hich was then an obnoxious one to
many people, who deemed it dishonest; or because they did not consider
Mr. Adams--the son of a small farmer--a sufficiently good match for
the daughter of one of the shining lights of the colony. Mr. Smith,
having become aware of the feeling which existed, took notice of it in
a sermon from the following text: "For John came neither eating bread
nor drinking wine, and ye say, He hath a devil."

The first ten years of Mrs. Adams's married life were passed in a
quiet and happy manner; her enjoyment suffering no interruptions
except those occasioned by the short absences of her husband, when he
attended the courts. In this period she became the mother of a
daughter and three sons, of whom John Quincy Adams was the eldest.

All are familiar with the distinguished part performed by Mr. Adams in
the scenes which immediately preceded our revolution. In all his
feelings and actions he had the sympathy and support of his wife, who
had thus in some measure become prepared for the stormy period which
was at hand.

Mr. Adams, having been appointed one of the delegates to the congress
to be held at Philadelphia, left home in August, 1774; and on the 19th
of that month, we find the following letter addressed to him by his
wife:--

"The great distance between us makes the time appear very long to me.
It seems already a month since you left me. The great anxiety I feel
for my country, for you, and for our family, renders the day tedious,
and the night unpleasant. The rocks and the quicksands appear on every
side. What course you can and will take is all wrapped in the bosom of
futurity. Uncertainty and expectation leave the mind great scope. Did
ever any kingdom or state regain its liberty, when once it was
invaded, without bloodshed? I cannot think of it without horror. Yet
we are told, that all the misfortunes of Sparta were occasioned by
their too great solicitude for present tranquillity; and from an
excessive love of peace, they neglected the means of making it sure
and lasting. * * * I have taken a very great fondness for reading
Rollin's Ancient History. I am determined to go through it, if
possible, in these my days of solitude. I find great pleasure and
entertainment from it, and I have persuaded Johnny to read me a page
or two every day, and hope he will, from his desire to oblige me,
entertain a fondness for it. I want much to hear from you. I long
impatiently to have you upon the stage