Richard Peters to John Adams, June 15, 1789

Belmont June 15. 1789

Dear Sir

I am honoured with yours of the 5 th. instant I thank you for your kind & polite Offers of Hospitality. Experience has
convinced me of your Friendship on this Head—

I find from the Reflexions occasioned by the just Observations in
your Letter that I have expected too much & am therefore not entitled to the Right
of complaining under Dissappointment. Tho’ placed in a new Situation, we are the same
People & are playing something of the old Game tho’ we have changed our Pack—
Allons—jouez bien votre Cartes— I am only a Stander-by & will patiently wait the
Event: For, after all the grave Calculations of the gravest Politicians (among whom by
the By I do not rank myself) Success in the Eyes of most Men stamps a substantial Value
upon Measures— We were however very near losing our Liberty in the first Stages of the
War by temporary military Expedients, under a Fear that a well organized & permanent
Army might turn out dangerous to it. I wish we may not bring it again into Jeopardy by
the same Fears excited by different Objects. But the Transactions of many Years past
have made me somewhat of a Predestinarian in Politicks I therefore, judging of the
future by what has past, I rest firmly convinced that all will
end well.

I am happy to find by your Letter that you are likely to be settled
so, as I presume, to have your Family with you. This Satisfaction of mine is on your own
Account, for as a Pennsilvanian I do not desire you to be so comfortably settled where
you are as not to be convinced that you could do better where all Pennsilvanians wish
you— Wherever you are be assured of the sincere & respectful Esteem with which / I
am your obed t Servant—

Richard Peters

P.S. The Sentiments of Montesquieu on the Subject you mention
have indeed been miserably construed. He was a great & sensible Man but has in
many Passages of his Works rendered his Meaning obscure by a Habit of too much
condensing his Ideas so as to avoid Prolixity. He is a Kind of Bible for Politicians
& it fares with his as it does with the good
Book—every one finds a Text to suit his own Purposes. If indeed the Text does not
exactly fit, convenient Interpretations must do the Business.