languishing; deep, very deep, prostration of soul and body;
instead of being a helper to others, ready to lean upon all, glad
even to be diverted by a child's book. In addition to this, I find
the tongue of slander has been ready to attack me. The work that
was made so much of before, some try to lessen now. My faith is
that He will not give me over to the will of my enemies, nor let me
be utterly cast down.

In relation to her conscientious fear of the admixture of sin with her
service of God and of humanity, she wrote:--

I apprehend that all would not understand me, but many who are much
engaged in what we call works of righteousness, will understand the
reason that in the Jewish dispensation there was an offering made
for the iniquity of _holy things_.

In regard to marriage she writes:--

We have had the subject of marriage much before us this year; it
has brought us to some test of our feelings and principles
respecting it. That it is highly desirable to have young persons
settle in marriage, I cannot doubt, and that it is one of the most
likely means of their preservation, religiously, morally,
temporally. Moreover, it is highly desirable to settle with one of
the same religious views, habits, and education, as themselves,
more particularly for those who have been brought up as Friends,
because their mode of education is peculiar. But if any young
persons, upon arriving at an age of discretion, do not feel
themselves really attached to our peculiar views and habits, then,
I think, their parents have no right to use undue influence with
them as to the connections they may incline to form, provided they
be with persons of religious lives and conversation. I am of
opinion that parents are apt to exercise too much authority upon
the subject of marriage, and that there would be really more happy
unions if young persons were left more to their own feelings and
discretion. Marriage is too much treated like a business concern,
and love, that essential ingredient, too little respected in it. I
disapprove of the rule of our Society which disowns persons for
allowing a child to marry one who is not a Friend; it is a most
undue and unchristian restraint, as far as I can judge of it.

As the time passed, and her family got scattered up and down in the
world, the i