Hezekiah Calvin, letter, to Eleazar Wheelock, 1768 January 29

Author Calvin, Hezekiah[pers0008.ocp]

29 January 1768[1768-01-29]

Call Number768129

[note (type: abstract): Calvin confesses to drunkenness and going away without leave. He notes that he almost went to sea.][note (type: handwriting): Handwriting is small and clear, with commas used in place of periods.][note (type: paper): Four half sheets are folded like a book, with moderate wear, staining and creasing.][note (type: ink): There is some smudging and spattering of ink.][note (type: noteworthy): It is uncertain whether this is an original or a contemporary copy. Trailer is in another hand.][note (type: signature): Signature is abbreviated to “Hez, Calvin.”][note (type: layout): First page of letter is on two recto, not one recto. Pages follow normal sequence from there.]
Persistent Identifier
[Opener]

 Honoured Sir,
The Spirit of [Grate
tude | grati
tude]
Grate
tude
grati
tude
lays me under an [indispen
sible | indispen
sable]
indispen
sible
indispen
sable
Duty of thanking you for
all the Care and Pains you have
taken in my Education. —
Tis true I have been Guilty of
[Drunkeneſs | drunkeness]Drunkeneſsdrunkeness, but be [aſsured | assured]aſsuredassured the
misfortune which occasioned me
to Depart so, was my being in
Liquor, or I never would have
done it, I came to myself when
[left] or afteror after I had got to Lebanon Plains[place0124.ocp],
And after I found myself I was
so ashamed of myself that I did
not want to show myself in the
School[org0098.ocp] no more, But [Deſigned | designed]Deſigneddesigned [illegible]y
fully in my Mind to follow the
Seas or go home, But I concluded
to follow the Seas, I went to
sea brook[place0204.ocp] [& | and]&and [their | there]theirthere I found my

me a sloop going to Virginia[place0236.ocp] [& | and]&and in-
tended to gone [of | off]ofoff with her, but as I
was considering what I had been
about, [their | there]theirthere came in my Mind
something as if I could not go,
before I had given thanks' to
the Doctor[pers0036.ocp] for my Education
[& | and]&and then Leave to Depart from
his School[org0098.ocp] [& | and]&and [preſence | presence]preſencepresence, — And
then after this I concluded to
come Back [& | and]&and see [Mr | Mr.]MrMr. Wheelock[pers0036.ocp]
before I could go with clear
Conscience [&c | etc.]&cetc.
Tis true I have been Guilty of
[Drunkenneſs | drunkenness]Drunkenneſsdrunkenness now twice [& | and]&and of
[illegible]going away without [above] LeaveLeave [Numberleſs | numberless]Numberleſsnumberless
[& | and]&and it is with Shame I put pen to
Paper, after having so notoriously
[abuſed | abused]abuſedabused your [goodneſs | goodness]goodneſsgoodness [& | and]&and have
brought a scandalous reproach
upon the School[org0098.ocp] by being

Scandalously Drawn aside with
Liquor, thus to [abuſe | abuse]abuſeabuse thee, [& | and]&and thy
school[org0098.ocp]
, for which I heartily beg
Pardon, [Promiſing | promising]Promiſingpromising double
diligence in watching against
any such evil Practices for the
future But having [promiſed | promised]promiſedpromised
so many times, I would not, that
you should any longer be deceiv-
ed — I am now returning from
my evil ways, to come home, [& | and]&and lay
myself on my bended knee, at
thy feet, that I may wholly
submit myself to the resent-
ment of a Master unjustly [abuſed | abused]abuſedabused,
If the acknowledging my Crime,
can have any influence on
your [Goodneſs | goodness]Goodneſsgoodness, I am sure of
[Succeſs | success]Succeſssuccess, I have [incurrd | incurred]incurrdincurred your
[displeaſure | displeasure]displeaſuredispleasure by my Ill Deed.

on the Eighteen Day of January
in the Year of our Lord 1768[1768-01-18]

A [Weakneſs | weakness]Weakneſsweakness in me that is always
attended with a hearty contrition
[& | and]&and therefore ashamed of that action
I leave the [Judgment | judgement]Judgmentjudgement of my
[weakneſs | weakness]weakneſsweakness to you all who are
[Preſent | present]Preſentpresent [& | and]&and am willing to suffer
the Judgment that ye will [paſs | pass]paſspass
upon me, having wholly
condemned myself already
worthy of great punishment
[& | and]&and then to be turned away from
the school[org0098.ocp] with all the dis-
graces that can be. —
You know that our first
motions are so arbitrary in
their Violence, that in spite
of [reaſon | reason]reaſonreason they will undergo
no Laws but their own

therefore I beg you would consider
that in the faults I have commit-
ted, there was more contributed
by Nature, than my own free will
But as all Mankind are subject
to failings, [& | and]&and none perfect I am
consequently liable to step [aſide | aside]aſideaside
in Liquor [& | and]&and commit Errors
tis therefore I am heartily
Sorrow for being there drawn
aside from my [reaſons | reasons]reaſonsreasons, but
laying [my self | myself]my selfmyself low at thye feet
of a just [Displeaſed | displeased]Displeaſeddispleased Superior
[imploreing | imploring]imploreingimploring thy [Compaſsion | compassion]Compaſsioncompassion
[& | and]&and acknowledging my fault

[Closer]
with Contrition subscribe
myself thine unworthy
Servant
[Hez, | Hezekiah]Hez,Hezekiah Calvin[pers0008.ocp]

[Trailer]
Cal[illegible]vins [Confeſsion | confession]Confeſsionconfession
[Jan.y | January]Jan.yJanuary [29.th | 29th]29.th29th 1768[1768-01-29]

Document Summary

People identified in this document:

id Text in document Role in header Authorized Name
pers0036.ocp the Doctor recipient Wheelock, Eleazar
pers0036.ocp M r Mr. Wheelock recipient Wheelock, Eleazar
pers0008.ocp Hez, Hezekiah Calvin writer Calvin, Hezekiah

Places identified in this document:

id Text in document Authorized Name
place0143.ocp Mohegan Mohegan
place0124.ocp Lebanon Plains Lebanon Plains
place0204.ocp sea brook Old Saybrook
place0236.ocp Virginia Commonwealth of Virginia

Organizations identified in this document:

id Text in document Authorized Name
org0098.ocp School Moor’s Indian Charity School
org0098.ocp his School Moor’s Indian Charity School
org0098.ocp the School Moor’s Indian Charity School
org0098.ocp thy school Moor’s Indian Charity School
org0098.ocp the school Moor’s Indian Charity School

Dates identified in this document:

Standard Form Text
1768-01-29 Jan.January 29 1768
1768-01-18 Eighteen Day of January in the Year of our Lord 1768
1768-01-29 Jan.yJanuary 29.th29th 1768

Regularized text:

Type Original Regularized
variation Grate
tude
grati
tude
variation indispen
sible
indispen
sable
modernization Drunkeneſs drunkeness
modernization aſsured assured
modernization Deſigned designed
variation of off
modernization preſence presence
modernization Mr Mr.
modernization &c etc.
modernization Drunkenneſs drunkenness
modernization Numberleſs numberless
modernization abuſed abused
modernization goodneſs goodness
modernization abuſe abuse
modernization Promiſing promising
modernization promiſed promised
modernization Goodneſs goodness
modernization Succeſs success
variation incurrd incurred
modernization displeaſure displeasure
modernization Weakneſs weakness
variation Judgment judgement
modernization weakneſs weakness
modernization Preſent present
modernization paſs pass
modernization reaſon reason
modernization aſide aside
modernization reaſons reasons
variation my self myself
modernization Displeaſed displeased
variation imploreing imploring
modernization Compaſsion compassion
modernization Confeſsion confession
modernization 29.th 29th

Expanded abbreviations:

Abbreviation Expansion
Jan. January
& and
Hez, Hezekiah
Jan.y January

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Summary of errors found in this document:

Number of dates with invalid 'when' attributes: 0
Number of nested "hi" tags: (consider merging the @rend attributes, or using other tags) 0
Number of tags with invalid 'rend' attributes: 0 (out of 7)
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