Journal and Letters of Philip Vickers Fithian Part 27

_Sat.u.r.day 9._

I was waked by _Sam_ the Barber thumping at my Door--I was dressed--In Powder too; for I propose to see & dine with Miss _Jenny Was.h.i.+ngton_ to Day. D--n the Bugs & Chinches, says _Ben_ rolling over on the Bed, & rubbing his Eyes, I have slept none for them--Mr Fithian, do you rest any o-Nights? Dont these cursed Bugs keep you awake?--No Sir; for you see I commonly sit & read til half after ten, or eleven--So that by the Time I lay my poor Skin & Bones on the Bed, I am so much fatigued with the tumultuous Business of the Day, & the Study of the Evening that my sleep the rest of the night is sound & unbroken-- Priscilla hangs her head a little this morning, She looks feverish, dispirited, sits on a low bench, with her Elbow in her Lap, & Leaning her head upon her hand, swings backwards and forwards, just as I have seen beautiful Quaker Girls when they are weeping at the frightful distortions & Grimaces of some deep-inspired _Father_. But _Priscilla_ & _Tasker_ are unwell--f.a.n.n.y teizes me for a Picture, I must draw her a slip, she says, on Paper like the one I drew for Her the other Day with my finger in the Sand--I love the little careless Girl, & will oblige her--On the writing-Table in the School-Room I found this morning an old Book of Esops Fables done into English Verse; In the Margins of this Book up & Down Bob had in his scribbling Way recorded the Names of several young Ladies of Westmorland & Richmond Counties.

I shall set them down, as I turned over the Leaves & found them--I do not insinuate, by writing this Story, the smallest reproach to either of the Ladies; I mention it solely to shew _Bob's_ Taste, & the Meditations of his heart when wholly alone. In the Life of Esop, page 23, at the Bottom of the Leaf his own Name is written at full length & in as elegant a hand as he is master of with a Dash below.

_Robert Bladen Carter._

He has in the same manner introduced it a few leaves further on, he has done this to be a kind of Preface for what is to follow; he has also very cleverly interspersed it with the Ladies, either that the Ladies Names should be a foil to set his off to advantage, or that his Name be a Foil to adorn the Ladies--In the Life of Woglog the great at the first page

Miss Lucy Carter of Sabine-Hall.

Page 3d at the Bottom of the Leaf Miss Lett.i.tia Turberville of Hickory Hill.

Page 8.

Miss Betsy Carter of Sabine-Hall.

Page 9.

Miss Priscilla Carter of Nomini-Hall--his Sister: Esops Fables Page 1st he writes the Name of the Girl he loves above all others Polly Tayloe the Lovely of Mount-Airy.

Page 39th Miss Betsy Lee.

Page 41.

Miss Kitty Tayloe. Mount Airy.

Page 43.

Miss Lydia Pett.i.t has d--m'd ugly Freckles in her Face, otherways She is handsome & tolerable-- Page 45.

Miss Betsy Gaskins.[186]

Page 47.

Miss Sally Tayloe.

Page 50.

Miss Jenny Was.h.i.+ngton of Bushfield is very Pretty.

Then he Bolts in

Robert Carter.

Page 57.

Miss Polly Tolliver.[187]

Page 59.

Miss Steerman is a beautiful young Lady.

Miss Jane Corbin.

-- Aphia Fantleroy.

-- -- Edwards.

-- Betsy Jones -- Sally Panton.

[186] The Gaskins family lived in Northumberland County. Elizabeth Gaskins, daughter of Colonel Thomas Gaskins of that County married Edward Digges of "Bellfield" in York County in 1775.

[187] The Taliaferro family was a prominent one in Tidewater Virginia.

While the name is p.r.o.nounced "Tolliver," it is believed to be of Italian origin.

But this afternoon Mrs _Oakly_ is taken with a Fever; I suppose, She was out last evening without any thing on her head rather too late, when I saw her at Daddy Gumby's--

_Sunday 10._

A Sunday in Virginia dont seem to wear the same Dress as our Sundays to the Northward--Generally here by five o-Clock on Sat.u.r.day every Face (especially the Negroes) looks festive & cheerful--All the lower cla.s.s of People, & the Servants, & the Slaves, consider it as a Day of Pleasure & amus.e.m.e.nt, & spend it in such Diversions as they severally choose--The Gentlemen go to Church to be sure, but they make that itself a matter of convenience, & account the Church a useful weekly resort to do Business--I am told, for I have not yet been to Church since my Return, that all the Sermons are in the forensic Style, & on political Subjects. But I shall go to Church to Day--I am sorry that I may relate an accident which happened last night--By some accident; or by the carelessness of some Negroes Mr Turburville's Barn took fire and burnt Down--His loss is judged at 300 which is something considerable for a Man who is with the greatest Anxiety turning every ear of Corn into Money--At Church Parson _Smith_ Read to the Congregation an Order Issued out lately by the Governor to elect Burgesses in the several Counties--He preached us a Sermon on Brotherly Love--Dined with us to Day Mr Parker,[188] a Lawyer of this County, & his Son, a young Man about 20 who is also licensed to plead Law--And Mr _Cunningham_--I am not very well to Day. I have pains in several parts of my Body--Mr _Lowe_ informed me that Colonel Was.h.i.+ngton is unwell of a sort of _Cholic_--

[188] Richard Parker (1729-1813) of "Lawfield" was a distinguished lawyer in Westmoreland County at this time.

_Monday 11._

Indeed says Mrs Carter at Breakfast a Fire this morning would be very pleasant--Yes says I, for I have had the look & feeling of November all the morning; My Room shut up, My Coat b.u.t.toned, & yet my Body cold Besides!--Mr Carter on this, advanced a strange a.s.sertion, that there is not a single Person on this whole Continent, if this Change is as powerful through the Continent as it is here, who is not to day, in a greater or less Degree affected with a Fever!--My poor skinny Body, I know is in a prodigious Tumult; I impute it tho to my ride Yesterday to Church in the schorching Sun; & to drinking five or six Gla.s.ses of Wine extraordinary--_Priscilla_ & _Harriot_ are confined at Home of an eruptive Fever, some think it a Swine Pox at any Rate they are sick, & break out into Pustules--I am in such Ferment to Day that I cannot sit nor Walk, nor Write with any Stomach--I made out tho' with some Difficulty to finish a rough Draught of my Sermon, & laid by for future Perusal.

_Teusday 12._

Indeed I enjoy this fine cool weather, says Ben as he lay on his Back in the Bed rubbing his Eyes, & ears about half after six o-Clock; _Lancelot Lee_ had never I am sure, more sensible Pleasure in swallowing a well prepar'd Dinner--To be sure I have slept last Night with the sweetest composure in Spight of the Chinches, & in spight of my Disorder!--Get up, Lump of Indolence, said I to him; Get up & clap to _Virgil_ instead of lying there & boasting--Breakfasted with us Captain Guthrie, of a Small Schooner of _Norfolk_; & Mr Stadley the Musician--I love this good German, He used to teach in _New York_ & _Philadelphia_--He has much simplicity & goodness of heart--He performs extremely well--He is kind & sociable with me--Dined with us one--one--Mr--Mr--I forget his name--I know his trade tho': An Inspector--He is rather Dull, & seems unacquainted with company for when he would, at Table, drink our Health, he held the Gla.s.s of Porter fast with both his Hands, and then gave an insignificant nod to each one at the Table, in Hast, & with fear, & then drank like an Ox--The Good Inspector, at the second toast, after having seen a little our Manner "Gentlemen & Ladies (but there was none in Womans Cloathing at Table except Mrs Carter) The King"--I thought that during the Course of the Toasts, he was better pleased with the Liquor than with the manner in which he was at this Time obliged to use it--I made a b[e]gining of my Latin Thesis--"Cuinam Usui inservi: at Lex moralis sub Evangeliis." I made out to write thus much--Duabus hisce Propositionibus sequentibus simulatim Respondeo.--But if I wrote so much every Day for a twelve Month my Thesis will be short. The Day is pleasant, cool enough: & my disorder which has been for several days a growing painful _Dysentery_, seems to have subsided--

[LETTER OF PHILIP V. FITHIAN TO ELIZABETH BEATTY]

Nominy-Hall July 12. 1774.

TO LAURA.

The Summer is advancing briskly on, & bringing me with it every Day still nearer to you--And to my last Change--With you I am looking for the purest Happiness in Friends.h.i.+p & Love that I can derive from any thing below; And it will add to measure of Felicity if I can make the Woman I choose to protect & esteem think me worthy her Regard.

I said that the swift Advances of Summer are bringing me swiftly on to Death--In Virginia there are numberless Admonitions to this Reflection, but I suppress any farther Declaration. I wrote you by Mr ---- early last Month; & at the same Time I wrote to several of my Acquaintances: but if they lived in the Moon I could hear from them as often as I do now when only a Couple of Hundred Miles, or a little more, separates us: Would it not be more agreeable to me if they did--? For then I should every Night almost, see, at least, the Place of their Habitation, tho' we could have no Correspondence.

You are such a Pilgrim, Laura; I mean such a Rover, that I am at some Loss to know how to direct a Letter to you; & I want my Letters, while they are on their Pa.s.sage to go through as few Hands as possible, not because I write any _Secrecy_, or _Scandal_, for you will not allow either the one or the other; but only that you may speedily receive & read the Little I do write, fresh from my Heart.

I suppose that Miss ---- has before now seen Cohansie--And cloyed of it too, no Doubt. She is a lively, sportful Soul. But that dear Place, which ingrosses so many of my Thoughts, has not Variety enough to entertain her long--You yourself, who are not always soaring on Follie's Wing, through the Regions of Vanity & Nonsense, sometimes find the Country dull--But Miss ---- does not find Satisfaction in the City; it is plain then since that young Lady cannot find Contentment either in City or Country, that She cannot be happy at all.

Merciful, merciful Heaven! O grant me what I am trying hard to obtain; grant that my Inclinations be all duely bended to a perfect Satisfaction with my Lot here--! With such a Temper I shall be at Rest, be happy, if I continue here in Virginia; Or I shall be happy if I remove into new Jersey; But, must I declare it, Laura, that if I am dest.i.tute of this, I should be wretched, tho' your Friend & Companion--I am,

Laura, thine PHILIP. V. FITHIAN.

[JOURNAL]

_Wednesday 13._

I drew off this morning for Dadda _Gumby_ a List of his Children, & their respective ages--He himself is 94--For this office I had as many _Thanks_, As I have had _blessings_ before now from a Beggar for Sixpence--Thank you, thank you, thank you Master, was the language of the old Greyheaded pair.--Call on us at any time, you shall have _Eggs_, _Apples_, _Potatoes_--You shall have every thing we can get for you--Master!--In this Torrent of Expressions of Grat.i.tude I was rung to Breakfast; I bow'd to the venerable old Negroes, thank'd them in my Turn for their Offers, & left them--

[Ill.u.s.tration: man greeting elderly pair]

Indeed, said the Colonel at Breakfast, cool as it was last Night, I kept my Window up the whole night--I am not fond of your hot a dust Air--Was yours up Mr Fithian no truly; so long as I can breath without panting I am for keeping my Window down, & my Room close on summer nights; especially here in Virginia, Madam, where the Dews are so heavy, and so dangerous--The Postilion keeps a fox at the Stable & I am often much diverted with his Cunning Tricks. The other Day, Mrs Carter was lying in the long room among the Books on the Couch; In jumps Reynard, through a broken Pane of Gla.s.s, & begins to frisk & hue about the Room like a Bedlam--How is Nurse, pray, says the Colonel at Dinner? She has her Ague & Fever again to Day, Sir--This is a fine Sheeps-Head, Mr Stadly shall I help you?--Or would you prefer a _Ba.s.s_ or a _Perch_?--Or perhaps you will rather help yourself to some picked _Crab_--It is all extremely fine, Sir, I'll help myself--Well says the Colonel when we had almost finished our Dinner with a Gla.s.s of sparkling Porter on the Table before him, we have but fasted to Day; here stands a fine Ham, & a Shoulder of excellent Mutton yet untouched--At least, says the merry, good-hearted Man, we have kept _Lent_--Yesterday evening I scribled a little for _Laura_, & to Day I drank her Health from my Heart in generous Medaira--Yes, best of Women, when you are the Toast I drink wine with Pleasure--

_Thursday 14._

To Day is the election of Burgesses in Richmond the neighbouring County--Come, Fithian, will you go? My old objection recurs; I am too busy--I met this morning in Wingates Arithmetic, with the following merry Problem--"To discover a Number which any one shall have in his mind, without requiring him to reveal any part of that or any Number whatsoever"--After any one has thought upon any number at Pleasure; bid him double it, & to that double bid him add any such even number as you please to a.s.sign: Then from the Sum of that Addition let him reject one half, & reserve the other half; Lastly, from this half bid him subtract the Number which he first thought upon; then you may boldly tell him what Number remains in his mind after that Subtraction is made, for it will be always half the Number which you a.s.signed him to add--A Reason for the Rule is added. "Because, if to the double of any number (which number for Distinction sake I call the first) a second number be added, the half of the Sum must necessarily consist of the said first number, & half the Second: Therefore if from the said half sum the first Number be subtracted, the remainder must of necessity be half the second Number which was added--Mr Inspector dined with us again to day--We had after Dinner, _Lime Punch_ & _Madaira_: but he chose & had a Bowl of _Grogg_--You are a mean Puppy, a treacherous, ungenerous Scoundrel, says _Bob_, to Harry just as I entered the School after Dinner--you told Mr _Lowe_, you did more, you published in Mr Was.h.i.+ngtons Family that Mr _Fithian_ horsed me for Staying out all night--That he call'd in John the Waiter to help him--& that you was sent to cut & bring in Whips--After School with Ben I rode out the Day is warm, & the Ground grows to be very dry--I was not a little Surprized to see Corn out in Ta.s.sel--But the Tobacco looks dismal, it is all poor, much of it is dead with the drouth; I think, however, that the Season is ten days or two Weeks earlier here than in New Jersey.--

Mr Stadly, left us to Day. I love that Man, he is gone to Colonel Taylors[189]--