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Dear Papa Monday May 25 th 1761 I
Dear Papa Monday May 25 th 1761

I have sent you 10 pages of my Translation, and likewise

have filled up the gap that you complained of in your last;

you must know I had asked M r de Salis my next door neighbour

with whom I am now well acquainted, (who is now a Bachelor and

Fellow-Commoner, and has read the Tusculan disputations) to explain me

the meaning of that passage, as I had given it over after a great deal

of Study myself, but he could not, no more could another Bachelor of Arts

of my Acquaintance, and so I went as my last resource to M r Jefferson,

who after pretty much consideration explained it to me to the same effect

as I have put down in the back of my translation. I have inquired

about that Epitaph on beau Nash by D r King, but find it is

not to be had at the bookseller, but have borrowed it of M r De Salis

to transcribe it for you; and will send it you this week or next if I

can, for it is a very long one: I am just going to Lecture, and have

only just time to send you these few lines from

Your most dutiful &

affectionate Son

Jeremy Bentham.

Pray give my duty

to Grandmama.
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  • Title: [Sunday March 29 th 1761. Dear Papa]
    Description: Sunday March 29 th 1761.

    Dear Papa

    I have sent you 21 pages of the Translation: which just finishes the 1 st

    Book; as I am a little straitened for time, I must defer writing a long letter till the

    middle of next week, when you may expect to hear more from

    Your dutiful and

    affectionate Son

    J. Bentham.

    I long to hear how the country

    Air agrees with poor dear Sammy.

    I suppose you have heard from my

    Grandmama by this time.

    The Tusculan Questions

    of

    Marcus Tullius Cicero

    in

    Five Books

    Translated into English

    by

    Jeremy Bentham

    Commoner of Queens College Oxon

    1761

    A o.Aet suæ 14°
  • Title: [Dear Papa I send you inclos'd the]
    Description: Dear Papa

    I send you inclos'd the last 36 Pages of the Tusculan

    disputations, which I doubt not will give you pleasure, as it does me

    to think my labours are at an End, which I hope are not in vain. you

    must needs think I studied pretty hard, to do 6 pages a day besides the

    College-Exercises which however as I told you were not so many this week as they

    used to be, else I think I could hardly have done so much.

    I hope my dear Papa, I have not done any thing that you are

    displeased at, I have not heard from you since the Wednesday

    or Thursday after I came to Oxford; above three weeks ago.

    Wheatly goes to town on Friday the 18 th the next day after the

    last in term, so that if you please I may take that Opportunity to go

    with him, as he said he would wait till then for me, but was obliged to be

    in town by next day, otherwise he would have gone the 15 th or 16 th: I hope

    you will send me a line by next post, whether I may go or not then: but

    as I hope to be in town before the week is out, I will conclude with professing myself

    Your dutifull

    and affectionate Son

    J. Bentham.

    Sunday Dec r 12 1761.

    My duty to my Grand mama

    and love to my dear Brother.

    Accipe quos mitto, studii, Pater optime, fructus;

    En tibi longi operis, denique finis adest.
  • Title: [Wednesday March 25. th 1761. Dear]
    Description: Wednesday March 25. th 1761.

    Dear Papa

    Having had several interruptions from my Acquaintance just as I was

    writing my letter to you, I could not send you my Translation on Sunday as I intended: for

    one day M r Skate came to drink Tea with me, another M r Godsalve, and another a Westminster

    acquaintance that I believe you never heard me speak off, so it does not signify

    mentioning his name. I find this part of Tully in several places extremely difficult, so that a page or

    perhaps 2 or 3 lines, will take me up as much time to translate as 4 or 5 of his other

    works, and indeed all the Tusculan questions in general, are the hardest Latin I ever met

    with; not so much because the construction is difficult, tho' that is none of the easiest,

    but frequently when I have got the Syntax of it it is sometime before I can make head or tail of it: this

    often happens when 2 Sentences are joined by some sort of conjunction; when each seems to

    have nothing to do with the other: for tho' I could translate each of them literally, yet till I

    have f ound out the Relation they bear to one another, and by what means the Sense is connected, there's no such thing as mak g an intelligible Translation. — I long to hear how poor dear Sammy

    does, whether he is recovered from his Illness, and hope I shall assoon as you have received

    this letter. I have lately had a very lucky accident which tho' it kept me up a day or

    two, yet is of great service to me: that Tooth which had several bits of it broke out and

    was as I complained to you so extremely sore being very troublesome I with my fingers

    pulled it out having plucked up a good courage; besides there were 2 other Teeth

    1 of which had a young one growing out by the Side of it; I pulled them both out myself.

    however my Face swelled: before I pulled the Teeth out one or two of them aked

    very bad, so that with that and the Swelled face, which succeeded to the aking; I was forced

    to keep my up: when M r Jefferson asked me what was the matter with me, and I told

    him, he told me aeger was Latin for idle: for when we are indisposed, and on that account do not attend

    Chapel and Lecture, we are put down in the books, such an one aeger: but M r Jefferson

    when I have not been well before that has suspected that it was idleness that made me

    keep up; which indeed I do not think is using me well; and I told him I thought 'twas

    very hard that I could never be believed by him when I said any thing: and this often been

    case in other things, tho' I have brought several circumstances to corroborate it. I am

    sure it could not be from Idleness that I kept up for then I studied a great

    deal harder than at another time, as I had nothing else - pray do not mention this

    tho'. Pray give my duty to my Grandmama. — I am

    Dear Papa

    Your dutiful and affectionate Son

    J. Bentham.

    P.S.

    I have sent you 20 pages, tho' I have

    wrote it very small and close, that

    it might not take up much Room.