eptable may have
forbidden manifestations of it.

Mr. Adams's friendship and mine began at an earlier date. It accompanied
us through long and important scenes. The different conclusions we had
drawn from our political reading and reflections, were not permitted to
lessen mutual esteem; each party being conscious they were the result of
an honest conviction in the other. Like differences of opinion existing
among our fellow citizens, attached them to the one or the other of us,
and produced a rivalship in their minds which did not exist in ours. We
never stood in one another's way. For if either had been withdrawn at
any time, his favorers would not have gone over to the other, but would
have sought for some one of homogeneous opinions. This consideration
was sufficient to keep down all jealousy between us, and to guard our
friendship from any disturbance by sentiments of rivalship: and I can
say with truth, that one act of Mr. Adams's life, and one only, ever
gave me a moment's personal displeasure. I did consider his last
appointments to office as personally unkind. They were from among my
most ardent political enemies, from whom no faithful co-operation could
ever be expected; and laid me under the embarrassment of acting through
men, whose views were to defeat mine, or to encounter the odium of
putting others in their places. It seems but common justice to leave a
successor free to act by instruments of his own choice. If my respect
for him did not permit me to ascribe the whole blame to the influence of
others, it left something for friendship to forgive, and after brooding
over it for some little time, and not always resisting the expression of
it, I forgave it cordially, and returned to the same state of esteem
and respect for him which had so long subsisted. Having come into life
a little later than Mr. Adams, his career has preceded mine, as mine
is followed by some other; and it will probably be closed at the same
distance after him which time originally placed between us. I maintain
for him, and shall carry into private life, an uniform and high measure
of respect and good will, and for yourself a sincere attachment.

I have thus, my dear Madam, opened myself to you without reserve, which
I have long wished an opportunity of doing; and without knowing how it
will be received, I feal[sp.] relief from being unbosomed. And I have
now only to entreat your forgiveness for this transition from a subject
of domesti