Chapter 5: August 1773
5.1 Sunday. August 1:
Rose pretty early. Attended the Funeral of Mr Hugh Stethern. who died yesterday morning. Many are now ill of what is called the Fall Fever.
Mr Hunter1 preached both Parts of the Day.
5.2 Monday August 2
Concluded, this Day, with the Concurrence of Mr Hunter, to set of for Princeton, & know of Dr Witherspoon something more particular concerning the Proposal for my going to Virginia. Busy all the Afternoon in preparing to go.—Evening very hot. Went on foot to the Stage.—Drank a Bowl of Punch with Mr Richard Howel, & to bed by ten.
5.3 Monday August 9
Waited on Dr Witherspoon, about nine o Clock, to hear his Proposal for my going to Virginia—He read me a Letter which he receivd from Col: Carter, & proposed the following Terms—To teach his Children, five Daughters, & three Sons, who are from five to seventeen years Old—The young Ladies are to be taught the English Language. And the Boys are to study the English Language carefully; & to be instructed in the Latin, & Greek—And he proposes to give thirty five Pounds Sterling, which is about Sixty Pounds currency; Provide all Accommodations; Allow him the undisturbed Use of a Room; And the Use of his own Library; find Provender for a Horse; & a Servant to Wait—
—By the Advice of the Dr & his Recommendation of the Gentleman, & the Place, I accepted the Offer, & agreed to go in the Fall into Virginia—
I took this morning, from Dr Wiggins, a Balsam that has removed the Pain wholly from my Breast; he called it the Balsam of Cappewee. Probably I spell it Wrong.
5.4 Teusday August 17
Rose at seven—Very much fatigued with yesterdays Ride—Found the Students well; & the Seniors in particular In high Spirits on their Expectation of speedy Liberty—I begin to grow sick of my Virginia Voyage; But sick or sorry I must away—I waited on the Dr, But he has yet received no Intelligence.
After Evening-Prayrs, by particular Requests, I attended in the respectful Whigg-Society2—The Members are Orderly—Their Exercises are well chosen—And generally well-conducted; & as to speaking, & Composition well-performed—
They conferrd Degrees formally on Six who are to be graduated in the College the ensuing Commencement. The Moderator for the Time being confers the Degree; The Formula is short & eligant, & pronounced in latin—They give also Diploma's, in Latin likewise, which are plain & full.
Expence of this Day.
For the Hire of our Carriage 10s.
For a Bowl of Punch 1s/6d
For a Glass of Bitters 4d Sum 11s 10d.
5.5 Letter of Philip V. Fithian To Elizabeth Beatty
Prince-ton. August 17th: 1773.
To Laura.
If I could only tell you the Incidents of Yesterday, you would laugh as loud & as cordially as ever—Smith did all the Oddities of Miss Cateness.
I was, & for my Life, could not avoid, being dumpish & melancholy, in the midst of Humour & Pleasantry—Smith3 was in great Distress on Account of his approaching Examination; He is in the Senior-Class, & that Class is to be examined for their Degree tomorrow, so that he too was sour all Day.—Directly opposite to both was your Brother; he was noisy, & troublesome; We dined at Mr Irwin's. Your Brother kindly rode with us to the Ferry, where we parted; he for Mr McConkey's; We for Princeton. I am to day happy as Amusements & good-Company, in this lovely Habitation of the Muses, can render me.
There is yet, among my Acquaintances, a young Lady; & She is also, I firmly believe, one of your most agreeable Intimates, whose Friendship I think so valuable, & whose Manner every Way, is so peculiarly engaging, that if you should soon see her, whom you have sometimes heard me call Laura, give my Duty, my Love to her, & acquaint her with what I have often told you of her, that She is, in my undisguised Oppinion, "A Pattern for Female Excellence."
Tell her also, that a singular, & very important Occurrence, which has lately presented itself to me, seems to make it necessary, if it be any how agreeable to her, She should in some Way, chosen by Herself, signify to you that I may thereby know, whether She favours or dislikes what I have told her.
I assure you, Madam, so strong is the Esteem I have for that dear Girl, which certainly I shall ever retain, that neither, Place, nor Time, nor any Alteration in my Condition of Life, will blot it out.
This, however, I intrust only to you, & put so great Confidence in the many Expressions of your Friendship for me, that I hope you will use your Influence to persuade her that what I write is Truth.
I expect to leave Deerfield4 & go Home next Week; But I am not determined yet upon going to Virginia. Dr Witherspoon desires & advises me to go—My Directors here seem backward, & rather unwilling.—I myself Am yet in doubt—But, on the Whole, it is probable I shall go down in October. But whether I do the one or the other I am always
Yours,
Philip. V Fithian.
5.6 Monday August 30
Rose by half after six—Wrote a Letter to Dr Witherspoon concerning my going to Virginia—I hear that many of my Friends in this Place are unwilling I should go—I am indeed in a Dilimma—But I have agreed—Well, I must away—And I hope in the Kindness of him who was my Fathers God, & has been the Guide of my Youth, that he will save me from being corrupted, or carried away with the Vices which prevail in that Country—Wrote a Letter to And: Hunter—In the Evening, rode with my Letters, to the Stage—Saw there by Chance, the famous Miss Betsy Elmore: famous for Wit, Extensive Knowledge, but especially for Volubility of Tongue—
5.7 Letter of Philip V. Fithian To Dr. Witherspoon
Greenwich august 30th 1773.
Revd Sir.
I am sorry that I may inform you of the dissattisfaction which my friends in general since my return home seem to discover, with my intention of going this fall to Virginia. However willing I am myself to accept the proposal and go, it will not be easy to break through the entreaties of those who are my neares[t] relations, and who have all along, with the warmest friendship interested themselves to procure my welfare. I do not intend by any means, abruptly to decline the fulfilling my agreement, but only desire to know, if there are not some to be found among the late Seniors who would willingly discharge me by accepting the offer themselves. If not I have only further to beg, that you would be pleased, Revd Sir, to favour me with the proposal of the gentleman; and so soon as there is a return from him, I shall be glad to know the time when I must leave home;
I am Revd Sir,
with great respect
your humble Servt
Philip V. Fithian
P. S. Letters come safe sent by the princeton stage, and directed to me at Greenwich.
5.8 Philip V. Fithian To Elizabeth Beatty
Princeton. August 31. 1773.
To Laura.
As an old Sinner, who has been long accustomed to Mishief, cannot bear to think of quitting his much-loved Practice; so I, from Time to Time, with few Returns, am intruding my Epistles upon you.
I have just been reading Yorrick's celebrated Letters to Eliza: They are familiar—They are plain—They are beautiful. I love Eliza, from the admirable Description he has given of her: But possibly he has been wholly romantic; & only painted the Woman he could love; or, if has given his own candid Sentiments, & described that Woman in Truth; There is in America an Eliza I would venture, from Yorricks own Picture, to set against it; & let Yorrick himself be Judge, should I venture never so largely, I am sure I should succeed—
I was, yesterday, at Deerfield, & heard News enough—I was told that a civil, good looking Gentleman; who had been lately from N—n, told them he saw me there with you—That I was wild, & noisy—He thinks I shall make a damn'd droll Figure in a Pulpit, with Powdered-Hair; a long Cue; & deep Ruffles!—I fancy myself it would appear odd!—I was told there also every Circumstance of our Ride from Princeton to N—n. Of my being with your Brother in Philadelphia as I went up, & returned—Of almost the whole of my Company & Conduct while in Town.
It is something curious, tho' by no Means troublesome, that every part of my Behaviour, is in whatever Place I go, so circumstantially inspected.—I shall suppress all I heard of you, only that you are soon to be married, & I should not have mentioned this, but that I might let you know it was told in Triumph to dash me!—Yet if it had wounded my Soul I would have sustained & concealed the Pain, to outbrave such Insolence! I cannot help, however, when I am alone in my Chamber, reflecting on the Danger of the Impropriety I may possibly be guilty of in thus continuing my Intimacy with you.
But I turn it all off with a Smile, &, if the Report be true, with a Wish, in the Language of the Poet Walter to a Lady of his Acquaintance "That you may possess all your Wishes, as to earthly Happiness & Comfort, in the Society of him whom you have preferr'd to the rest of Men; & that you may feel as much for him, of that Anxiety which arises from Esteem, as others have felt for you"—I am going, next Month to Virginia, unless the Remonstrances of my Relations prevail with me to decline it.
But on I go little thinking how much I may incur your Censure by writing so freely, & so long—O Laura, I wish most ardently, that I could with Propriety, from the present Moment, spend all my hours near your Person.—They would then, with their purple Wings, fly along through the Sorrows, & Tumults of Life, wholly unnoticed.
Laura, yours
Philip. V. Fithian.
5.9 Andrew Hunter To Philip Fithian
Nassau Hall Septr 6th 1773
Dr Sir.
I am very sorry that I cannot answer your letter so much to your satisfaction as I could desire. Doctor Witherspoon is gone to New-England to the convention and is not expected home 'till the latter end of this week—he received no account from Virginia before he went from home. You may trust that I will let you know when ever I can hear any thing related to your prospect of going to the southward.
Mr Imlay5 is gone from College and is not expected back 'till near commencement, however I have talked with some of his acquaintances, and they say he expects to go.
I would have the spelling of your name corrected, but the catalogue is sent off, and I suppose by this time is in the press. I must thank you for the good news you give me concerning the young lady's health.
I was very uneasy about the account we heard before you left princeton.
We go on pretty well in College, but I hope we shall have two or three of the possessed swine turned off when the Doctor comes home.
Do write me every week and give what news you can.
I am, Sir,
Your friend.
Andw Hunter.
The Reverend Andrew Hunter.↩︎
The American Whig Society and the Cliosophic Society were rival literary organizations at the College of New Jersey at Princeton.↩︎
William R. Smith, who was one of Fithian's classmates, was afterwards ordained as a Presbyterian minister. Cf. Williams, ed., Fithian, p. 34, fn. 2.↩︎
Fithian was studying theology in Deerfield under the supervision of the Reverend Enoch Green, at the same time he was being taught Hebrew by Andrew Hunter, Sr., in nearby Greenwich.↩︎
William Eugene Imlay was graduated at Princeton in 1773. Cf. Williams, ed., Fithian, p. 41.↩︎