LIFE OF WILSON. 
Ixxv 
pils, with their good government, our chief aim ; honour, and res- 
pectability, and success, will assuredly attend us, even if we never 
open our lips on politics. 
“These have been some of my reflections since we parted. I 
hope you will weigh them in your own mind, and acquiesce in my 
resolution of not interfering in the debate on Saturday, as we talked 
of. At the same time I am really pleased to see the improvement 
the practice has produced in you ; and would by no means wish to 
dissuade you from amusing and exercising your mind in this man- 
ner ; because I know that your moderation in sentiment and con- 
duct will always preserve you from ill will on any of these scores. 
Btit as it could add nothing to my fame, and as they have all heard 
me, often enough, on different subjects, about Milestown ; and as 
it would raise no new friends to you, but might open old sores in 
some of your present friends, I hope you will agree with me that it 
will be prudent to decline the affair. And as you have never heard 
me deliver any of my own compositions in this way, I will commit 
a speech to memory which I delivered at Milestown, in tlie winter 
of 1800 , and pronounce it to you when we ai’e by ourselves in the 
woods, where we can offend nobody, 
“ I have heard nothing from Washington yet ; and I begin to 
think that either Mr. Jefferson expects a brush with the Spaniards, 
or has not received our letters ; otherwise he would never act so 
unpolitely to one for whom he has so much esteem as for Mr. Bar- 
tram. JVo hurry of business could excuse it. But if affairs are not 
likely to be settled with Spain, very probably the design of sending 
parties through Louisiana will be suspended. Indeed I begin to 
think that if I should not be engaged by Mr. Jefferson, a journey 
by myself, and at my own expense, at a time, too, when we are just 
getting our heads above water, as one may say, would not be alto- 
gether good policy. Perhaps in another year we might be able, 
without so much injury, to make a tour together, through part of 
the south-west countries, which would double all the pleasures of 
