Francis Rotch letter to Charity Rotch, New Bedford, January 22, 1820

              B-296-1 
	
			New Bedford  Jan 22, 1820  
                      						         
	My dear Aunt~
	              Will excuse the indulgence I grant myself-
	In addressing my letter more especially to herself 
	    In the late communication, or more correctly speaking,
	In the late simple query I addressed to you some days
	since, I was unwilling and indeed unable to accompany it-
	with the many little occurrences of the day, and therefore sent
	it to you in the crude state, without~ the mockery of humility
	or the use of language existing all in its own principle 
	your understand.
	    I have before remarked that in the Religious world there
	much very much to rejoice at- there are those amongst
	us that have dared to do their duty, I believe without
	either looking to the right or to the left~
	   Since my arrival here I have been thrown much
	in the way of seeing hearing and being with a man,
	Micah Ruggles, who has been much an object of speculation
	some call him mad, others say he is deluded, and many who
	have been in opposition to him now acknowledge him to be
	a man most highly illuminated I was under prejudices
	of the strongest~character both social and religious when I 
	first made his acquaintance. My Social aversion I still	
	retain but I look on him as the greatest-living example of
	faith, of  [illegible] of eyes, of divine inspiration that I have
	ever known or heard of,--He lives a few miles from this
	and has lately been passing several days here- On
	first day last- he spoke as it seemed to me never
	man spoke and towards the close of the afternoon
	meeting he knelt- but gave not utterance to a work!
	A more impressive, a more solemn silence perhaps
	never was witnessed never perhaps was the Spirit of
	prayer more universally felt and many there were who