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the old South Meeting House. Four years afterwards her master emancipated her. The New England climate was too severe for one of her studious and sedentary habits with a delicate constitution and she began to go into a decline. At the suggestion of eminent physicians, her adopted mother, for such she proved herself to be, sent her on a voyage to England in care of her son, who was going on business. Some years before this Phillis had developed a great talent for poetry, which she had cultivated to the utmost. Indeed her reputation was well established and had preceeded her to England and her rare conversational powers and charming demeanor took London by storm. Soon the noble thoughtful people and press united in extolling the name of Phillis Wheatley, the African poetess.
Her poems were first published in Boston in 1770, but her admiring friends prevailed upon her to bring out a second and better edition in London in 1773. This was a small octavo volume of about one hundred and twenty pages, comprising thirty-nine pieces. It was dedicated to the Countess of Huntington, and contained a picture of the poetess and a letter of recommendation signed by the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, with many other reliable citizens of Boston, including her master, establishing the fact that all the poems contained in the book were written by Phillis. For the poems were so excellent strangers were disposed to question their originality.
During Phillis' stay in England Mrs. Wheatley grieved herself sick about her adopted daughter. She would talk to her picture by the hour, and pointing it out to her friends, exclaimed with all of a mothers pride : "See! look at my Phillis! Does she not seem as though she would speak to me?" When she could endure the separation no longer, she sent an urgent request for Phillis to return at once to Boston. This she hastened to do and found her kind benefactor at death's door. She was only able to comfort her for a short time before the end came. Mr. Wheatley and his daughter soon followed her to the grave. Young Mr. Wheatly made his home in England, so Phillis was alone in the "wide, wide world." The historian Sparks informs us that she soon after received an offer of marriage from a respectable colroed man of Boston named John Peters. In an evil hour he was accepted and though he was a man of talents and information, he proved utterly unworthy of the distinguished woman who had honored him with her alliance.
Her married life was brief and unhappy, one babe gladdened her heart only to die early. Having been tenderly brought up, she naturally expected the same treatment from her husband, but was doomed to a sad disappointment. Peters became jealous and morose, and subjected her to cruel treatment.
Her delicate constitution gave away and she went into a hasty decline, from which she died December 5th, 1784, in the thirty-first year of her age, loved and mourned by all who knew her.
She was certainly one of the most remarkable