124 Draft of a Letter from Increase Mather to William Stoughton

    [March 4 1700/01]

    Honourable Sir

    Indisposition as to my health has kept me much within dors for these 2 months past, writing is painfull to me, by reason of some remainders of the gout in my hand. Nevertheless I have thought it my duty to send these few lines, because it has bin intimated to me that some in the General Assembly have desired that I would informe them concerning the present state of the Colledge and of the reason of my returning from Cambridge (where there was no house to entertayn my Family) to my Family in Boston.

    The Colledge is like to be in languishing state as to Learning, through the defect of Grammar Schools. Otherwise it is in a better and more hopefull estate than it was in a few years since. For the Scholars I hope, are not so much tainted with some unhappy principles (which it is the interest of N. E. that the Students there should be preserved from) as they were some years ago.

    As for the Reasons of my returning to my family and flock in Boston.

    1. 1—The state of my health was much broken so that I was necessitated to return.
    2. 2—It was unreasonable for any to desire me to be alone in a cold rome in the winter season—if I had ventured to have done this in all probability (considering the infirmity of my Constitution) I had not bin alive at this day.
    3. 3—Not so much as one person in All the flock to which I am related would by any means be persorded to give up their interest in me.

    I dare not promise to remove my Family to Cambridge. For the Advances of age with the infirmeities of it, come so [fast?] upon me as that I can not be long serviceable in that station. I have had the burden of the Colledge upon me from the 42 to 62 year of my age and it seems long enough. I must entreat my friends not to be grieved or troubled at me if I now earnestly desire that another president may be thought of, that so I may enjoy that repose which my age infirmities and approaching death makes necessary for me.

    Yet nevertheless If it be thought needfull for the publick interest under present circumstances, I shall not refuse to take the best care of the Colledge I am capable of (as the Last summer) untill the next Commencement hoping that Inteligence will by that time arrive unto us concerning the Act for Incorporating the Colledge sent to England, which if it be confirmed, will be a great encouragement for a president to remove his Family to Cambridge. I remayn

    Yours to Serve

    Postscript. I am informed, That it has been strongly affirmed at the Council-board, That I never showed unto the present Corporation, the Instrument by vertue whereof we now Act. This is a great mistake and I am injured in it; for I produced it at our first meeting, and we had accordingly our Discourse upon it. It is true, I never show them the Instrument that is sent to England, for I never to this Hour saw it myself.

    [Addressed:] To the Honourable William Stoughton Esq. To be communicated to the General Assembly.

    College Papers, i. 41 (No. 93). The Postscript is in Cotton Mather’s hand. There are words crossed out in this draft. There is another copy in College Papers, i. 24 (No. 58); the address, signature, and emendations are in Increase Mather’s hand. The only substantial changes are:

    an addition, in Mather’s hand, to sentence one, paragraph one: “so that I can not wait on your Honor and Council as I gladly would have done”.

    in the address: “William Stoughton Esq.” is crossed out and “the Lieut. Governour and Council” substituted.

    On the back fold are added, in Mather’s hand, notes as to dates, which may well be dates of his lectures or expositions. They are in tabular form:

    1700

    Augt.

    18

    25

    Sept.

    1

    Sept.

    8

    Sept.

    15

    Sept.

    22

    Sept.

    29

    October

    5

    October

    13

    October

    20

    Expos.

    August

    14

    on Math.

    1

    22

    on Gen.

    1 and Ps. 14

    Sept.

    3

    Math.

    2

    10

    Gen.

    1 and Ps. 14

    17

    Math.

    3

    Oct

    2

    Gen.

    2

    9

    Math.

    The second paragraph of the letter is quoted in Morison, Seventeenth Century, ii. 531–532; see also Quincy, History, i. 111–112.