University of Virginia Library

LETTER XCVII.

I have just received the enclosed from poor St. George,
under cover of a letter to myself. Want of some one to communicate
with is evidently impairing his knowledge of the
language. His letters to me, of late, are hardly intelligible;
some parts of them quite so. He complains that his brother
does not write to him. I fear he will lose the faculty of expressing
his thoughts on paper, if no one takes the trouble to
correct him. Alas! "prayers are not morality," nor "kneeling
religion." What a perversion to suppose austerity, sourness,
gloom, indifference to the welfare of those whom we
ought to love, (if we can love any thing,) that these recommend
us to the Divine Author of that religion, which teaches
us to love our neighbour as ourself; to bless them that curse
us—whose very essence is benevolence and good will towards
man!

I must go to the house. Good b'ye.

JOHN RANDOLPH, of Roanoke.

Have you read Leigh's Memoirs? Probably you have not

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leisure; but I beg of you to read the note in page 341, of volume
2d.—The friendship of Washington forfeited by negligence.