To Thomas Jefferson from George Wythe, 10 January 1786
From George Wythe
10. jan. 1786. Williamsburgh
GW to TJ
My neighbour Madison, just now, sent to me a pacquet, which i perceived, by the superscription, to have come from you; a favour little deserved by one who had not writen to you since you crossed the atlantic. I will not say what was the cause of this silence; but can swear, that the cause was not forgetfullness of you, nor want of good will for you. Before i opened the pacquet observing it to contain books, i hoped to see the copy of one, with a cursory reading of which i had then lately been delighted. You will know what book i mean, when i tell you, that he, who indulged me with the reading of it, informed me, that the author had not yet resolved to publish it. I shall rejoice to find myself judged worthy one of those copies already printed, if there will be no more. I wish to get the arms of Taliaferro, which, from information, i believe to have been a tuscan family, engraven on a copperplate, with this motto Oϒ ΔOKEIN APIΣTOΣ AΛΛ’ EINAI. and the name Richard Taliaferro. But i would not have this done, if it can not be without giving you trouble, nor unless you will order to whom here i shall repay the cost. Perhaps the motto, taken from Aeschylus (επτα επι Θηβαις six. 598) would be sufficient without αριζοζ1. If you think so, leave out that word. Adieu.
RC (DLC); endorsed. Noted in SJL as received 23 May 1786. See TJ to Madison, 2 Oct. 1785, concerning the pacquet.
1. Thus in MS. See Wythe to TJ, 10 Feb. 1786; TJ to Wythe, 13 Aug. 1786.