Boston January 13th 1755 Dear Sr.,

If the Inclemencies of the Weather had not prevented, I purposed to have spent the last Sabbath wth. you, Intending to have laid up my Winter's Stock of Freindly Communion, wch. I find I must come for If I Enjoy, & consequently cant expect to recruit till Spring, for being tired with Inconveniencys of a City Life I shall speedily betake Myself to Lancaster & am sorry I have nothing to refresh myself wth. but the Story of a Man's dying by eating too much Roast Turkey the Bones of wch. wont last picking till Spring. Indeed I acknowledge I have no Title to a Dish till my betters have feasted, however it looks Malicious to serve me with a dish that had dispatch'd a Man over Styx. I hope I shall not always meet with so bad luck in courting, tho' I'm willing to acknowledge in point of Merit Some Peoples Postscripts & Message equal to crowded Sheats of Others. Yet Courtship implies Love & is never Satisfy'd but in its own kind. However I hope not to fail tho' I must Spend upon Stock & ruminate upon Years past for a fresh bit, for he that is a Freind has a Freind if he be not afraid of himself.

There's a young Appollo resides in yr. Neighbourhood, who owe me a trifle, wch. I would forgive if my Life did not consist of wt. he may call trifles, but yet to me would be a great deal & therefore must intreat you to collect & send me. His name is S.Q.1 I should have wrote to him myself abt. it but I'm afraid of his Dog by reason of a Natural Antipithy I have to Genteel biters, tho I have seen many polite company extreemly pleas'd with him purely because he's a genteel Cur, but Maybe they did not see his Teeth? But tho' he's so guarded that I cant Enjoy, yet I wont235thank him to admire. There is another Neighbour2 of yrs, that lives by the lnfirmitys of others wth. wm. I have an old Acct. in my favr. I expect he'll plead the Limitation Act, wch. however wont avail him inasmuch as I have made frequent demands. Pray urge the paymt. for they say he's preparing an Anodyne for Life which as soon as it begins to work, will Solve all his Debts. I am abt. contracting My Self into a narrow Compass & therefore urge the Collection of My Debts, being tird with the Roguery of the World who all deny me my Interest & many refuse the Principal. I am sorry I am obliged to employ you in this Business fearing wn. you have got them they'll not be the nearer me for should I distrain for yr. own Debts, I fear you'd prove a Bankrupt. However, I'm desiring to put that into a Way of paying yr. Debt if possible being willing to allow you large Commissions. But observe one caution by the way. Theres an old honest Deacon & wife that live hard by you,3 who took the advantage of me wn. I was young & foolish & involv'd me head over Ears in Debt, indeed I can't deny I have not been a little Rogish oftentimes since by involving Myself wn. I knew I could never pay. Yet it appears to me that they that force a Debt must not expect to have it repaid, besides I was a Minor. & I have another consideration, that should he loose ten times as much twould not lessen his Stock. Upon the whole I cant afford just now to pay him, but if he should divine that I'm abt. closing acct. wth. the world, it might give a Miff to his public soul, & if he should then attach my Debts in yr. hands it would undoe me & bring you into Trouble, but on the contrary if you'll conceal it, I'll use you well, wch. will be an advantage to us both. Pray Sr. be cautious for they say he is lately turn'd Potter & understands exceeding well the Nature of Earthern Vessels knowing perfectly well whats under the glazing.4

I need not observe the advantage one of yr. Antient Prophets found in this Business. I hope these hints will suffice trusting youll make one speedy Remittance that so I may make as little Noise in the World as possible.

R:T:P

P:S. I forgot to tell you that I have a Stray Heart which has elop'd frome sometime since. I fancy it is wandring upon yr. River. I should be glad to have it before I retire, least it should get into bad hands. I believe twold gladly shelter under yr. Roof & if you catch it pray correct it of Sundry bad qualitys wch. you'll find have taken deep Root. Such as too236great a desire to please those who are Freinds rather in my Esteem than their Actions, a prying Curiosity wch. by Disiring & admiring too much the Virtues of others hinders my making Any improvements at home. You'll find likewise a great deal of Ambition wch. wants to be put into a right Channel, at present it serving Rather to extol others than Advance My Self & sundry other Foibles wch. pray correct or irradicate as you see fit. As for the Vanity of wch. you'll find such plenty don't meddle wth. that, it having been my only support for a long Time, But for Reason Sake dont put in any Love, that wth. the other failings I have Above discrib'd being utterly inconsistent wth. my Intended Life.

Dft ; addressed: "To R C. Allegorical."

1.

Samuel Quincy.

2.

Cotton Tufts.

3.

Joseph and Mary (Cranch) Palmer.

4.

In continuing his allegory, RTP here alludes to the Germantown business enterprise led by Palmer which included a glass and pottery house, a spermaceti candle factory (see RTP to Richard Cranch and Samuel Quincy, Oct. 30, 1754), a weaving factory, a chocolate mills, and a salt works (James R. Cameron, Calendar of the Papers of General Joseph Palmer, 1716–1788 [Quincy, Mass., 1978], 2).

Boston Jany. 16th, 1755 Hond. Sr.,

I recd. yr. Letters by Capt. Homer. Am sorry to hear of yr. Indisposition, wch. I hope is only a Seasoning to the Climate. I wrote you largely per Capt. Jones, to wch. I have recd. no Answer. The Lameness I there inform'd you off, confin'd me three Weeks, & my Ancle is yet very weak. However I have improv'd my Time closely in the Study of the Law; by the time I was able to walk, the Weather came on so cold that I threw up the thoughts of going to Falmouth till the Spring, & have determind to spend the Winter at Lancaster, where I can live very cheap & command my own Time. I should have been gone some time since but bad weather has hindred me.

I hope these Lines will find you in health, as they leave us all, dayly expecting to hear from you.

I beg Sr. you would write me yr. Advice, largely concerning my own Schemes or any that would please you better. I am tolerably willing to settle down if could see any prospect of living, tho' at the same time If I237could first visit the West Indies & London my heart would be satisfy'd with Travailing. As I am certain the welfare of yr. Children is of great weight with you, so I can wth. the utmost Franckness & expectation consult you in every point that has any relation thereto.

Herewth. I expect you'll recieve some News Papers, besides which, we having Nothing observable, saving that the Monday after the Court was prorogued Mr. Fletcher saild in the Massachusetts for West Indies.1 Nothing else occurs to my mind at present & so I conclude by subscribing myself yr. ever dutifull & much Obliged Son

ROBERT-TREAT PAINE

RC ; endorsed.

1.

William Fletcher (b. 1718), a merchant and the Cambridge representative to the Great and General Court, had in 1751–1752 sued William Vassall for slander. Although Vassall prevailed in the inferior and superior courts, Fletcher obtained a writ of review which overthrew the earlier decisions. Vassall then appealed to the Privy Council which in 1753 found in his favor, and he sued Fletcher for recovery of the original decision. The Superior Court refused to issue a warrant for Fletcher while he was sitting as a member of the legislature, but when the Court was prorogued, Fletcher left for St. Eustatius where he eventually settled (Sibley's Harvard Graduates, 9:352–353; Dana Family Papers, MHS).