Thomas Lee Shippen to Dr. William Shippen
In this letter, a student of Wythe's writes to his parents to update them on his time studying in Williamsburg.
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Feby. 19. 1784
- My very dear Papa
- and Mamma,
The last letter I had the pleasure to receive from you was dated the 6th of Jany. The pain and mortification however, which I always feel at not hearing from you is at present considerably alleviated by the reflection that the severity of the winter rather than your forgetfulness has been the cause of your late silence. as I have found for several weeks past, that there has been no mail at all from the Northward. Very few circumstances indeed could induce the painful belief that my dear Papa or Mamma had forgotten me, so long and so sensibly have I experienced their kindness.
I am very much afraid that none of my folio letters have reached you, which (though I find you are already heartily tired of the proclivity of my letters,) I wish you to have received as they contain an account of my situation and necessities. Nothing on Brown had then or have now sent me the money you taught me to expect from them. What I shall do, unless you send me some very soon, my creditors perhaps better than I can, may be able to say. I was prevented from writing last week by some unexpected business on the morning of the past day until which time I had deferred writing. For this however I dare say you will pardon me. You tell me in your last letter what delighted me not a little, that you would be happy to see me in May. I was pleased to hear it for two reasons, because I should dread to pass the summer months here on account of the intensity of the heat and for that reason wish to come to the Northward and because the pleasure that I shall enjoy at any rate in seeing you, will be greatly enhanced by your
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participating it you ask me how I would wish to come, I answer that my desire is to come by land, and to travel in the same manner that I travelled when I came to this place, if you can prevail on my Uncle A to let me keep the horses I have here until May. if not with any horses you may please to send. This much I may mention that you are well enough acquainted with your son to know that he would prefer handsome to ugly, matched to unmatched horses.
The bill which I informed you in my last, I had attacked in its first stage, and had been committed, has been since reported without an amendment, so that it will be engrossed the next meeting, and then we are again to exert our united force to cast it into endless night. I have never known people more warmly attached to any thing, than the members of our Legislature here at first to this abominable bill. However so many of them have been converted to our opinion already, that I trust we shall be able to carry our point in the end, you shall know the count. You desired me in your last letter to inform you how I spend my time. I will now comply with your request. Before breakfast, I generally read an hour and a half, sometimes two hours in Blackstone, or else am employed in composition which by the advise of my instructions, I pay a good deal of attention to. From breakfast to dinner, I read Blackstone, Hume or Montesquieu. After dinner if I dine at home, I either walk out to see my friends, or play a piece of musick on the violin or read some entertaining book in French, or amuse myself by recurring to some favorite Roman author. Horace, Virgil and Terence I have principally attended to. At night again I very often read very attentively until 10, 11, or 12 oclock according to the subject I am reading on, or my feelings at the time. But as Mr Wythe lectures every
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- Doctor William Shippen
- Professor of Anatomy
- Philadelphia
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Tuesday, and Mr Madison every Thursday and Saturday, you must conceive that I can read very little on those days between Breakfast and dinner, asume one at College from 10 to 12, and we live very near a mile from College. The exercise which this necessarily gives one I find of the greatest service I never enjoyed so uninterrupted a state of good health in my life, as I have done since I came to Williamsburg. On those days too, where the hospitality of my acquaintences carry in me to dine abroad, I generally give myself up to mirth and jollity from dinner time to night. I was very much astonished to hear that my friends Hollingsworth and Sally Shippen were engaged, and almost as much so that he had never written person? the subject, as I had always flattered myself I shared some part of his confidence, Please to give my [damaged] to them both, and assure them of my constant [damaged] for them complete happiness union [damaged] this letter has been spun out to a [damaged] length, therefore knowing your aversion to long letters I must reserve until another time what I have yet to communicate. I bet to be remembered with great duty and affection to my dear G. Papa, sister, aunt &c and all my friends of either sense. I expect to receive very long letters from you y dear Mamma, from my good sister, from Grand papa from Hollingsworth and by my friend Washington who comes here in March.
Adieu my dear P &M the ? man has called upon me 3 times your very affect son Thomas Lee Shippen
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I will thank you to enclose it in a letter to me unsealed. The night is very far advanced, and as I have determined to read my letter tonight, I must take leave of yore with an ardent wish that your happiness may never know an alteration.
- Doctor William Shippen Jun
- Professor of Anatomy in the
- University of Philadelphia
With the most heartfelt affection love and regard I sign myself as in truth I am your dutiful son Thomas Lee Shippen