A Sailor to his betrothed Mistress.

My dear Peggy, Barbadoes, Oct. 9.

If you think of me half so often as I do of you, it will be every Hour; for you are never out of my Thoughts, and, when I am asleep, I constantly dream of my dear Peggy. I wear my Half-bit of Gold always at my Heart, ty’d to a blue Ribbon round my Neck; for True Blue, my dearest Love, is the Colour of Colours to me. Where, my Dearest, do you put yours? I hope you are careful of it; for it would be a bad Omen to lose it.

I hope you hold in the same Mind still, my dearest Dear; for God will never bless you, if you break the Vows you have made to me. As to your ever faithful William, I would sooner have my Heart torn from my Breast, than it should harbour a Wish for any other Woman besides my Peggy. O my dearest Love! you are the Joy of my Life! My Thoughts are all of you; you are with me in all I do; and my Hope and my Wish is only to be yours. God send it may be so!

Our Captain talks of sailing soon for England; and then, and then—my dearest Peggy!—O how I rejoice, how my Heart beats with Delight, that makes me I cannot tell how, when I think of arriving in England, and joining Hands with my Peggy, as we have Hearts before, I hope! I am sure I speak for one.

John Arthur, in the good Ship Elizabeth, Capt. Winterton, which is returning to England, (as I hope we shall soon) promises to deliver this into your own dear Hand; and he will bring you too, Six Bottles of Citronwater as a Token of my Love. It is fit for the finest Ladies Taste, it is so good; and it is what, they say, Ladies drink, when they can get it.

John says, he will have one sweet Kiss of my dearest Peggy, for his Care and Pains. So let him, my best Love; for I am not of a jealous Temper. I have a better Opinion of my Dearest, than so.