All the Civilites in our Power,
were extremely well bestowed upon Mrs
Gordon of Dumfries. She purchased a Do-
zen of the bold Letter.

Now, as to the ill-grounded Whis-
per; Let Mr C. D. E. F. &and G. say what
they please, your Friend’s Resolution,
in Case of a certain Event, is fix’dfixed &and 2025 (2025) determin’ddetermined, like the Laws of the Medes
&and Persians, which altereth not. For, he
is positive to act, as agreed upon, under
God, in case of Survivance, being cloathedclothed
with full power for that Effect by the
only One who could give it, &and no One
has a just Right to quarrel it. The
Agreement betwixt you &and your Friend
has not been so much as hinted to any
one Man by me, &and must not be breathed.

The intended Tergiversation of Mr
Brett is no new Thing to me, as I must
now tell you, my dearest Friend, in the
greatest Confidence, that, some years
ago, Mr Brett thought fit to have
carefully transmitted to me, sub sigillo
Confessionis, his Thoughts upon the
melancholy Subject, earnestly desiring
my Opinion of them. Without Loss of
Time I wrote Remarks upon his Argu-
ments, which were speedily put into
his Hands; but to this Day, he has ne-
ver made the smallest Reply either
by Word or Writ. Indeed, I am sorry to
say it, his Reasonings are poor &and weak,
truly weak as Water, as we say in Scot-
land. They are so open &and liable to Ex-
ception, that I wrote the Remarks upon
them without consulting any one Au-
thor. He puts me in Mind of a Man
plunged into a River, struggling for
bare Life, &and catching at every straw
on the Surface of the Water, to keep
him from drowning. Had not you open-
ed the Door to me, I would not have 2026 (2026) enter’dentered. Though he communicated his
papers to me sub sigillo Confessionis,
yet it would be unpardonable in me
not to let you into the Secret, as he is
prematurely voluntieringvolunteering, &and even, as you
justly say, “presumes to tell the Rem-
nant what they ought to do.” High
&and bold Presumption indeed! &and what
I never would have expected from one of
his Sterling Education, Learning, &and Know-
ledge. Alas! alas! no Man enters into
an Error, without wishing to have Com-
pany along with him. Upon Perusal
of your Letter, I could not help look-
ing once more into his Arguments &and
my Remarks upon them, &and the more
I consider the former, the more silly
and futile do they appear to me, just
like One at a loss what to say, and
beating about to invent some shew of
Argument. All this applies too well
to the Dream; for you know, Sir,
Cockades and Pistols portend War. —
By the bye, there are strange, un-
accountable Forebodings and Rumors
of Wars in this Country, just like
what happened among us before 1745.
I listen not much to such Things; but
I must frankly own the Similarity of
Similarity of appearances strike
deep with me. Well, let us wait wtwith
Patience the Will of God; for all must
be, as He will have it. Are there 2027 2027 any such Forebodings &and Rumors wtwith you?

You are pleased to call Mr Brett
a lukewarm &and moderate Man; but,
might you not have added a Money-
Making Body? Where that is the
Case, the pitiful Pelf &and the sordid
Dross will drive a Man very strange
Lengths. I have often heard of him,
that he was more of the laical,
than of the clerical, Cast, dipping
much in secular Affairs &and worldly
Business. Poor Man! I envy him
not; but much do I pity him. Were
a Change happening, that would
soon make a Change in him. Me-
thinks, he should be a little more
modest in his Presuming to direct
the Remnant, &andc. as, who knows who
may go first off the Stage of Life?
What say our good Friends, Mr &and
Mrs Bowdler, of his Arguments? I
hope, they do not listen to the new-
vamp’dnew-vamped Reasons of Compliance.
God be thanked for your good State
of Health. May it increase &and continue.

I received the other Day a Let-
ter from the RevdReverend Mr Smith, to
whom is inclosedenclosed a Return.