of it's Sighs. noneNo Sonner had 1 arived among the tal Elms & Revered Oaks whose Shady tops at first Struck my Soul with Solemnity, but Still my Soul remaind unquiet & passions of grief & joy alturnate rould Sumtimes I though pale Death that Enimy to friendship would Snach you from me ear I Should See you Sum times flush with joy that I might See you at the Ordination, thus was my Soul perplext with thoughts hinc atq: hinc:2 & now the Queen of Silent Shades began to roule her pale Chariot over the Soft boosom of the Silent night & rival'd all the Stars: the hearheirds lay prostrate on the ground & eas'd thier hearts of toile the Zephires Seas'd to fan the leavie trees; the Owle forgat to make theirher midnight Schreem the birds in the midest of Silent brakes in dreems repeat their Song: yea all nature Seam'd to nod & take its ease: but I unhapy I all night perplext with ancious thoughts untill Aurora's herbingers of day proclam'd the riseing morn: when Sol at length dres'd in her blooming Splendor Came blushing from her eastern Chambers & Streek'd the earth with orient perl: while the feather'd throng in tunefull Choirs Saluteed her arival with harmonius Songs & now the Sun had not obtaind her midele Corse when your letter Came to my hand3 when I Saw the 3 letters at the bottomSure Charecters of the name I loved my Soul revived—when I readred the marshal rout that ecco'd through the town to gether with the Clangor tubarum my Soul was kindeld with a marshall blaze—but when I red the uneaseyness that my departure gave you then Simpathy throb'd in every vaine—but when you began to relate your vision in Such lively Strains I Saw the Charming Goddess I Saw her Safforn hair hang wanton in the wind: I heard the Silver accents flow from her easy tongue wh. Calm'd my troble Soul as when Eolus from his extended jaws Strains forth huge blasts and lashes them on Neptune's CorsesCorsts which from the bottom roull great billows to the Shore but when Neptune rous'd by Some heavenly Godess beholds the disorder16 Calms the rough waves and Stills the foming Sea thus was my Soul Calm'd by the heavenly Godess my houl soul heard with vast attention while She touch'd her Six String'd Lyre* and turnd my thoughts on heavenly things when er'e I turnd my watchfull Eyes I Saw Gods Sacred name in grav'd on all his works. Thus Sir I have given you a breif & imperfec account of the Circumstances, I was in when I received your letter together with the affect it had on me & I heartyly joyne with you in your prayer in the Close of your letter (viz.), "that we may both fowllow the instruction of this garden Angel" & can't but admire at the assistance that the muses afforded you in the midst of Such marshal uprore but you being there peculer friend methinks I Saw one of the brightest of them flutter around your head affrighted at the dire noise but willing to assist your meditation. Hoping Sir that the anchent maxim (viz) (love covers a multitude of failings) will be verifide in you I shall not make any apology for the rudeness of these lines & So remain your humble Servant & Sincear & inseperable friend morteby anything morte excepto,5

E: DODGE

P.S. Give my intire love to my Son Tufts4 & my regards to Haven the and all that ask after me. Write to me if the Class have agreed univarsaly to go out against the potent or rather impotent freshmen & if not let me know it.

*i:d: the Six Siences you Spiritualiz'd (viz) Lan. Reto: Log: geog: Phy: & Divinity:

RC ; endorsed: "Ezeckiel Dodge Rcd. June 12. 1747."

1.

Gratitude and friendship force me to respond.

2.

Hence and hence.

3.

RTP noted in his diary for May 29, 1747, “I sent a leter to Dodge." This has not been located.

4.

Cotton Tufts (1732–1815), a classmate of RTP at Harvard. "Father Dodge" was one of the oldest in the Class of 1748, being twenty-two years old at the time of admission, while "Son Tufts" was one of the youngest at thirteen. Tufts later became a physician at Weymouth, Mass. He served that town clerk and representative among other responsibilities. Tufts was a charter member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences with RTP, and also a founding member and president of the Massachusetts Medical Society. He was an uncle by marriage of Abigail Adams ( Sibley's Harvard Graduates , 12:493–500).

5.

Except for death.