(seq. 1)

ΚΥΡΙΕ,
Ὄτι πολλάκις ἄγεις με ἔἱ τὴν ύπολίαν ὲμὰς Ἀπότευξας, δοκεῖ μοὶ σ[?]μαίνεν, ὄτι σὺ ὐπολαμ-
-βὰνεις ὄτι ἐγὼ ἐιμί ἀβέβαιος? άλλ' ἑγώ ἀμελέω τοῖον τὸν Νθον. Ὄ ἐπιποθέις γινώσκ[^ε^]ιν, διά τοῦ Ἀδελφοῦ
σοῦ Πατρος παραθὲτο ὲμοί ὥσπερ Ἀπὄρρητον? άλλά ἐί ἑγώ εὐποιὲω σοὶ, ἐί γνωρίζω σοὶ, μέντοι ἐπει-
-δηπέρ ἐπὴν [illegible]ελθη τούτω Ἀναχώρησιν, σοῦ Επιμέλια οὔδε πὀτε ἐξήρηξε ἀφ' ἐμέ; άλλὰ ἐὶ γνω-
-ρὶζω τοῦτο οὺκ επικουρειν σοὶ, άλλ' ἀδικὴειν σοὶ. -- Ωφὲλεια σ[?] μόνον Ιῶ αἰτιἁ ἥν επαρήνεσε
τὸν Αδελφον σοῦ Πατρος παραθεῖναι μοὶ τὴν αναχώρησιν. Λέγει μοὶ ὄτι ἑγώ οὐκ ἔλεξα πνι,
ἐί νυν γινωμαι φλύαρος, οὖδέ ποτε ἔμελλε πιστεὺειν μοὶ αῦθις, καὶ ειχε ἄδικον Αιτιον ὀργὶζεσθαι
μὸι. Μῆ ἐπεὶγε μὲ οὖν, καί οῦδε ποτέ γραφε πρός μέ περί τούτου αῦθισ. Τιν[^ὼ^]σκε γάρ, ἔχω-
ελευθεροτερην γνὼμην ἤ ἵνα παραδῶ ἀναίτια. Τὰρ ἐὶ πειραξεις μὲ έπ, τότε
ἔσομαι ἀβεβαιοτερος. Ἡμέτερος Διδάσκαλος (άναμιμνήσκομαι) είθιται άπειλέίν ημας όργήν αύστη-
ροτατην, ει ἐξήτασαμεν άπόρρήτα των ἄλιων. Οὺκ ἔστί μέιων τιμὴ, πρὸς τινὰ οὺκ άιτεῖν, ἤ πρὸς
ἄλλὸν καλὺπτειν. Πρὀκρὶναι τοῦτον φίλον, ὄς αῖτέι μικρὸν, πρὸς ἀυτὸν ὄς ἐπιθυμεὶ γινώσκειν
πᾶν. Εύφημιὰ ἦ πρὸς σέ, ἔὶ ἡσαχύχας ἀγνοείν. Οὺν ἄρεσκε ἐκδικεὶν σὴν τιμὴν, καὶ
πληροφ[^ορ^]εὶν μὲ μετὰ σὴς σἰωπης ἐσόμενης, γὰρ χὶλιαι καιναί [^αῖ^] πίστες, οῦδὲ ποτε ἐξαὶρ-
ήσουσὶ τὸ, ουδε ποτι ἐυεργὴσει σοὶ ὅτινος Καλὸν γινὼκειν, ὐπὸ σοῦ Φίλου κἁθὄσον
μεγαλειως ἦ, Ε.Χ.
Αὔτη Ἐπιστολὴ ἔγράφη πρὸς ἔνα φίλον διὰ ἄλλου ἐν? ἀλλὰ ἐγὼἐπείράσα πα-
ραφρὰζειν ἐν ἐλληνικὴ τῆ Δἰαλεκτω. . -- Βενιαμιν ΥΥαδσυυορτχ. 1766 ---

.As it is in English --- . --- A Letter from one Friend to another ---

Your unwearied Questionings after my Refusals; seem to intimate that you think me
unconstant; but I seem[?] such a Mind. That thing which you desire to know,
was committed to me as A Secret by your Uncle; If to reveal it, would do you good,
yet after I had promised him Secresy, your utmost Diligence should never ex-
-tort it from me; But to disclose this, would not help, but hurt you. your Adv-
-antage only was the Argument which persuaded your Uncle to command me Se-
cresy. He charged me to tell Nobody; Should I now become a Tat[^t^]ler, he would
never believe me more, and would have just Reason to be angry with me.
Leave urging me therefore, & never write to me about it any more. For know
I am of a more generous Spirit than to betray innocent Secrets. The more
you tempt, the more moveable I shall be. Our Master (I remember) used
to threaten us with his severest Anger, if we searched into the Secrets of Others.
It is no less an Honour to any one not to ask, than to another to conceal.
I prefer that Friend that asketh little, before him that would [illegible] know every-
-thing. It would be A Praise to you, if you were content to be ignorant. Be
pleased therefore to vindicate your own Honour, & to Satisfy me by your
future Silence; For A Thousand new Persuasions shall never extort that, which it would do you no Good to know, from
Your Friend so far as I honourably may, E. C.
Sep. 25. 1766.