Taunton Augt. 26th. 1762 Madam,

I recd. yours of the 31st: & as I am quite in earnest about serving you if possible I shall make some enquiry on yr. Case as you represent it in yr. Letter in Order to get as much insight into it as may be. What the Contents of the Letters that passed between Wormley & his Wife are you have not mentioned (and how you came by 'em is a230Matter of great Curiosity wth. me tho' of no immediate importance in this affair). It is possible they may afford some circumstantial Evidence tho no sufficent proof of a former marriage because as it were, it would be an easy matter for those who are desirous to Untye the dreadful Knot to pass such Letters in a Sham manner & at once destroy all the Labour of the Preist. Not I should be glad to know the date of those Letters & as much of contents as you think proper to communicate. What is necessary to be proved is that the same John Wormley who married you Was before that time married under contract of marriage to another Woman & that she was living when he married you. Now you say they were married under Borrowed Names, this will make it more difficult to prove it was the same Person. I wish yr. Brother Hezekiah had been more perticular in his enquiry & Remembrance as it would serve as a guide to get Evidence of the facts. There can be no difficulty as to the Law in yr. Case but only the Labour of proving the facts—in Order to prepare the Way for which, I will propose a No. of Questions for you to collect all you can in Answer to 'em: 1st. What Business was JW bred to & what did he follow wn. you married him & wt. does he follow now 2d. Where was he born & where has he Spent the cheif of his life has he Brothers or Sisters & is there any other of his name or any partial discription of 3d. What was his Father's Christian Name & where did he live & wt. Business; 4th. how long ago was he married to his first Wife & under wt. borrowed Names & the minister & Town name if they can be recollected 5th. wt. is Mr. Hodge Christian Name & business & what Mary Peeks Fathers Christian name & business & doth she go by the name of Wormley 6th. when he wrote his Letter to you from Jamaico did he then or does he at all know that you knew of his former marriage, & is there any thing in that Letter wch. makes against him relating to it, 7th. the Contents of the Letters that passed between 'em as above. The knowledge these matters will serve to prove him to be the same person & sho help lead to the proof of his former Marriage, & as the distance is so great where the Evidence must be obtained tis best to collect as much as we can here first that so no labour may be lost. I am sensible twould be best to talk this matter together, but I have so many affairs in hand that I can't suddenly spare the Time, & having reduced the Questions to writing you'll have time to recollect; & if you have no Opportunity before may sent it to Barnstable Ct. Mean while I wish you that peace of231Mind wch. Matrimony with all its blessings can't give, nor its greatest plagues cant take away. Yr. freind & hble. sert.,

RTPAINE

LbC ; addressed: "To Mrs. Hannah Rachel Wormley at Eastham."