Canterbury November 21st- 1772
Yours My dearest Mary of the 19th- (you made a mistake
for it might be dated the 18th- but if written on the
19th- I could not have got it the day after) came
safe to hand last night & am extremely obliged to
you for your definition of Friendship though I am
not sure whether you can be right in one thing
you say, that in the union of Soul & Body our Creator
has given the ascendency in few cases to the
former. now I am afraid its ourselves that gives
it to the last, we are born with a free Will,
we are taught good from evil, & yet too often, if
not almost always prefer the evil to the good
as the pleasures of the body are instantaneous
those of the Soul at a distance & not to be expected
in this World, so I am afraid it's ourselves
not our great Creator that gives the ascendancy to
the body, Esteem, friendship & sentimental pleasures
ought to be preferred to the Corporeal ones, though
I do not agree with you when you say Will be as
I am quite convinced they seldom are preferred

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to the sensual pleasures of a Corrupted appetite.
May such pleasures always keep at a distance from
My dearest Mary is my sincere Prayer & Wish
nor do I fear otherwise knowing her Good sense, good
education, & the good inclinations she has always
shown, she possessed. May your greatest pleasures
My dearest Girl be in every thing that's good
& then believe me they will be solid & agreeable
ones, as nothing is more certain than that an
innocent Mind is the greatest pleasure we
can have in this life, or when we remain
with this clay clothing to our Souls. I have
unawares My dear Mary rather got into a more
serious subject than I intended & was this
letter to be produced at the Macaroni Club
or female Coterie I am afraid it would be
greatly laughed at as nobody would believe
that I was writing to a fine young Lady
of eighteen years old but to some old antiquated
virgin of Seventy at least, or that I must be
a very old fellow got into my second Childhood

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that could suppose that any thing rational could
entertain a sprightly young Lady of this refined
age but as I am sensible that I am writing
to one of the Phoenix's & not one of the Babylonians
of this happy Isle I don't care for censure from
them if I can write to please the young Lady
that I write to & for whom I have a most
true & Sincere Love & Friendship founded
on the most perfect esteem, if I have her
approbation & Friendship I am content nor
shall I give myself much trouble whether
I have theirs or not -- Please tell Mrs Hamilton
with my best respects that her collar of Brawn
is made, but not long enough, as yet the Maker
says, to bear the Carriage to Northampton
but she may depend on it as soon as possible
What you write about Lord Cathcarts family I
knew before & thought I had written you
how they were disposed of at heart I did
design it, but suppose I must have forgotten
it as you write it to me -- Though you have
lost many of your Babylonians from Northampton

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yet to my knowledge you have got the Seventh
Regiment of Dragoons with you & should
in my opinion be able to furnish out a good
long letter from a young Lady, but perhaps
you may keep that sort of Correspondence
for your female friends. was the Kitten from
Northampton she would I make no doubt be
informed that a Regiments was come to
town such, & such officers, were come, some
old, others young & handsome & in short
we are so Gay or are to be so gay I wish
you was here My dear Kitten to partake,
is this not true, pray remember My dearest Mary
that I am a jealous friend I won't have
any Person male or female in that capacity
preferred before me in your confidence
write me every thing that concerns your Soul,
Mind, Heart, & Body without reserve, I own
what I desire is not easy for a Young Lady
to bring herself to especially to a Man
but believe me she is safer with them if Men
of Honour than with any Woman that ever

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was yet born, don't think I am abusing your
Sex, far from it, it's the same thing with
ours, give me a Lady for my Confidant
there I am sure of your good advice none of
your Male Creatures from me & I believe
a male Confidant is best for a Lady if she
can depend on his honour & I hope my
dearest Girl has no suspicion of mine
where she is concerned      what an
unconscionable Girl thou are to desire a
monstrous long letter for your short one
it's true your Babylonians are gone but you
have a Regiment that I know something
of, in this place we have both Babylonians,
& a Regiment, & many fine handsome
young Ladies both in town & Country, yet
as you know none of them it's impossible
for me to entertain you with little Anecdotes
that may & certainly does happen here as
well as at other places, so you see that
we are on a footing in regard to matter
though I have the advantage by knowing the

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Kitten & some other of your Young Ladies
at least by name but you think I for
sake of a little flummery about the art
of lengthening my letters so very agreeably
will continue to write long ones for
short ones; at the distance of ten, twelve
or fourteen days, when I write always
the very next after I get yours, No, No,
Madam, I must be treated with more
dignity otherwise this is my last long
one, so see to it, & mend your Manners,
otherwise I can use people as they use me
though I own it would be more of a Christian
disposition to return good for evil, but a
worm will turn if trodden upon -- it's very true
I am more than partial to my dear Mary
but I won't spare her when she thinks, or
writes, any thing I don't like, flattery is
a kind of Sweet Meat that goes down
I am afraid too often, which makes people
think it ought always to do so, indeed
when it comes from a different Sex it's

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more thought of, but with no greater degree
of Justice ought it to be so, at the same
time Friendship may often, nay very often dictate
sentiments that's so strong that many
people may & would call flattery
were they to see it, but they ought to consider
that true Friendship is truth itself
& never designingly flatters, though very often
may lie under that censure I own my
dear girl that you may retort upon me
from what I have just said, as I ought
not to doubt your Friendship so what you
wrote ought not to be taken for flattery,
true, true, but actions show Friendship
best, write me long letters & believe me
that Love & Friendship will always furnish
out materials for twenty sheets; perhaps
some time in your life you may own it
to me, but that time may perhaps not
have touched your Heart as yet. Between
you & I, I don't believe that's the Case of
your friend the Kitten as in my opinion

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her heart is not so very easy as she would
willingly make People believe, but I dont desire
to know any particulars that she may have
told you, as I would think it was ungenerous
to betray Confidence in any shape, I would
have my Girl perfect, & even to one, who
I hope she looks upon in a different light
from any other, I would not have her
discover what she ought most secretly
to conceal, though at the same time I would
advise her never to have secrets of her
own or of others, disclosed to female friends, as then
on little piques between the friends things
never can be carried to an extremity
this your own good sense will tell you much
better than any bodys writing -- what I've
said of the Kitten is mere conjecture from
her bad state of health I may be mistaken &
hope I am -- Positively I won't write
more & if I have not a long monstrous
letter within a few days I'll conclude you don't Like
me to write to you so often, so now it's

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all in your own power so do as you
please, only believe My dearest dearest
Mary that I am & always will be your
most faithful & affectionately yours
                                                         William Napier

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To Miss Hamilton
                             near
                             Northampton  ------