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Subject Area: Political Theory
Topic: The American Revolution and Constitution

R. H. LEE TO JOHN ADAMS. - John Adams, The Works of John Adams, vol. 9 (Letters and State Papers 1799-1811) [1854]

Edition used:

The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: with a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations, by his Grandson Charles Francis Adams (Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1856). 10 volumes. Vol. 9.

Part of: The Works of John Adams, 10 vols.

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R. H. LEE TO JOHN ADAMS.

Chantilly, 12 December, 1785.

Dear Sir,—

My presidential year being ended, I had left New York for this place (from which and from my family I had been thirteen months absent) before the letters which you did me the honor to write me on the 26th of August, the 6th and 7th of September, came to hand, which has prevented me from showing the civilities to Mr. Storer and Mr. Wingrove, that I should otherwise have taken pleasure in doing. The state of my health is so precarious (being at present prevented by the gout in my right hand from writing myself), that it is uncertain when I shall be permitted to return to Congress; but let me be where I will, I shall always be happy to correspond with you. My brother, Arthur Lee, who now resides at New York, a commissioner of the treasury of the United States, will receive and forward to me such letters as you are pleased to write. It gives me pleasure to know that Colonel Smith is so agreeable a secretary to you. Indeed, I had expected so from his politeness, his good sense, and his spirit. It is certainly a misfortune both to the United States and to Great Britain, that a singular kind of after wisdom of the latter, should so perpetually keep the two countries at variance with each other. To profit from experience so becometh nations as well as individuals, that it denoteth much ill to both, when advice is not taken from that best source of knowledge. It is this kind of wisdom that, having already irrecoverably lost to Great Britain a great and valuable part of her dominions, is now proceeding to deprive her of a great and valuable part of her commerce, also. For I plainly perceive that the State errors, and the commercial mistakes of that country, are going to force these United States, contrary to their inclination, into systems that will probably prevent our trade from ever again flowing, as it probably would have done, into British channels. It is true that we may be injured in the commencement of these experiments; but it is certain that those who compel them will be more hurt. A similar experiment has been lately made, and the issue recent; yet such is the curse attending Britain and British statesmen, that they will neither remember the one or profit from the other. I join with you in hoping soon to see American factories established in the east, and certainly it will be highly agreeable to me to find Mr. Steptoe promoting there his country’s and his own good.

I have the honor to be, &c.

Richard Henry Lee.

TO COUNT SARSFIELD.

London, 3 February, 1786.

In your kind letter of the 26th of January, you ask an explanation of that expression of the Massachusetts, “a rider of hobby-horses.” In the original of the word hobby-horse, it signified a little horse, the same with pony in English, or bidet in French. The English then transferred it to Irish and Scottish horses, cheval d’Irlande and d’Écosse. From this horse it was transferred to those little wooden horses which are made for children to ride on for their amusement. It is defined “a stick on which boys get astride and ride;” “un bâton par lequel les enfans vont à cheval.” It is defined in Latin, arundo longa, a reed or cane; for the boys in want of better instruments made use of these. From these originals it has been used, I do not know whether metaphorically or poetically, to signify any favorite amusement of grown men of all ranks and denominations, even sages and heroes, philosophers and legislators, nobles, princes, and kings. All nations, I believe, have some word appropriated to this meaning. There is one in French, which I once knew familiarly, but have forgotten. The Dutch have a proverb, “Jeder heeft zyn speelpop,” “every one has his hobby-horse.” For example, the hobby-horse of Mr. Lionet was the anatomy of caterpillars; that of Mr. Ploos Van Amstell, to collect drawings, &c. The Italians say, “Quel legno o bastone che i fanciulli si mettono fra gambe e chiamano il loro cavallo.” The Dutch proverb is very true; every man has a staff which he puts sometimes between his legs and rides, and calls it his hobby-horse. It is in this sense the hobby-horse of many curious persons, to become acquainted with singular and extraordinary characters.

It has ever been my hobby-horse to see rising in America an empire of liberty, and a prospect of two or three hundred millions of freemen, without one noble or one king among them. You say it is impossible. If I should agree with you in this, I would still say, let us try the experiment, and preserve our equality as long as we can. A better system of education for the common people might preserve them long from such artificial inequalities as are prejudicial to society, by confounding the natural distinctions of right and wrong, virtue and vice.