Levi Frisbie, letter, to Eleazar Wheelock, 1768 April 23
23 April 1768[1768-04-23]
ms number768273.1
[note (type: abstract): Frisbie writes that he considers himself unfit for missionary work.][note (type: handwriting): Handwriting is small and slanting, yet mostly formal and clear. The trailer is in an unknown hand.][note (type: paper): Large sheet folded in half to make four pages is in fair condition, with light-to-moderate staining, creasing and wear.][note (type: ink): Brown-black.]
Persistent Identifier
[Opener]
[illegible]
April 223 1768[1768-04-23]
[Rev.d | Rev.]Rev.dRev. Sir. —
I must [acknolege | acknowledge]acknolegeacknowledge that what the [Doc.r | Doctor]Doc.rDoctor mentioned to me with [reſpect | respect]reſpectrespect to going among the Indians in the character of a [Miſsonary | missionary]Miſsonarymissionary was very [surprizing | surprising]surprizingsurprising, [& | and]&and I thingk not without [reaſon | reason]reaſonreason as it was a thing [intirely | entirely]intirelyentirely
new to me and what I [leaſt | least]leaſtleast thought of, and as the [Doc.r | Doctor]Doc.rDoctor mentioned it as [tho | though]thothough, he had [determind | determined]determinddetermined upon it so far as to mention it to the Ministers at [Infield | Enfield]InfieldEnfield[place0106.ocp]. I [muſt | must]muſtmust think that the [Doctr | Doctor]DoctrDoctor has a
^[above] [illegible]too^[illegible]too great opinion of
my abilities, or else dont look upon it [neſceſsary | necessary]neſceſsarynecessary for a [Miſsionary | missionary]Miſsionarymissionary to have but very ordinary qualifications for such a work — I look
upon myself [intirely | entirely]intirelyentirely unfit upon every account, My [knolege | knowledge]knolegeknowledge in divinity is nothing, [tis | it is]tisit is as a drop [compard | compared]compardcompared to the Ocean — I should not know how to begin nor what to say, nor
which way to go[illegible] to work, to try to instruct
People in Religion, and the great things of Eternity— I am but a giddy Boy, [no | know]noknow nothing of the world, have not that prudence, that [wiſdom | wisdom]wiſdomwisdom discretion and fortitude that is [necaſs‐ary | necess‐ary]necaſs‐arynecess‐ary. I have no acquaintance with the Indians dont unders‐ tand
their Tempers customs [& | and]&and Manners and should be [intirly | entirely]intirlyentirely
unable to conform to them —If I should go in the Character
of a [Miſsionary | missionary]Miſsionarymissionary, the Indians would expect as much from me as a Man of the [greateſt | greatest]greateſtgreatest
[accompliſhments | accomplishments]accompliſhmentsaccomplishments, would make no allowance for my puerility, and [ difficiency | deficiency] difficiencydeficiency in
[illegible][almoſt | almost]almoſtalmost every [^[above] ne^neceſsary | necessary]^[above] ne^neceſsarynecessary Qualification, and expect as mu if I should not [fullfill | fulfill]fullfillfulfill their expectations, I should fall into contempt among them, and if not [spurnd | spurned]spurndspurned away or [killd | killed]killdkilled, yet should be under no [capaſity | capacity]capaſitycapacity of doing good — [Mr | Mr.]MrMr. Kirt‐land[pers0315.ocp] has been there[illegible] and I [muſt | must]muſtmust be equal with him — What can I tell them? that I am half a [Miſsionary | missionary]Miſsionarymissionary? and what can I tell [em | them]emthem is the [Reaſon | reason]Reaſonreason that there was not whole ones sent? The [Doc.tr | Doctor]Doc.trDoctor knows my weak Constitution and that to keep a School, and to pretend to
instruct in a higher
[Capaſity | capacity]Capaſitycapacity will be quite too much for my Strength, especially
[conſidering | considering]conſideringconsidering all other hardships — how shall I lift up my head Face
before the learned Errorist, I shall be unable wholly to defend my Religion by dint
of Argument; It is true God can make the [weakeſt | weakest]weakeſtweakest Means [affectual | effectual]affectualeffectual, but yet [their | there]theirthere seems there must in ordinary way be some [fitneſs | fitness]fitneſsfitness in the Means — we should not think a pop gun had any [fitneſs | fitness]fitneſsfitness in it to batter down a strong wall — And [beſides | besides]beſidesbesides what will the Enemies of the
[Deſign | design]Deſigndesign say? that the [Doct.r | Doctor]Doct.rDoctor took a [Freſhman | freshman]Freſhmanfreshman out of
College and made a [Miſsionary | missionary]Miſsionarymissionary of him, even one who was but a giddy boy? and will they not take [occation | occasion]occationoccasion
to [deſpiſe | despise]deſpiſedespise me, and [ridecule | ridicule]rideculeridicule the [deſign | design]deſigndesign to the [laſt | last]laſtlast degree — its a [caſe | case]caſecase of [neceſsity | necessity]neceſsitynecessity it may be [anſwer'd | answered]anſwer'danswered, — if a Man was drowning it would be [neceſsary | necessary]neceſsarynecessary to help him out, but would it be [wiſe | wise]wiſewise for a Man that could not swim at all to leap in after him? — If some
of us [muſt | must]muſtmust go I humbly
[immagin | imagine]immaginimagine
[McClure | McClure]McClureMcClure[pers0368.ocp] far better [quallifyd | qualified]quallifydqualified than I, and I was [surprizd | surprised]surprizdsurprised to think I should be [choſen | chosen]choſenchosen in this Juncture. before him — and to my shame may I speak it I
am not a church member, and have the [utmoſt | utmost]utmoſtutmost,
[Reaſon | reason]Reaſonreason to fear I have no grace — and who will [licence | license]licencelicense
such a wretch to preach — it's a thing I little expected to enter upon
yet, and have not given my thoughts immedi‐ately to it — I
cant think [tis | it is]tisit is my Duty to go in that
[Capaſity | capacity]Capaſitycapacity, and if I do it will be wholly out of [defference | deference]defferencedeference
to other Peoples Judgment, and quite contrary to my own — I could offer
many more Objections but I forbear,
[Pleaſe | please]Pleaſeplease to pardon my [plainneſs | plainness]plainneſsplainness — I thought it my Duty to tell my Mind —
[Closer]
Reverend Sir I am your
[moſt | most]moſtmost
[obligd | obliged]obligdobliged unworthy Pupil
Levi [Friſbie | Frisbie]FriſbieFrisbie[pers0209.ocp]
[Trailer]
From Levi Frisbie[pers0209.ocp]
April [23.d | 23rd]23.d23rd 1768[1768-04-23]
To The Reverend E. Wheelock[pers0036.ocp], D. D.
In
Connecticut[place0048.ocp]
Document Summary
People identified in this document:
id | Text in document | Role in header | Authorized Name |
---|---|---|---|
pers0315.ocp | M r Mr. Kirt‐ land | mentioned | Kirkland, Samuel |
pers0368.ocp | M c Clure McClure | mentioned | McClure, David |
pers0209.ocp | Levi Friſbie Frisbie | writer | Frisbie, Levi |
pers0209.ocp | Levi Frisbie | writer | Frisbie, Levi |
pers0036.ocp | E. Wheelock | recipient | Wheelock, Eleazar |
Places identified in this document:
id | Text in document | Authorized Name |
---|---|---|
place0106.ocp | Infield Enfield | Enfield |
place0048.ocp | Connecticut | Connecticut |
This document does not contain any tagged organizations.
Dates identified in this document:
Standard Form | Text |
---|---|
1768-04-23 | April 223 1768 |
1768-04-23 | April 23.d23rd 1768 |
Regularized text:
Type | Original | Regularized |
---|---|---|
modernization | Rev.d | Rev. |
variation | acknolege | acknowledge |
modernization | reſpect | respect |
variation | Miſsonary | missionary |
variation | surprizing | surprising |
modernization | reaſon | reason |
variation | intirely | entirely |
modernization | leaſt | least |
variation | tho | though |
variation | Infield | Enfield |
modernization | muſt | must |
modernization | neſceſsary | necessary |
modernization | Miſsionary | missionary |
variation | knolege | knowledge |
variation | compard | compared |
variation | no | know |
modernization | wiſdom | wisdom |
variation | necaſs‐ary | necess‐ary |
variation | intirly | entirely |
modernization | greateſt | greatest |
modernization | accompliſhments | accomplishments |
variation | difficiency | deficiency |
modernization | almoſt | almost |
modernization | ^[above] ne^neceſsary | necessary |
variation | fullfill | fulfill |
variation | spurnd | spurned |
variation | killd | killed |
variation | capaſity | capacity |
modernization | Mr | Mr. |
modernization | Reaſon | reason |
variation | Capaſity | capacity |
modernization | conſidering | considering |
modernization | weakeſt | weakest |
variation | affectual | effectual |
variation | their | there |
modernization | fitneſs | fitness |
modernization | beſides | besides |
modernization | Deſign | design |
modernization | Freſhman | freshman |
variation | occation | occasion |
modernization | deſpiſe | despise |
variation | ridecule | ridicule |
modernization | deſign | design |
modernization | laſt | last |
modernization | caſe | case |
modernization | neceſsity | necessity |
modernization | wiſe | wise |
variation | immagin | imagine |
modernization | McClure | McClure |
variation | quallifyd | qualified |
variation | surprizd | surprised |
modernization | choſen | chosen |
modernization | utmoſt | utmost |
variation | licence | license |
variation | defference | deference |
modernization | Pleaſe | please |
modernization | plainneſs | plainness |
modernization | moſt | most |
modernization | Friſbie | Frisbie |
modernization | 23.d | 23rd |
Expanded abbreviations:
Abbreviation | Expansion |
---|---|
Doc.r | Doctor |
& | and |
determind | determined |
Doctr | Doctor |
tis | it is |
em | them |
Doc.tr | Doctor |
Doct.r | Doctor |
anſwer'd | answered |
obligd | obliged |
This document's header does not contain any mixed case attribute values.
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 16) |
Number of people/places/organizations with unknown keys: | 0 (out of 7) |
Number of "add" tags with unknown 'place' attributes: | 0 (out of 2) |
Mixed case attribute values in header (potential error): | 0 (out of 95) |