My last was sent in the Mary and John by Mr. William Collier. I then certified you of the great and unseasonable loss you and we had, in the wreck of Mr. Pierce and his ship the Lyon; but the Lord’s holy name be blessed, Who gives and takes as it pleases Him; His will be done, Amen. I then related to you that fearful accident, or rather judgment, the Lord pleased to lay on London bridge by fire, and therein gave you an idea of my great loss; the Lord I hope will give me patience to bear it, and faith to trust in Him and not in the slippery and uncertain things of this world. I hope Mr. Allerton is nearly with you by this time; but he had many disasters here before he got away. The last was a heavy one; his ship, while getting out of the harbour at Bristol in stormy weather, was driven so far ashore that it cost him over £100 to get her afloat again. His condition was so lamentable that I could not but afford him some help, as did some who were strangers to him; besides, your goods were in her, and if he had not been assisted he must have given up his voyage, and loss could not have been avoided on all sides. When he first bought her I think he would have made a saving match if he had then sunk her and never set sail in her! I hope he sees the Lord’s hand against him, and will leave off these voyages. I think we did well in parting with her; she would have been but a clog to the account, time and again, and though we shall not get much by way of satisfaction, we shall lose no more. And now, as I have written before, pray wind up all the accounts with him there; here he has nothing but many debts which he owes in various quarters. Besides, not a man here will spend a day, nay scarcely an hour, on the accounts but myself, and that business will require more time and help than I can afford. I need not say any more; I hope you will do what will be best and will be just with him, to which add mercy and consider his intentions, though he failed in many particulars, which now cannot be helped.... To-morrow or next day at furthest we are to pay £300, and Mr. Beauchamp is out of the town, so I must do it. O! the grief and trouble that mad Mr. Allerton has brought upon you and us! I cannot forget it, and to think of it draws many a sigh from my heart and tears from my eyes. And now the Lord has visited me with another great loss, but I can bear it with more patience than those which I have foolishly pulled upon myself.... And in another letter there is this passage: