86 HEYWOOD IN PRISON. 
sisters of, I trust, dear sir, you will either show 
them this letter, or make known to them the 
truly dreadful intelligence, in such a manner as, 
assisted by your wholesome and paternal advice, 
may enable them to bear it with Christian for- 
titude. The only worldly feelings I am now 
possessed of are for their happiness and welfare. 
But even these, in my present situation, I must 
endeavour, with God's assistance, to eradicate 
from my heart, how hard soever the task. I must 
strive against cherishing any temporal affec- 
tions. But, dear sir, endeavour to mitigate my 
distressed mother's sorrow. Give my everlast- 
ing duty to her, and unabated love to my dis- 
consolate brothers and sisters, and all their 
relations. I have encouraged them, by my 
example, to bear up with fortitude and resig- 
nation to the Divine will, under their load of 
misfortunes, almost too great for female nature 
to support. And teach them to be fully per- 
suaded that all hopes of happiness on earth 
are vain. On my own account I still enjoy the 
most easy serenity of mind, and am, dearest 
sir, your greatly indebted and most dutiful, but 
ill-fated, 
"Peter Heywood." 
It was natural for a young man, whose spirit 
had been well-nigh broken by sorrows of dif- 
ferent kinds, to view his case on the dark side. 
Many circumstances had, indeed, come out in 
his favour. Bligh, when writing to Colonel 
Holwell, an uncle of Peter's, said, " His conduct 
had always given me much pleasure and satis- 
