I had the pleasure of receiving your letter of the 12th. Instt. last Saturday. Essex desires me to tell you that he answered your letter to him the next post to that by which I wrote. I go frequently to visit Uncle Fady, & shall continue to pay him every mark of attention, & respect in my power.1 Agreable to your advice I have read the life of Cicero attentively. I am not able to point out the particular acts of indiscretion to which he owed his misfortunes, but attribute them to his vanity which procured him so many enemies, & to his irresolution, which made his friends afraid to support him. As a proof of the first may be urged his many arrogant Speeches recorded by Plutarch, several of his letters, & indeed almost all his actions: of the other, his whole course of conduct which respect to Cæsar, & Pompey. At first he appeared to side with Cæsar who not paying him sufficient respect, he went over to Pompey, where meeting with the same kind of treatment, & his changing sides, being reprobated, by Cato, he became so lukewarm that he rather discour^ag^ed than served his party; after the Battle of Pharsalia, he again returned to Cæsar, & even then he does not appear to have been fixed, for immediately after his assassination he at first favored Brutus, then sided with Octavius, & even then there is reason to believe he again altered his sentiments. His Behaviour also after his Proscription strongly marked his natural instability of temper; At first he determined to make his escape by sea, & when he had every prospect of evading in that manner the fury of his enemies he again trusted himself on shore, & when he was overtaken by the Soldiers who slew him he was a second time going towards the Sea.

My dear Papa pardon the inaccuracy of this letter, as some excuse for which I must however inform you that Mr. Barrett has this evening let mama know that he had an opportunity of forwarding letters to you by a Gentleman who sets out tomorrow morning, & by that opportunity I shall send this letter. I am my dear Papa your very Dutiful & Affectionate son