Boston Decr: 5. 1763. Bror. Paine,

In Answer to your last,1I would inform you, that I have shewn it to Thacher, & have his Directions that The Books be returned, as He had promised Mrs: Prat that He will be answerable for you 275those you have, provided She will for Those Bob2 has. But I still say, (tho' mind 'tis to a Mason3) keep Them.4

You conclude with saying that you hope The Length of your Lr. will produce as long a One from Me. You Shd: have remembered to have given me a Subject, as 'twas I furnished you with Matter for yours. In short Every Thing is so dull here, scarce any Births, Deaths, or Marriages that I am at a Loss what to say to you, as you enquire particularly of The Things of the World. The present Exigencies of Trade seem to be the only Topicks of Conversation both male & female, expecially among Stillers, where the Wife takes The Lead in Affairs commercial, as well as culinary. In These I am obliged to bear a Part, as The Lusus Horæ5; 'till Men of War, broad R's, Acts of Trade, & the various Plans and Strategems to evade them, & trick poor little, G—6 of his Revenue, have so stuffed up every avenue to the Seat of Itelligence that no Idea, however slender, that is not tinctured with some of These, can find admittance at Either End.

Well, how has Mr. Wheelwright's Affair gone? Has the Judge given his Decree yet? How do you think it will turn? You heard The Trial I suppose, Do you think we shall have a Taste of the Wine here? This is a Specimen of The Questions that accost me whatever Rout I take, & least I shd: be obliged to give a Particular answer to them first, I forbear enquiring of matters that might perhaps produce me Something worth transmitting to Taunton.

I was at Salem last Friday Evening, spent The Night wth. A. Oliver talked much of your Alarm Bell, rising at College at 2o'clock in the morng: &c. He remembers Love to you.

Mr. Avery has Lost his Wife7; & I have just heard Mr. Sam. Wentworth8 is dangerously ill with the Gout in his Stomach &c.

I have now in some Sort complied with your Request. Excuse me If I fall short a Line or Two in Length for I really strain hard. Did you ever see a Lr: more perfectly nonsensical, ha, ha, ha! write Such an one, Et eris mihi9 &c. Good Dr. send me one of your best Cathartics speedily. However, mirth aside, Whatever humour I am in, I always love Truth, therefore take Pleasure whenever I write myself. Your Friend & Well-wisher,

SAML. QUINCY

The Papeers that accompany This you are desired to take care of by The respective Authors.

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

1.

Not located.

2.

Robert Auchmuty (1725–1788) was one of the prominent lawyers of Boston at this time and was appointed judge of the Court of the Vice Admiralty for Massachusetts in 1767 and shortly afterwards for New Hampshire as well. In 1770 he was co-counsel with John Adams acting for the defendants in the Boston Massacre trials against RTP. A strong loyalist and supporter of Hutchinson, Auchmuty left for England in 1776 and never returned to Boston. His sister Isabella was married to Benjamin Prat, RTP's law teacher (DAB).

3.

RTP's status as a Mason has never been established. He recorded celebrating the major Masonic festival, the Feast of St. John, on at least three occasions (RTP diary, June 24, 1756, June 26, 1759, June 24, 1762); but there is no record of his affiliation with a lodge in Massachusetts.

4.

No credit for returned books appears in RTP's cashbook.

5.

The game of the hour.

6.

George, i.e. King George III.

7.

Mary Avery, wife of the Boston merchant John Avery, died on Dec. 2, 1763 (Boston Gazette, Dec. 5, 1763).

8.

Samuel Wentworth (1708/9–1766), from the prominent New Hampshire family, graduated from Harvard in 1728 and became a merchant in Boston (Sibley's Harvard Graduates, 8:526–529).

9.

And you are to me &c.

Boston Decr. 9th. 1763 Sr.,

You have seen I suppose the advertisemt. relating to Mr. Prat's books. It was a very odd affair the commissioning Mr. Quincy to sell them. I had a design to sell them all together for some time But I at last gave over that & found it would not do. I was spoke to by gentlemen in all parts of the province on that subject But would make no peremptory appointment till I could speak with my coexecutors, Though as they had both sworn to inventories which excluded them books from being in their possession I might have been well justified in being less scrupulous. Mean time they (at least Mrs. Prat) give order to Mr. Quincy to sell them at the appraised value. I was much surprised to learn this from Mrs. Prat and assoon as I came to town spoke to Mr. Quincy & informed him of Mrs. Prat's countermanding that order. He told me he had sold divers books to you But he beleived you would resign them. Mr. Auchmuty had also told him that he would take some books which I had lent him at the appraisem. but had not paid for them. Now Mrs. Prat & I discoursing on this subject undertake for our several friends, She for Mr. Auchmuty and I for you that you will not take advantage of the mistake but resign. I am 277in some pain about the fulfillment of her engagement but I am in none for my own. For though I suppose you have much more reason than he to claim the books (as he paid no money nor ever agreed on any price) yet I perswade myself that you will willingly put return them. I could not desire a better judge than yourself of the treatment I have received from my coexecutors. While I paid deference to their judgement absent that they should give order under my very nose to sell these books unbeknown to me! I have wondred that you did not speak to me on the subject when I saw you so often yet I do not impute it in you to a joining with my co-executors & Mr. Auchmuty in reversing the judgment of our greatly honoured friend in appointing me one of his executors & substituting Mr. Auchmuty in the place.

I have recd. Mr. Denny's powers from the eastward1But I think it is rather too late so we will let that matter rest till April. Meantime I should be glad you would Enquire about Samuel Smith of Middleborough whether there be such a person & what are his circumstances and let me know.

I think it is some reproach to your Shire town that it hath produced no better elegy for poor Bristol2 than what is vended. Alas how unlike to those composed by Whacum whereof Hudibras singeth

Which none that heard but would have swung T'have been the theme of such a song3

And not true charging the poor creature where he ought to have been acquitted. Why have you no laureat! No disciple of 'thaniel Whittemore!4 No gallows poet in all your county! Ah it is a dolefull sign of degeneracy.

I forget whether it is in Cicero or Lipsius that I have met with a division of the several kinds of epistles next time you come across it try your skill to find in which order this present is to be ranked and if you find it. Eris mihi magnus Apollo5—I am Sr. your cordial friend & hble. Servant,

O THACHER

RC ; endorsed.

1.

Samuel Denny of Georgetown, Lincoln County Maine, Esq., granted his power of attorney to Oxenbridge Thacher on Nov. 23, 1763. Thacher signed this power over to RTP on Feb. 22, 1764 (RTP Papers).

2.

Bristol (ca. 1747–1763), the young black servant who murdered Elizabeth McKinstry in Taunton on June 6, 1763. See RTP to Eunice Paine, June 13, for details. Sylvanus Conant delivered a sermon with Bristol present entitled The Blood of Abel and the Blood of Jesus considered and improved, in A Sermon Delivered at Taunton, December First 1763. Upon the Day of the Execution of Bristol, a278Negro Boy of about Sixteen Years old, for the Murder of Miss Elizabeth McKinstry (Boston 1764). RTP wrote the appendix to the published sermon, printed below following Sylvanus Conant to RTP, Jan. 18, 1764.

3.

Samuel Butler, Hudibras (London, 1684, and other editions).

4.

Nathaniel Whittemore (1670–1754) published almanacs at Boston from 1706.

5.

And you will be to me great Apollo.