Jefferson Quotes & Family Letters

When you wrote yours of april 20th you little imagined that at the very time I was mounted on a large & warlike black moving with a lofty pace to Georgia with John Patterson to take possession of another el-dorado as full of promise as the first. Yet such was the fact. We moved by a pretty quick march to Athens, & on our return we eclipsed the memorable retreat of Gates from Camden—by which place we came, a fact not to be mentioned to Col. Magill by the way. From Camden we reached Petersburg in Virga by the stage without sleeping or once pulling off our cloths.

Patterson & Mr Wirt allured me to these fairy regions of the South where the earth’s ever green & the sky ever blue—by promises of wealth & glory—a syren song never lost on a youthful ear. Patterson offered me the liberal alternative of undertaking the business or not as I chose when I got to the place. When we had travelled between 6 & 700 miles thinking it time to call a halt & look in the offices for our papers—I found a power of attorney indispensable to any great success, wanting—& declined the affair. Patterson in that stage of the game employed a young man named Paine who was bred in his Fathers house (I mean counting house) to manage the affair. Paine making very honorable protestations of gratitude to his family &c. we had journeyed on to Augusta on our return—& in looking over the mislaid lumber of an ill kept office what should we stumble on but the aforesaid long sought power of attorney. Then Patterson insisted on it that I should go back & he would go with me. take the affair from Paine—place me in a certain condition of making 20 or 30.000$, & leaving me on the vantage ground of a great theatre of political & forensic glory. This was a bright prospect to an eye already dazzled by a near view of all its advantages—but it seemed to me nobler in the mind & more worthy the dignity of a son of the ancient dominion to let Paine who seemed to be was impelled principally by motives of gratitude to undertake what he conceived would be no very profitable enterprize—to go on & make the most of the matter—than to take away a prize which had been dropt upon him. I declined any farther concern—& thus gave up 20 or 30.000$ to avoid an illiberal action. For which one half of mankind would think me a fool & the other half a hypocrite. no matter—here will I work out my salvation—thro’ dangers & perils—“with darkness & with dangers compass’d round” & more awful calamities than Miltons genius imagined—for there is a Tartarean gloom over all Richmond.

I arrived but yesterday without sleep or ease for six weeks so if there be any thing unintelligible in this take that as the reason. I am sure I shall be rightly understood in thanking Mrs C. a thousand times for remembering such a wandering jew. and if I leave Richmond it will be to see you all & drink your beer.

Miss E.R to whom be all honor & praise—with her accustomed caprice, when she found no one of either sex in all Richmond even civil to her from her unheard of manners betook herself to seeking my favor & patronage with a new & unsuspected enthusiasm—but finding little success in an ill timed enterprize, I dare say she will be as unkindly disposed to me as ever. Tho’ I did her some entirely gratuitous & very unmerited favors. She is past all endurance & so adieu to her—& health & prosperity to you & all your househo[ld] for seven generations—tell Tucker he’s a shably—& I’ll publish his poetical effusion in [. . .] spite.