Saturday Morning April 1758 Our Eunice,

You have my Epistles from all quarters. I am determind to make you pay for the paper. I dont know whether any thing else is meritorious; I expect Capt. Ford will return in a Boat to Boston. I pray you to send the Electrical Machine1 by him, & first take off the Glass83Globe & wrap it up some how very safe, & screw up all the screws tight so that nothing be lost; I have great thoughts of coming down to day in a chair to bring you up on Monday, but being uncertain how it would suit you & also not much spirited for Enterprizes I cant tell how it will be. My Compliments to all; yr. last Present fit me nicely but I believe won't last till next Winter; if I dont come down you had better come up with Capt. Ford in a Boat if you see cause; I think of nothing else but that I am yrs. &c.

R.T.P.

Miss Dora is in Town, brim full of Matrimony; O amazing! how are the choicest souls corrupted!

RC ; addressed: "To Miss Eunice Paine at Weymouth"; endorsed.

1.

Machines for creating static electricity had become widespread in Europe and America by this time. Benjamin Franklin is said to have given one to Yale College in 1749 (see Franklin, Papers, 3:126–135, 5:500). Gilbert and Lewis Deblois advertised "An Electrical Machine and two spare Globes" for sale in 1754 (George Francis Dow, The Arts & Crafts in New England, 1704–1775 [Topsfield, Mass., 1927] 114).

Halifax the first of Aprile 1758 Dear Cousn,

thes comes with the malencoley News of the Death of my Dear Husbant1 which No Dout you have heard of before now. But as I Could not writ my self I was Long before I had the opertunity of one to writ for me. And as I know not how the Afair stands betwen my husbant and you I should be glad you would Either Come Down your Self or Send your Acount and what you would have me Do with your Afairs with the first opertunity for I have Administred on the Estate as I took Advise of the Best of my frends heer. My Children has got Mostly well of the small pox. Pray Cousn Let me hear from you the first opertunity. So I Remain your Loving Cousn.

ELISABITH FREEMAN

RC ; endorsed.

1.

RTP mentions the death of James Freeman (1726–1758) in a postscript to his Feb. 19 letter to Eunice Paine.