Copley to his Mother PARMA, June the 25, 1775. MY EVER DEAR AND HON'D MOTHER, By this oppertunity I have the happiness to inform you of my safe arrival in this place. I left Rome the 4th Instant and had a very agreable Journey to this place, stoping at Florance 4 Days, and two at Belogna in my way. I have been blessed with the most perfect health since I left Boston, and trust in that God who has preserved and blessed me for a continuance of his Mercy to me in the contin[u]ance of the injoyments of not only my own health, but that of my dear friends and all other blessings he has been pleased to bestow on me in his abundant goodness. The being seperated from friends I so tenderly love is exceedingly painfull to me, and my angsiety is greatly increased by the unhappy state of America. I pray God preserve and keep you all from the Miserys of War. by the last post I had a letter from Mr. Greenwood in London, and am exceedingly distressed to find there is no prospect of any thing less distressing than a Civil War sp[r]eading itself over that once happy Country. he writes me it has began already with the spiling of the blood of an hundred and fifty or two hundred persons. I hope it is not so distressing, but I cannot divest myself of the most ancious apprehentions for my Country and Friends. While I was in Rome I saw the English Papers twice a Week, but in this place I have not the least oppertunity of hearing but by letters from my friends which I am very ancious to receive. I have began my copy of the very fine Corregio, for which I have a commission from an English Nobleman. I have half Dead Colour'd my copy, tho I have been here only one Week. I hope to be able with great diligence to finish it in about two months, when I shall hasten to England by the way of Flanders. You can have no Idea how easy it is to travil in this Country, and none of those dangers or dificultys attend it which are immagined by People that have not been in Europe. it is only passing from one Town to another, as from Boston to Roxbury, and the whole way houses, and People ready to do what ever you may want. Roberys are very rarely known to be perpitrated, and so much security from things of this kind that people travil much more by night than Day in the warm weither. it is not so in England. The great dificultys that attend traviling here is that the people will impose on one if it is possable for them to do it; for there is no regulations for the Inns, and they will make the most of their Gests. so that it is necessary to agree for every thing one wants on the Road, and in every place I find Englishmen to associate with. even in this place, which I think a little obscure place after being so long in Rome and other Great Citys, there is at this time two English persons, and one other who has resided so long in England that I must consider him as such. I don't recollect being in any place since I left London but what I met some English to associate with, which is very different from what I expected. I am now five hundred and twenty miles nearer London that I was at the extreeme part of my Tour, which was Pestum, an ancient City, about sixty miles beyand Naples. there is to be seen of this City the Walls, and the Vestiges of three or four Temples, and an Amphitheater. this is all that remains to be seen at this Day. the Ground for Ages has been plowed and so little has this place been known that it is not menshoned by any Auther, tho a place of as much curiossity as any I have seen, except Pompei and Herculaneam. from its antiquety and singular Stile of Architecture it derives its curiosity, it being older than Rome and it[s] Architecture that of the first dawning of that Science among the Greeks. I think the Walls of this City are about 4 or 5 and twenty feet thick. it lays on the Seacoast in a fine Bay, and the Ground is very level within the Walls, which are in circumferance about four miles. this place I am glad to have seen, though I should not have extended my Tour so far, had not Mr. Izard invited me to accumpany him their from Naples. we performed this Tour, stayed at Pestum 3 hours, and got back to Naples in three Days. Mr. Izard has been very much my friend on this Tour, and from Naples to Rome he would pay all my expences, and has shewn the greatest desire possable to render me every service in his power. I received a letter from him by the last Post from London, where he and his Lady are safe arrived. he is a native of Carolina and his Lady of New York and of the De Lancy Family, and a very fine Woman.' I had no acquaintance with him in America, but at Florance he inquired for me and called to see me and I have found him a very Valuable Friend. Mr. Boylston2 has been within a few weeks past at Leghorn after his return from Turkey. We exchanged three or four Letters, but he is now gone on to Paris, and has perfectly recouvered his health. he writes me he is impatient to get to England, being worn out with continual traviling, having traviled 14000 miles, and that chiefly by land. I dont wonder he is tired of traviling. I am happy to hear Brother Harry has recovered his health. I hope he will long injoy that Blessing with all others that are reasonable to expect. I hope he continues to be imploy'd. I intend writing him by this oppertunity, but should be glad to hear oftener from him. I think he 1 Alice, daughter of Peter de Lancey. might write to me by every oppertunity and that he might write more on one sheat of Paper than he does. I set him a good example I am sure. I think there is nothing, when he has read one of my letters, he would wish to ask me, so perticular I am in my desires to gratify and instruct him. I wish he would consider that the smallest surcumstances are rendered interesting from the distance I am at and I wish to ask him a thousand questions. I am not sattisfyed with a few lines containing a few formal sentiments. I want [news] of everything about his works, the Farm, the Publick, etc., etc. In his last Letter he informed me he had painted a miniature and sent it to the Exibition, but as I did not find it in the Cattalogues I conclude it arrived too late. I shall wish to see somthing next year exibited by him. his process in Miniature is I beleive very right, only Mr. Humphreys tells me he uses no Shugar Candy in his colours; that he tints them at first exceeding faint, and so brings on their effect by degrees. I wish when I get back to England to see the Picture he sent, but for this he must send me a direction. I wish also to have a direction to write to My Uncle Singleton, and Aunt Cooper; also a Direction to the Gentleman that transacts his Aunts Pelham's Business, for my attention to this shall be immediately on my arrival in London. I think I shall be able to pay the expences of my Tour by what I shall have done in this Country, or near it; although it has not been in my power to do a couple of Pictures that [were] bespoke. one was a Madonna and Child by Guido in Rome. this there was no possability of geting leave to Copy. the other the Madonna at Florance by Raphael, the same that used to hang over my Chimney. this I could not stay to do without hazarding my place at Parma being taken by some other Artists, as there was several prepairing for that purpose, and it was too important an object to miss. the Copy, if done as I hope to do it, will be a very valuable thing and I shall be paid accordingly for it, not being limmited in price. I have procured the copy of Guido's Aurora for Mr. Palmer. it is in Warter colours and will be in England by the time I get there, with my other things. the original is a very fine thing indeed and I doubt not you will be much pleased with the Copy when you see it. I have seen a letter from Rome by which find menshon is made of a Skirmish having been at Lexington, and that numbers were killed on boath sides. I am exceeding uneasy not knowing to what you may be exposed in a Country that is now become the seat of War. this is the evil I greatly dreaded while I was in America. sure I am the breach cannot now be healled, and that country will be torn in peices, first by the quarrel with Great Briton till it is a distinct Government, and than with Civil discord till time has settled it into some permanant form of Government. what that will be no Man Can tell. weither it will be a free or Dispotick is beyand the reach of human wisdom to deside. in the mean time we must pursue that which is our Duty and to Providence look up for a blessing on what we do. I hope you dont think I neglect you in not writing oftner to you, but I let no private oppertunity escape me without improveing it. I wish they were more frequent. by the Post I write very constantly to my Dear Wife, by which you have every thing meterial and I think it is pity to pay postage for Letters to more than one. I pray God keep and preserve you from every evil, and am, My Dear Madam, Your Most Affec tionate and Dutyfull Son PARMA, the 1st of July, 1775. JOHN SINGLETON COPLEY. |