Sudbury April the 24th: 1750. Conjunctissime Amice;1

I Received Your's, dated April 17th.,2 with the greatest Satisfaction: And Shall Esteem it no Small Part of Good-Fortune, to Maintain a Correspondence, with a Gentle-man of your Singular Accomplishments; and Shall embrace all opportunities of Writing to you, &c. Shall begg the Like Favour of You.

And as to your Removal from Lunenburg,3 I trust it has been a Very good Exchange, for now you have the Advantage of a City Life, which Perhaps will be More Agreeable to you than a County, (for non omnes Arbusta juvant humilesque Mirice.4) and Like wise a More Uniform Employment, where (omnes unum Studetis, et unum Sentitis5): where (if it is agreeable to you) I wish you may Continue an ornament to the Station, 'till Providence provide far better for You.

I Saw our Friend Samll;6 Last Week as he came from Groton, and he informes me that he has Dismist his School there, and Purposes to Live at his Fathers, (I Suppose to prepare for the Desk).

I cam Credibly informed that Pond is Preaching at New Rutland, where117he is Liked pretty well by the Haw-Bucks;7 only they Say, he is rather too Short in his Exercises, which is no more than may be Expected, from such a Novice in Divinity. As to Father Dodge, he Seems to make his way mightily in the World, and I suppose There is Scarcely anything thought on by him But ORDINATION, and Uxorem Ducere.8 If you hear when Friend Dodges Ordination is to be Celebrated, I shall account my Self greatly obliged to you if you will just Write to me of the Time. For if nothing Extraordinary Prevent I purpose to attend it, and Hope that the Whole Class will there be Presnt, not only to Animadvert upon his So Hasty Inception upon the Ministerial Function, but to give him Some Suitable Caveats, for him to Guide his Life By.

I am at Present Engaged at Sudbury, where I have a pretty good School for a Country School. If your Business will admit of a Small Tour into the Country, I Can assure you I Should be Extravagantly Glad to wait on you, But if you are so confin'd that You can't Leave your Business I must Flatter my Self withe Pleasure of Seeing you at Boston, wishing that

Dum Juga Montis Aper, fluvios dum Piscis amabit Dumque Thymo pascentur Apes, dum Rorê Cicado Semper Honos, Nomenque tuum, Laudesque manebunt.9

From Your Sincere Friend and Loving Class-Mate,

GIDEON RICHARDSON

P.S. I thank you, for your Caveat; as to, I and J &c.

And as to Mr: Jno. Mayhews’10 Preferment, I fear (as, Piscator Ictus Sapit11) we Shall have no More of, Pope's,12 thoughts either Congratulatory or Hortatory, "Upon the Bright Occasion". Please to Remember me to all Enquiring Friend's. Yours ut Olim,13

G.R.

RC ; addressed: "For Mr; Robert Treat Paine Usher in the South-Grammar-Schoo1 at boston This. QDC."; endorsed.

1.

Friend most closely knit to me.

2.

Not located

3.

According to entries in his diary, RTP gave up teaching at Lunenburg on Mar. 24, 1750. On Mar. 28, he was offered the post of usher of the Boston Latin School by John Lovell, the famous master, to fill the place created by the death of Samuel Gibson. RTP accepted on Apr. 4, and remained as usher until Aug. 13, 1750 (RTP, Diary; Pauline Holmes, A Tercentenary History of the Boston Public Latin School, 1635–1935 [Cambridge, Mass., 1935], 121, 150–151).

118 4.

Not all do the orchards please and the lowly tamarisks. Virgil, Ecologues 4:2.

5.

You all are eager to study one thing and to feel one thing.

6.

Samuel Haven.

7.

Hawbuck: “an unmannerly lout; a country bumpkin" (OED).

8.

To take a wife.

9.

Long as the boar loves the mountain ridges, as the fish the streams; long as the bees feed on thyme and the cicalas on dew, so long shall thy honour and name and glories abide. Virgil, Ecologues 5:76–78.

10.

Jonathan Mayhew (1720–1766), a 1744 graduate of Harvard. minister of the West Church, Boston, and a leading Arminian minister (Sibley's Harvard Graduates, 11:440–472).

11.

Proverb. "The fisherman when stung will be wiser."

12.

In the margin: "alias Ph-ps."

13.

As formerly.

(At Hingham) Cohasset the May the 21st. 1750 Sr.,

With Pleasure I receivd yours of the 8th. Inst.1(on the 12th) & am obligd to you for the same & heartily rejoice at your Prosperity, that from a Land of Bitterness, surrounded with Thorns & Briars, you are remov'd to Canaan a Land of Pleasantness, & freindly to the Muses. Reflecting upon the Phenephilenik, I am agreably surprisd, to behold what Prosperity the greater Part of it meets with, You Lieunt. General of the Grammar Army in Boston, Father Dodge this Week to ascend the Rostrum & recieve Imposition of Hands &c. Thurston only waiting for a second Imposition (alias an Establishment) & then two H-y F-t-s2 (for us). That you may be serviceable in your Station, & gain the Applause of the great Arbiter of Heaven & of all around you Is the sincere Wish of your Friend & Humble Servant who is at present In Health & hopes these will find you so,

COTTON TUFTS

(P.S. In Haste & hope you excuse the Nonsense.) My Residence is in a Part of Hingham calld Cohasset, My School is small not exceeding 20. But wish I had a few of your Romanists alias Grammarians having none but Accidentials at Present.3

RC ; addressed: "For Mr. Robert Treat Paine att Boston"; endorsed.

1.

Not located.

119 2.

Holy Fathers.

3.

Apparently Tufts had only beginners and no advanced students in his Latin class.