24'th, 1786.
I received lately your kind letter of Nov. 27th. My Reception
here was, as you have heard, very honourable indeed; but I was
betray'd by it, and by some Remains of Ambition, from which I had
imagined myself free, to accept of the Chair of Government for the
State of Pennsylvania, when the proper thing for me was Repose and a
private Life. I hope, however, to be able to bear the Fatigue for
one Year, and then to retire.
I have much regretted our having so little Opportunity for
Conversation when we last met. You could have given me Informations
and Counsels that I wanted, but we were scarce a Minute together
without being broke in upon. I am to thank you, however, for the
Pleasure I had after our Parting, in reading the new Book you gave
me, which I think generally well written and likely to do good; tho'
the Reading Time of most People is of late so taken up with News
Papers and little periodical Pamphlets, that few now-a-days venture
to attempt reading a Quarto Volume. I have admir'd to see, that, in
the last Century, a Folio, _Burton on Melancholly_, went through Six
Editions in about Twenty Years.
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