Colonial Williamsburg Digital Library

The last Letter of yours I have been favoured with was that
by M^r Andrew Thompson in the year 1712. Upon y^e good Character
you gave me of that Gentleman, I immediately upon his arrival placed
him in a Parish that was entirely to his liking; but he has not had
the good fortune to be so well liked by his Parishoners, or at least by
his Vestry, which are y^e Men who in this Country manage all Parochial
affairs. However I am so fully satisfyed of his answering the
Character you have receiv'd of him, that I am resolved to support him:
& as I have in his Case a very clear instance of y^e unreasonable pre-
judices of some Vestys here against their Ministers, I am glad of
the occasion now given me to put a check to their humorous Proceedings,
by doing Justice to a Clergyman, whom even his Enemies here confess to
be a person of an unexceptionable Life & Conversation; and thereupon
I have ordered an Instrum^t to be drawn, according to a Power given me
by Her Maty for Instituting & Inducting him into his Parish, since his
Vestry has acted so unwarrantably as to discharge him therefrom.

The bearer is one M^r Archibald Blair, a practitioner in Physick here,
whose Brother is y^e Bp of London's Comissary & One of Her Maty's Council
in this Government: He designing for Scotland before his return back again
I have given him a Token to drink with you, to y^e end you two may meet
& y^t you may have an opportunity of enquiring after y^e Circumstances of this
Government & my Manner of Living.

To
M^r John Spotswood Advocate
at M^r Valenge['s] Bookseller near
[tear]Cross [tear]
Edinburg
w^t a token to be spent