In bed - my present dwelling place
4th Decbr.

My beloved son,
Your poor mother is now a confirmed invalid, and my best chance of recovery is to be kept always on a horizontal posture. So I must submit for this winter at least to this eternal state of recumbance. To be sure I have the best of nurses and plenty of them, and our dear Mary is head waiter, nurse and dictator. Cook of nice [?] cookeries, and inventor of things to please my fancy and appetite [?]. [?] takes the next rank as nurse and under to her majesty - for one of my notions is, to be read to, altho' dozing supervene and I fear not one word of the interesting lecture. Too [?] has the act to rouse my attention - you know she is the main [?]

and seems to think she has a [] from
Government to murder the President's
english - when she gets a little sleepy
and supposes me so, much language is had
by her so even Lord Duberly could not
have given utterance to - Sometime since
she was reading the story of Isabelle of Lastile
when she came to the words that the
"grandees surrounded their majestie's their
pennars flying Jc' This was trans magnifier
into "Gernadines" their "pinions" flying Jc
but for Heaven's sake say nothing of this in []
of your letters - for she is a very kind hearted
obliging little girl and I shd be much at []
to miss her services.
So you see my dear boy, your [plan]
of change of air is not very practicable, unless
West Point philosophy can find a way to move
me [bed] and all. Perhaps your genius may be
stimulated by my [] and a balloon
will be the [result] to move by steam for
I promise my first visit shall be to the Point.
Your dear father is still in N. York
and I am sorry to say Julia writes this [man] &
that he has been dangerously ill. Dr. McD.

attends him and his weakness, she says is his only remaining
illness. He has far more [...] past been suffering
with a sort of latent intermittent. His mind too has 
been [humibly] [harrassed]. He [seems] now thrown ended
like a worn out shoe, and he can [provence] no employ
-ment that is likely to be of avail. Some change
must be made in our way of living for []
becoming very poor. How do I thank my God, that
my dear son is provided for! For my [], for
on our [...], my dear James, do nothing to jeopardize
your present situation. Your letter before the last
gave me great uneasiness, and when I saw the Court
Martial advertised in the paper, I was in a panic. []
[better] today has most fortunately [behind] my anticipation.
The only fault of your character is the inability to
say "no"! You are too easily led by others, and
will [inevitively] be made their scape goat. What [bold]
-ness led you to [] my []? It is certainly most unmi-
litary conduct - tending to insubordination. It could
produce no good effect! And will ever result in the
amiable young man becoming the victim of the disorderly
Pray my son, heed my words and do not think I am []