MS43.04: Francis Nicholson Papers
"To Desire Major Burwell to Send", N. D.
1061
Memorandum
285
To desire Major Burwell to send his Excellency the two Letters he writt to him concerning Madm Lucy
not that he is at all ashamed of the Letters, for all that he wrote therein was truth, sincerity and from his
heart: but if he has not them, it may occasion a great deal of mischief: for tho they may not be shown now,
they may afterwards.
To ask Madam Lucy for the Letters she had, and if she refuses, to tell her that I have orders to desire
her father to lay his commands on her to deliver them. And if she should say they're destroyed: to tell her
that it will not satisfy his Excellency unless it be made appear to him, wch way they were destroyed: and
to tell her that it is not that he is ashamed of any thing in them, nor that they were not the true thoughts and
intentions of his heart; and though he may be in hopes that neither she nor her father would expose those
Letters, yet he doth not know in whose hands they may fall; that he has received such barbarous & unmannerly
usage when he has been present, that he has not other reason to expect but that his lettrs would receive the
like ill usage, and himself to be exposed by them. that if any body has thought, Said or Suggested that he
would not performe what he either wrote or spoke, they have done him injustice in the highest degree, and
he must say it is a false, Scandalous, and malicious Report upon him, and he lookes upon it to be a greater
injury done to him than all the severe & cruel usage he had mett with either from the young Gentlewoman or any
others upon her Accott
To tell the Major that James told his Excellcy that he enquired how his Excellcy did after his Journey; if
it was not an Ironical saying of his, he is very much obliged to him, and he must own that now of late the Major
has been very civil to him, but his Son his Excellcys fellow Traveller quite otherwise, but he supposes that he saw
no such usage of him in that Journey by people of the best quality of both Sexes, tho not in his own Government:
but may be his blood is in a ferment & in time may boile over, he is a young man, if he lives two years longer,
suppose he will know better. As for his Excellcys late Journey, he thanks God he performed it, as well as—
possibly he could expect under his then circumstances, and hopes that God Almighty will enable him to performe
many more and much greater, and it may chance for several years in this Country, not withstanding the hopes
designs, Suggestions, and intrigues of some persons; and he may chance to be Governor of Virginia when these
persons may be neither Parsons nor Lawiers in it, nor other professions. he must confess himself very much
given to passion (wch he prays God to forgive him for) but he thinks none can make it out that it lasted long, or
made him do an unjust thing not becoming a Gentleman, wch title he thinks he might justly challenge before
ever he saw Virginia, but if he could not, he might do it here, having always had the chief command, except once the
second, and that was for a short time, and hopes in God never to do any thing that may cause him to be turned out
of the Governmt, and then he neither fears the interest he had before he came hithere, nor that wch (thank God) he
has got since. It appears to him that some people either believe, think, or hope that he is shortlived in this
Governmt, else they would never have given him so many provocations one way or other to be even with them.
for the best of them sometime or other may stand in need of the mercy or favour wch his Majtie hath been pleased
to intrust him with. he designs, God willing, to do right & Justice to all persons, even to his enemys as well as
friends: but the latter may justly claime all the power & interest he has to do them all the kindness he is capable
of. But as his Excellcy would not deserve the character of a knave or villain, so neither would he be accounted a meer fool
nor like the Ass in the Fable to carry the gold & eat the thistles.
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To tell Madam Lucy that his Excellcy was once in hopes that though she would not admitt him
as a Lover, yet she would as an honest vertuous friend: but it seems she declines them both alike, and so
must look upon her as an enemy, and such a one as designs not only his ruine in this world but the
next, but as a Christian he is obliged to continue to pray for her, tho she is so; and may be sheel—
contemn and despise them, as she had done only himself, but what he has said, vowed & protisted
to her, and perhaps she'll either say or think they will be as insignificant & prevail as little for
her, as the other did upon her.