Washington 11 April 1808. My dear Sir I received a few days since with great pleasure your classical epistle, which I could answer in the same language, but that my disuse of it for so many years has made me diffident of my power to write with sufficient correctness in that language, to make me a correspondent in it worthy of you. - I would advise you to persist in the practice of using your classical acquirements, which you will find of great service through life - The depreciators of ancient learning have drawn a very mistaken inference of its uselessness, from the mere fact that it is not always used, when possessed - It is indeed the instrument, which requires a living hand to give it efficacy - of this as of every other talent, the acquisition and the application should go hand in hand, through all our pursuits. I find by the list of books which you have perused in the course of the winter, that you have made an industrious use of the time - The difficulties, which you as well as every other attentive reader, have found in Lord Coke's Institutes, will in a great measure vanish on a second perusal - His method is very confused, and the immense mass of learning to be gathered from his writings, requires of his reader the faculty of making that selection and arrangement, which his crude and vitiated literary taste disqualified him [2] from introducing into his works - This want of order is however well supplied by the clear and minute analysis of Blackstone. The next things which I would recommend to you to read are the Titles "Pleas and Pleadings" - "Abatement" and "Bav." In Bacon's Abridgement- And also the Law of Evidence, by Lord Gilbert - Those may occupy you until my venture, which I hope will be in less than a month from this Time. The Senate have this day passed a Resolution to close the session of Congress on the 25th of this month - It may possibly continue a few days longer but I think will not extend to the last of the month. Mrs. Adams and myself were much obliged to you, for the information you had heard of our son George - We had been so long without hearing from him, that we felt some degree of anxiety about him - We have however recently heard from him directly. Mrs. Adams and our infant child are in good health and thank you for your kind enquiries. I am with great regard & esteem, Dear Sir, your friend & humble Servt. John Quincy Adams. Mr. A.H. Everett - Boston. [Address:] Mr. Alexander H. Everett. Boston. Massachusetts. Free John Quincy Adams. S.U.S.