Colonial Williamsburg Digital Library

Yesterday I presumed to write to Your Lordp, and the Ships being not yet
Sailed, I Crave leave further to acquaint Your Lordp that I have all y^e reason in the
world to believe that M^r: Blair, his Relations & friends will do me all the mischief
they Can and y^t. one of their principal Instruments sails ^{will be} M^r: Fouace who now goes
for Engd. My Sickness; and my Service being obliged to be on board in Order to
dispatch y^e Fleet, are the Causes that I cannot send Your Lordp all the Reasons
why I Esteem not Fouace. to be a proper Person to bring or Blair to send the
Citys Addresses to her Majesty, to Your Lordp

In the first place he is a proud, haughty, Insolent, Covetuours, Un-
gratefull frenchman, and as a Minister with Submission I think he hath
Acted arbitrarely and Irregularly Illegally in his parish and hath abused y^m
in a Glebe house which they built for him, and lived in, and is Spoild, I suppose
he may show Your Lordp the proceedings of his last Vestry but it was held out of
the Parish at his own house where he treated them from Morning till night

Formerly when M^r: Blair and I Employed him to go to England for
which I gave him 100^£: he did nothing for it, but minded their Selling his Tobacco; &
tis Supposed he is Concern'd in Trade with Benj^a: Harrison, whom Your Lordp. for-
merly sent me ^word was accused of Carrying Tobacco to Scotland, After he returned
Blair Severall times Complained to me of his having abusing Us both, and gave
a worse name in that Affair.

M^r: Blairs Wife formerly kept stores in his own house of which
Brother Harrison hath often Complained to me What a Scandal it was and
now supposed that he is principal Trader, but Clokes it under the name of [cut off]
brother who Came over hether about 2 Years ago with his plaster box; This [cut off]
the man whomin Your Lordps had an Acco^t: of as one of the principal plan [cut off]
whom I had caused^[Caned]. I must Confess I would have done it if he had not run a[cut off]
for having so very Impudently and Saucily talked of and given a Character
the young Gentlewoman which I pretended to.

When I told M^r: Blair of his Trading the Excuse he made was y^t he
did not for Tobaccos; Its true that Store doth deal for money a much better way
I asked him if he thought to Cheat the Devil that Way, And I likewise told him
that I looked upon him to be one of the worst Clergymen that ever I was acq-
uainted with, and that if I was guilty of those things which he is. I should
think my self hardly Capable of Salvation.

My Lord all the favour I desire is that my Accusers may be obli-
ged to give Under their hands what they have to lay to my Charge I remember
Your Lordsp was so just to Your Comissary M^r: Blair as to send him either Origi-
nall Letters or an Attested Copy of what was written to Your Lordp against
I am heartily sorry that I have not time to transmit to Your Lordp a Copy of
M^r. Blairs last Letter to me, and of the Answer which I design God willing to send
him, his behaviour towards me in all respects is more like his being Governo^r—
than my self but notwithstanding all those Extraordinary Affronts and Slanders
&c. that he and his Loyall party of his relations &c. have done and [illegible] shall not make me Desert (God willing) from endeavouring to do my Duty
to my holy mother the Church of England nor to Your Lordps reverend Clergy thereof
in these parts of the world nor in promoting their Interest and that of y^e Roy^ll Coledge
of W^m: & Mary, thô Presid^t: Blair hath Used me most barbarously Concerning it but its
no wonder to receive it from such a Spark as he is who hath received nigh 1500^£
for being president thereof, and I think its to Evident he hath not done so many
Shillings worth of Service for it But this with Submission to Your Lordp is likewise,
that he hath received 7 or 800^£. out of the Revenue of his Maj^ts. Quitrents here for
being Your Lordps Comissary, and hath done as little for that, and I think it almost
Impossible for him to Execute those two places as they ought to be, for one I
think requires Constant attendance and the other almost the like being abroad.—
besides he hath—other profitable Employm^ts. (viz^t.) Jms City Parish—and being one of
her Maj^ts honoble Council; I don't question but that he would take for profitable
Employments more thô he never did any thing for them.

I thank God that he nor none of his relations can accuse me that,
ever I married a woman who was Contracted before, and that under her hand
[illegible]: Vows or y^t: I am Guilty of Defyling my Wifes Sister both before and after marriage
and this double, and that my wife was forced to work for her living at the H[illigible]
without Shows of Stockings, I have been Credibly Inform'd of those things & y^t
M^r: Blair Was 100^£ in Debt in Engd where he was first Employ'd by me to
Your Lordp &c.

I most humbly beg Your Lordps pardon on this Acco^t: but—
may be no man was Ever so Used, as I have been by Knaves, Fools, & Villians
[cut off] him and his relations &c.) And what they have been guilty of in & high
[cut off] themselves they would Endeavour to throw upon him who Craves leave &c
[cut off] describe himself

Postcript

In one of those Ships there is designed for England the Reverend M^r. Yates
who was minister of Middlesex in Rappohanick River who poor Gent hath
been long afflicted with the Gripes and a lameness all over him, he hath a very
good Character, I hope in God that he will be able to Come in again, There is—
also the Reverend M^r: Alexand^er: Walker who was Minister in Surry, he desires
[faded] on Accot of his health, and other business and and that he also may—
[faded]the hopes of