Boston March 24 1748 Dear Brother,

I reciv'd your letter by Cheever1 which put gladness in my heart and Smiles on my face. I am oblidg to you for your opinion of my facultys and for your good advice to improve them and if I had more of your advice and Examples I Should improve faster. I am very Sensible that there are a Set of people in the world that make their tongues prove a Curse rather than a Blessing to them by improveing them about the fashion and vain things of this world and never allowing their thoughts a moments time to Contemplate on the happyness of another and are so far from preparing for it that they think another time will do well enouhg when they have lost their relish for these pleasures. Dear Brother I fear that I can See the mote in my neigbours eye altho I have a beam in my own but I hope in time with my own Endeavors and the help of my freinds (of whom you are cheif) to get my Sight clear and See my own defects. But in the mean time you must give me leave to Say that I am not one of those you mention'd for I do not think the Beauty of Conversation consists in a multitude of words yet I dont pertend to be a judge of conversation but I know what pleases me and what I can Suck most hony out of. I hope to have a great many good Cautions and instructive letters from you to help fill my hive lest for want of knowledge that is worthy Something that is useless if not bad may fill the place. I am so elevated to think that you have not cast me quite of that. I know not where to leave of But fearing least I Should take too much of your precious time 32to read my nonsence and So I will porceed to the conclusion but first I must tell you I have got a letter that was sent to Jeremiah Green2 Calld the Drone & I will inclose it3 for I think for a Satyr it is prety Smart & there is on the same paper a carachter of Governir Phillips4 as it was drawn up in his presence Extempore By a gentleman but I do not know who but if you leave a blank I can find out. This I send as my mite to you instead of a better. I must conclude beging you would not forget me. I wish for your sake as well as my own that I were mistres of better Language that I might with a face Send oftener to you but Seeing I send you my best I hope you will excuse them from your Loving Sister & Hearty well wisher,

EUNICE PAINE

PS Pray give my Service to Mr. Apleton daughters and to all that enquire after me.

RC ; addressed: “To Mr. Robert Treat Paine att Cambridge"; endorsed.

1.

Israel Cheever (1722–1811), classmate of RTP and later first minister of Liverpool, Nova Scotia (Sibley's Harvard Graduates, 12:363–366).

2.

Jeremiah Greene (1732–ca. 1789), later a distiller in Boston (Thwing Index).

3.

Enclosure not found.

4.

This reference may be to Spencer Phips (1685–1757), lieutenant-governor of Massachusetts, 1732–1757 (Sibley's Harvard Graduates, 5:224–234).