Haverhill July 25 1775 My dear Sir,

It was long ago observed that Man is the Child of Adversity, & the Subject of Affliction; the Experience of every Age has confirmed the Remark, & we, the Inhabitants of Boston, (that once blest Abode) can now in the Bitterness of our Souls, subscribe to its Truth. I mean not, however, by this Beginning, to pour out my Heart before you, in unavailing Complaints, & fruitless Lamentations: no Sir I am sensible this would be unbecoming the Spirit of a Man, wch. may & ought to sustain its Infirmities & Sorrows. My Intention is only to apprize you of the Sense I have of your Kindness towards me, & to place your Benevolence in a proper Point of Light. That when pressed by the iron Hand of Affliction, your Pen has furnished a Cordial to revive my drooping Soul, & endeavoured to procure me Comfort in the midst of Trouble. I must nevertheless express my Surprize that you repeatedly caution me against taking Offence at what you write. Could you think it possible I should be disgusted at what tis evident Friendship prompted, & Charity communicates?

I shall not now attempt a Recital of the Difficulties wth. wch. we have been obliged to struggle, but must excuse myself wth. the Quotation of

Infadum! Regina jubes renovare Dolorem!1 and Shall proceed to acquaint you, that after having been thrown about as the Sport of Fortune, not knowing where to fix, we are are at last settled in this Place, & by the greatest Accident have our Abode in the House of Mr. John White, whose Wife was the late Mrs. LeBaron,2 & of whom I think I have heard you speak very favourably. We are here elegantly & 80commodiously lodged, but the mean Accomodations of the old House at the Corner of Wilsons Lane, would be preferred, not to this Residence only, but to the Royal Apartments of Versailles also. However, notwithstanding the Pressure of the Times, we enjoy ourselves as well as we possibly can, & my Spirits are greatly higher than my Expectations were concerning them. Since my leaving the Town I have purchased a Horse & Chaise, wch. tho’ not needful for me in Boston, where I was constantly engaged in Business, yet I judged would be absolutely necessary in the Country, especially as I expected to take many Journeys. I have not hitherto journeyed much, not finding that Relief wch. I fondly wished from it under a temporary Depression. For you may well concieve that notwithstanding my general good State, I yet have my melancholy Moments. Journeying does not answer the Purpose of easing a troubled Mind.

Those who beyond Sea go will Sadly find

They change their Climate only, not their Mind.3

I think I need make no Apology to you my Preceptor & Friend, when I acknowledge, as I have done, that I feel wth. Strong Emotion the Distresses of my dear native Town, my beloved Country, my valued Friends, & my worthless Self.

He Surely must be less, or more than Man, who can remain unaffected in such Circumstances as we are brought into; & I concieve it to be disgraceful to a Philosophic or Christian Character, to attempt to wrap itself up in a Stoical Apathy. This would be to counteract not only the highest & best Precepts of our Religion, but the Law written upon our Hearts. But enough of this.

I have left my House in the Hands of a very careful Tenant. Your Maps are put in my upper front Chamber, where I have stored the most of my Furniture, under Lock & Key. Your other Things are in the Situation they have long been in & doubt not they will continue safe, unless general Ruin (wch. God forbid) Should take Place.

I had a Letter from Mr. B. the other Night in wch. he acquaints me wth. my Sister having fallen down Cellar, that she had broken her arm in the Fall, & displaced the Bones of three Fingers. My Sister Betsy is at Dover with Mr. B.4

We have had no Letters from Boston since the 16th June. Mr. A is still there, so is Dr. E. whose Tarry must be ascribed to the very best Principles. His Conduct in this dreadful Season has advanced his Reputation. May Heaven preserve him!

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I beg you would divest yourself of every Suspicion, & think of me as favourably as you can. I shall endeavour to my utmost to know & do my Duty.

Mrs. E. is obliged in a high Degree by the Concern you express for her. Her best Regards attend you. Mrs. A. desires her Compliments as do Mr. W. & Lady. Believe me wth. every grateful Sentiment yr. much indebted Friend.

When may I expect another Letter from you?5

RC ; addressed: “Robert Treat Paine Esqr. In Philadelphia under Cover to Mr. W. Barrell”; endorsed “Saml Eliot July 25. 1775.”

1.

You command me, O Queen, to renew an unspeakable grief. Virgil, Æneid, Liber II, l. 3.

2.

Sarah Leonard (1726–1802) was a sister of Dr. William McKinstry’s wife Priscilla and a distant cousin of Paine’s wife Sally. Her first husband was Dr. Joseph LeBaron, who died in 1761. Later the same year, she married John White of Haverhill.

3.

Variant of Horace, Epistles, xi, l. 27.

4.

Rev. Jeremy Belknap (1744–1798) of Dover, N.H., was married to Eliot’s sister Ruth (1741–1809). In 1787 Belknap moved to Boston as pastor of the Church in Long Lane and in 1791 was instrumental in founding the Massachusetts Historical Society.

5.

Written at the bottom of the previous page, this line is intended as a postscript.