Loving Brother:

We have recd. two letters lately from you, for which we thank you, 
wherin you have given us an accnt of your Condition & we are Comforted 
to hear it is better with you then we could expect, considering that 
divers reports of sickness in ye Country, & in your person, & by your 
letter in your fammely, had caused us to fear.

Brother I was Moved to write to you before now, both with in my self & 
from mother, but I put her off becaus of the sickness (that was in my 
famely of which through Mercy we have had a small share to what many 
of our Neighbours have had) but especially becaus of ye dangerous 
condition ye broth Nathll lay in for some time.  I being greatly 
desierous that my letters might be ye messengers of Joy & not of 
sorrow to you. And now brother, as we have recd Comfort from your 
letter, we hope these lines my be so to you, & all our friends, & may 
find you in health & peace; and that our hearts may be drawn forth to 
thankfullness unto God for all his Mercies.

And now I shall briefly touch on what is omitted in Brother Natll 
Letter; and first, of ye sickness; concerning Brother Natll & you have 
an accnt in his Letter.  Our eldest has had a long lingering Illness, 
but is pretty much recruted.  I am poorly on't, my self having bin 
Considerably ill, this 4 weeks, which makes me write with a trembling 
hand.  the sickness has bin very genous in our town, of which there 
are four grown persons dead in our village; vis. Jonathan Hathaway, 
Rose Spooner, Jemima Badcock & Amos Taber's wife; but people are 
generally pon recovery, & it looks like a time of health.

Of the season (we have Indeferent good Crops.)  We have had a great 
drought which lasted from Inglish mowing till about ye Middle of Sept. 
since which we have had extrordinary groing weather, till within this 
4 or 5 weeks.

Of an earthquake, which was a week yesterday, about ten att night, 
which shook both ye Land & water, the Islands & seas, at that degree 
that several doors were shook of ye Latch in our village, & tis said 
that at Nantuket ye harth stones grated one against another, and that 
Car, ye boat builder, Run out of his house got in to a boar for fear 
ye Island should sink.

Mother desiered me to acquaint you that she Greatly desires to se you, 
and so we doe all.  My love to all our friend[s] farwell your Brother

Jabez Delano, Novemr 6th, 1727.