A website from the Massachusetts Historical Society; founded 1791.

Robert Treat Paine Papers, Volume 2

beta

To James Freeman

4 October 1757

From James Brenton

23 October 1757
To Eunice Paine
RTP Paine, Eunice
Boston Octr. 18th. 1757 Our Eunice,

I have no time to come & see you by Jinkums. I have been this fortnight past up to the Eyes in Old Papers, in the midst of wch. I have sat as I did once among a Room full of scholars, examining them one by one & ordering them to their several Classes, & in short the various Ideas they raise in my mind are as impertinent & confused as 54the tittle tattle of a School, & could tongues be given them they would make infinitely more hubbub. I chastise multitudes for their Ignorance & many a one I turn by; Thus it comes to pass that my head is intirely stuff d with Accounts settled & unsettled, do. drawn out; do. given, Receipts, Notes, Contracts Bonds, Policys, Charterpartys, Bills of Laden Invoices, Letters Orders, & Protests &c.&c. Thus am I at present engaged, besides innumerable Miscellanious Matters. Next week the Court sets by Adjournmt. where I have Business. I suppose you have heard of my breaking bulk & opning my mouth in misterys.1 Well, the week after the Supr. Ct. sets by Adjournment & as soon as that is over I shall embark for Conneticutt, and purpose to take you in my way, & if you get a visit by that time, you'll fare better than most of my country Girls do, some of wch. begin to be impatient. I assure you, you must think your self highly favoured wth. so long an Epistle, for there is a rumour spread in town that I am advancing towards the sphere of the higher Powers, wch. has sett all my Correspondents of the Middling Order on the Watch & caused them to throw forth all their Excellencys. This Circumstance demands all my attention, to recive addresses & give answers which affords me no small gamut, (you know I have a faculty at laughing at wt. scares others to death) so that you would not have had the honour of this long History, were it not I have been for this severall months past most deeply in Love, but who the Object2 is, I can't with all my Inginuity find out, & I hope I never may for I dread the consequences of so dismall a Catastrophe. I keep this a profound secret least the Enemies of my peace should sing to Deam to Venus. However I hope I have gotten over the worst of it, & expect now long Ev'nings are come & Still Nights invite to study, to grow as humgrum as ever. If you should come to Boston it will not be amiss to let you know torn you are there. You may come in yr. homespun for matter of any good fine Cloaths will do you at this markett. I assure you Sister we are intirely glutted. I hear nothing of the Electricity. I expect the season is over for Thunder & lightning. I think of nothing to write about, only that I am as usual

R.T.P.

RC ; addressed: "To Miss Eunice Paine at Weymouth"; endorsed.

1.

RTP spoke in court on Oct. 11, according to his diary.

2.

Possibly Mary Fletcher.