Taunton Feby. 25th. 1767 Sr.,

With Regard to the Uneasiness between myself & your Family shall without any farther Preamble confess myself to blame in a twofold manner.

First—For proceeding so Rashly & Inconsiderately in the affair between Miss Peggy & my self.

Secondly—for some imprudent speches I have been guilty of since that affair Happned; For both which, if I know my own Soul, I'm sorry. Yet Let us Lay aside Rashness & Consider deliberatly; Must a man Die for one peice of Rashness. Must he be Dragd. to the place of Execution & suffer Myrterdom for a peice of Imprudence. Must he be cut in peices393because at one time he thot. one thing & at another time thought another thing. (This is Contrary to the Oracles.)

When I Return'd of my Journey my Ears were fill'd with proclamations of Disdain. I thot. had the world been on fire there Could not be a greater Flame, amongst the warmest of which I took Care not to Burn my Fingers. I can safely say I was very Cautious of Medling; untill I had heard ten thousand Cruel asseverations Comeing from your Family some of which Doubtless were falshoods others in all probability were undeniable matters of Fact; which I allow Exasperated me to that Degree that I spoke somthings which I should not have said in Cool Blood, and am Ready to Confess & make all proper Recantations for Every thing in the whole affair wherein I shall be between Christian & Christian & Judgd. Blame worthy. What more Can or shall I say By way of Retribution.

Common fame is a lyar, & Solomon observes that the words of a Tale bearer are as wounds, therfore I have been carefull of Believing Either, & with Truth in my Right hand Can say that the Cheif of the tittle tattle that I have heard concerning the present affair has gone in at one Ear and out of the other. But some things which I have had Tollerable Evidence to support Lay with weight upon my mind a Few of which I shall Relate.

1st. With Regard to what Mr. Thos. Leonard Declar'd in Company Viz: that I was a Lyar & He always knew it. Let him tell me so to my face & support it if he Can, if not His blood be upon his own Head.

2ndly. That my being Treated like a Gentleman at their House was so Contrary to my Taste & Disposition that I could not bear it & Left the House upon that account; I think wt.out vanity I can acquaint Mr. Leonard that I was brought up in as Gentell a manner as he was & have kept as good Company as He not withstanding my being thus asspersd. & Ca11'd Every Dirty Rascall that His Rhetoric would admit of.

3rdy. With Regard to Mr. Leonards saying I was a fool I have nothing to say Only would observe that Human Nature is Subject to various Infirmities but notwithstanding the above Cruel Assertions of Mr. Leonards shall Treat Him like a Gentleman Whether He Uses me so or not & shall Esteem him a man of Sence & Gentillity; and after he has prov'd me a Lyar shall Esteem him a man of Veracity. With Regard to what Mrs. McKinstrey has said Derogatory to my Charecter it would weary my patience to write & yours to Read. So would Dismiss that after observing what She said Concerning my sister Nabby (who was as Innocent in this affair as the Child unborn) Viz: that she was a Lying False Deceitfull394Tatling Mischeifmakeing Crettere, these assertions are heavy Even for a Relation to bear, much more for the person offended, & I Doubt whether an unprejudisd. person would assume to say that of Five persons in Taunton, but thats between Mrs. McKinstry & She so I shall say no more upon that Head.

Again I Heard that you said I Run about villifiing your Charecter this I absolutely Deny For I always heard you was very Cautious of speaking save in one affair, & that I beleive you will Readily Remember Viz: what you observed to a young Gentleman that you thought I should not Stand it above two or three years this never put me much out because I knew my own affairs best.

I have heard that Mr. Paine Has made very Light of name & Charecter with Regard to that I would give you a short account. Last summer he was at our House & when he was going away I askt him to take frequent oppertunities & visit me. Likewise I asked him why he did not Come oftener. He answerd me in a very Friendly manner as I thot. Thus, I Can assure you Mr. Leonard it is not out of any Disregard to you or yours but mere Hurry of Buisiness; this I thought very Friendly in Mr. Paine but Ever since he has been growing Colder & Colder towards me. Till at Length he will Hardly Take any notice of me as he passes, this arose from what I know not. He knows best.

However to Cut Short I beg the matter may subside & no more be said for I'm sure I scorn to be so Much at varience with a Townsman as not To bow To them as I pass them, & to be so bigoted to one's own way as not to Take notice of their Fellow Cretures is not the Christian.

Sr. with Regards to those of the Family I Remain yours to Serve,

APOLLOS LEONARD

PS, Sr., give me an answer to this and you'll oblige him who is Yrs. as before,

A L---D

RC .

1.

This letter was sent to Dr. William McKinstry of Taunton, who later turned it over to RTP. Apollos Leonard (1744–1799), the writer, was the son of Maj. Zephaniah Leonard of Raynham and a 1765 graduate of Yale. He established himself as a lawyer in Taunton and in later years held many public offices (Dexter, Yale Biographical Sketches, 3:134; Sibley's Harvard Graduates, 16:188–189).

This family quarrel with other members of the Leonard family seems to have been ignited by his ill-treatment of "Miss Peggy," probably Margaret Leonard (1741–1769), McKinstry's sister-in-law. In 1769 she married Robert Luscombe, and upon her death a few months later was characterized in the395 Boston News-Letter (Jan. 4, 1770). "By the meekness, humanity, and modesty of her deportment, she discovered a mind possessed of that meek and quiet spirit, which in the sight of God is of great price: And which rendered her peculiarly engaging and amiable to all who knew her."

Through the complications of colonial genealogy, Apollos Leonard was a second cousin of David Cobb and RTP's future wife Sally (through their mother Lydia Leonard); as well as a third cousin of McKinstry's wife Priscilla Leonard, "Miss Peggy," Judge George Leonard (1729–1819), and Daniel Leonard (1740–1829), the loyalist. The latter two also became his brothers-in-law after the three had married sisters (NEHGR 5[1851] 403–414).