Salem 21st March 1768 My good Friend,

I ask Your Pardon. for what? why for my neglecting to answer your kind, agreeable and Friendly Epistles,1 all the Apology I can make is that I set so high a Value upon them that I put them away so safely that they went out of my Mind, being justled out by other Affairs I was engag'd in; I have Mr. Leonards Bond safe I would also inform you that—

Sir I recieved your dateless Scrawl† Dated I think at Tisdale-Hall* And tho' twas puzz'ling to decypher it I found it not in vain to try for it. But Pegasus begins to kick up So now from Dogrell to the Tea-Cup But firt I must try one Experiment Which will afford my Boys some merriment

O Strange the Experiment turns out the reverse of what I expected. What it is & how it operated I must leave till I have leisure to write you again which hope will be soon when also I hope to give some satisfactory Answer to Your Quere. But if I write any more, the Marginal Note having been written before I shall have no Room to say Sir Your most obliged Humle. Servt.,

A. OLIVER

† Scrawl. A Name I should not have presumed to call any production of yours by, had had you not complimented it your self with the same, & I wanted it to help out the Rime.

* Barbers Shop.

RC ; addressed: "To Robert Treat Paine Esq. At Taunton"; endorsed.

1.

None located.