It is impossible that I could mistake your motives for sending me the enclosed letter—As it opens nothing new to me in regard to the writer’s mind, it gives me no other pain than what arises from feeling for your grief in receiving a fresh proof of the continuance of that passion which you most wish to be extinguished. I have looked anxiously for such appearances of incoherency as could justify your idea of its being mere raving. Incapable as he is of the true attachment, which is devoted to the welfare of its object, I have before observed to you that in the intervals of every pursuit which engaged him by its novelty, this most dreadful fever of the heart has returned—In such cases, unless a purifying repentance has taken place there can be no medium between aversion & love—This well known fact in the nature of man—should form a ground of conduct—You have indeed made it so by avoiding every expression that could encourage tenderness—& this letter is an ample testimony of your having done so, as well as of the prior “reformation” which was sufficiently evidenced to me by your own assertion & the agreement of circumstances with it—But in case of a more unequivocal disclosure on his part than has yet been made, this letter would confute those false accusations—to which you would undoubtedly be subjected from others—Still I am aware of the danger of not burning it. I however prefer returning it to you—and I shall not enclose, that there may be more perfect security of its delivery.

But in regard to your conduct—There appear to me to be but two ways of proceeding which are at all reconcileable with those principles by which you are governed—

The other alternative is—to take no notice of having received the letter—for if you notice it at all, it must be in my opinion in such terms as above—but to continue the correspondence in the same style of guarded propriety which seems to [have] piqued him to make this impassioned, tho as appears to me, artfully studied address, to recover his ascendancy—

Considering you as an individual, I should not hesitate to say that the first was absolutely incumbent upon you—Considering you with reference to your domestic ties, the determination of the question must be influenced by your opinion of the probable consequences—If I felt that I could calculate them with confidence, I would not shrink from the responsibility of advising you—but I cannot—Indeed I fear that he will nor let you rest till he has done you the greatest temporal injury—& that you can only avert it a little longer by any mode of conduct—I wish with all my heart that I could express more consolatory opinions—but your consolations must come from a different source—and I trust they will encrease with your trials—

I will write to you about myself soon—and tell me what you do—tho’ I feel sure that the gentler expedient will appear to you the best. We must act consistently with our own opinions, not with those even of the persons we most esteem—if we would secure the peace of retrospect—Endeavour to clear your ideas as to what your relative duties require, act according to the best conclusions you can form, and then rest in the feeling that “duties are ours—events are God’s”—