Letter to Her Son

Dear HeartSey

I have Severall of yours bearing Variety of Dates as well as Subiect, In Wich I have had Vast deall of Delight relating to Some matters, Especialy that wich Concerns Your Self. Nothing in Life can be more greatfull then to hear that you Discharge your duty to y[ou]r Relations and your Self in soe Agreeable And Aproved of a manner, in wich I hope you May be Soe happy as to allways Acquit Your Self. I shall not dwell on the Subject of advice on that Score, haveing heretofore in Severall of Mine bin Very Copious and with Success, even to my wish [that] the Excuses you Make in not writing to me Soe often as to your father meets with an Eassy forgiveness. I will always Compound for one Letter in three, Provided you Make it Up in Lenght when you doe write and not Send me a Letter writt upon a “Scrap of Gilt paper noe biger than a Supeana.”

As I Observed, your Letters contain Variety of Subject, Soe as they where in Some parts Agreeable, they had an Allay boath of Griefe & Surprize in the Affair relating to Coz[i]n Colly. It’s Cruell [cruel] to Change your father and My Self with any Cause of his Ill Conduct in hideing his faults or giveing him a good Charector. As for Any Perticuler Vice, Wee nevere knew him Guilty of Anny, Unless they call con Complaining Constantly of his Violent Temper be a fault, I Own my Self guilty. You are Senciable your Father knew Very Little of it, being Colly had Some awe before him. And As for his Carriage towards me and the Family, I Should Never have Complained had his humour bin Possiable to have bin Ten times Worse. I Allways hid it As Much As I could, for as He was Not my relation, I would not for the world [have] made any Difference between Him and his Uncle. [ . . . ]

I Observe You Give me an Acc[oun]t how you Spend your time. I find now fault in it but your not takeing more time for your Studying of books, for If You dont doe it now, you will hardly fallow it when you grew oulder and will have an Excuse that buissness is a hindrence. My advice Should be that two mornings in a Week Should be intirly Untill diner time Dedicated to Some Usefull book, besides an hour Every morning throughout the Year to the Same Purpose. Pray Let me know wether you have forgot Versifying. Now I am Talking of Verses, I must Tell you Some thing Merry. You remmember the Assembly member that made Verses on Inoculation? Some one Acquainted Mrs. Cosby of his fine Genious and One day at dinner amidst abundance of Company, in her Agreeable Courtly Method, beg’d he would favour her with a Coppy. He told her he had em not Abouth him, but would repeat Some to her, wich he did, you may be Sure, in a Very Elegant manner. Mrs. Cosby Seem’d mighty delighted and at Every Period would turn to Lady fits Roy: “dear betty admire the beauty of it. Did you Ever hear any thing Soe fine?” They all humered [humored] the thing, and ye poor Creature was in [such] a Extacy at the admiration of his fine Tallent that As Soon as he could, he procured her Ladyship a Coppy.

I am mightly pleased with all the things you Sent, Especialy the book and Pam[phlet]s. Your Care therein deserves my due regard. I shall be Carefull to send you the pepers etc. when in Season. The wine there is now Nedd of. [As to] My Plea in your favor to y[ou]r father, He is inclined As much as you can wish to Gratify you in any request You can Make him that is in his power to Comply with. I Shall now Send you the Smoakt fish you wrote for Some time agoe, but they was then Out of Season. You Say you are Concern’d at my disagreeing with My mother. Wee have Nevere Quarled, Are As good friends as Ever. I dont Goe to her house Often. You know I never did, because I never Bleived her Pretended friendship Sincere, Especialy to your Father. And As I hate a Crafty Carriage, I chuse to Shew good manners but Noe Overfondness for as Puff

Your Sister Rich[a] has bin out of town this three weeks at huntington & Oyster bay. She will Not be at home this fortnight. She has Learned to ride a horseback and Intends to come down in that Manner, but I hardly bleive She rides well enough to take a Jurney of fourty Mile. Mr. Simson & his Wife. Come down with her. Your brother Moses Picture is don to be Sent Mrs. Salomons. As for mine and richa’s, its to[o] chargable. Therefore, you must Content Your Self without. I dont doubt but you may have mine at your Uncle Ashers Lodgeings, As he is not in England. I had rather you Should have it then to be where I bleive it is. Apply to Uncle nath[an] & I question not but he can git it. You have heard of Sams marriage before this, but I bleive it will be news to Acquaint you that Judah hays is Makeing all the hast Imaginable towards that State & has writ to Mos[es] Mich[e]lls for His Consent for His Consent to Compleat his happyness in giveing him his daughter Rebecah. He is Perfectly refined; he often Puts me in Mind of Cymon in Dryden’s fables. I bleive they will be Marrid within this four Months. [ . . . ]

All that Family Salute You and Soe doe all the rest of your Acquaintance with our Whole Congregation & Mr. Lopas at the head of ‘em. He, poor Man, is made for Esther Lucen, but she has the Sence to refuse him. I begin to be tired with Writting, Especialy Now I’ve Lookt over this Long Epistil and find not[hin]g worth Notice in it. Its the firs Such a Long Letter I’ve Ever wrote, and I bleive I shall hardly Perswade my Self to write Such another. In haste, Soe Conclude in recommending you to the Peculier Care of Providence. I Am

My dear child,

Your Affectionate Parent,