Diplomatic Text
London 25 Feb: -- 87
My dear Friend
I hope I may by
this time congratulate You on the most perfect
recovery of health and strength. You cant imagine
how delighted both Mrs. Garrick and I were with the
welcome intelligence which Mr. Dickenson so
kindly and so early indulged us with. We heartily
rejoyced at the appearance of little Miʃsy in
this wicked World, which I hope she will help
to make better, by the excellent Education I am
sure she will receive from her dear Pappa and
Mamma; pray a'nt You both vastly delighted
with those two Words? I dare say the first sound
of them was the sweetest Music You ever heard.
I have been in Town only a week, and have
made as much use of my time as a cruel
and frequent head ach wou'd give me leave. My
first sortie was to meet two Courtiers of your
acquaintance, Mr. Smelt and Miʃs Burney;
and a very joyful meeting it was; it was
I think the first evening Miʃs B. had ever
been out; for her friends all complain sadly
that she is entirely lost to them; she however
appears well and happy; and being perfectly well
dreʃsed You cant imagine how pretty She looked
She seems to have no complaint of her situation
which I rejoyce at; but want of time and
liberty wou'd be, to my disorderly spirit at least,
no small hardships; but I hope it does not
appear so to her. You know that Mr. Smelt,
our old flame, is comfortably set down in
his pleasant little retreat at Kew; he is
in good health this Winter and looked as
handsome as an Adonis last Night, but Mrs.
Smelt has her old Asthmas; they are at Mrs.
Cholmly's, who has a house at Stratford Place
we drunk tea with them last night, with
only Mrs. Ord and the Young Montagu's; Madame
goes on well, and I hope, after one or two
past disappointments, will be succeʃsful this
time. Mrs. Montagu has great pleasure in
the prospect. From thence we went to Madam
Walsingham's aʃsembly; she said if I wou'd
come she wou'd get a little talking Party in
a corner, and with Mrs. Montagu Mr. Walpole
&c. we contrived to make it out decently enough.
The ever elegant and ever pleasant Horace is
in charming health, and your humble Servant
ever; we have met I think two or three times
but not in that comfortable way as to be
able to talk you over, en detail, as we shall I
trust to morrow night, when we have an Aʃsignation
at the dear Mrs. Vesey's; but Mrs. Carter will
be present to see that every thing is proper
and prudent and to save our reputation. Mr. Walpole
has interested himself in the Old Paston Letters
just published.[1] I cannot say I am Antiquary
enough to be delighted greatly with them;
as letters they do not pretend to much
intrinsic worth but as they give some little insight
into the domestic manners, as well as information
of public events in that bloody period of the
Lancastrian Wars, they are certainly matter
of great curiosity to the diligent Investigator
of old Memoirs: It is curious to see the great
Earl of Warwick, the setter up and puller
down of Kings writing to a friend in a great
exigence to desire he wou'd lend him ten Pounds.
There is one letter[2] which wou'd be thought admirable
in any collection; it is from the Duke of Suffolk
full of prudential and religious advice to his Son.
Dear Mrs. Delany has been very seriously
ill; she is still very weak, and I believe sees
nobody but Miʃs Burney, who tells me that
tho she will take a long while before she
is re-established, yet she thinks her likely to
[d]o well again, the contrary of which was lately
much feared. The Q—— sends Miʃs B. to her every
day. -- Miʃs Boyle was presented last Week,
I went to see her with her finery on, and
she looked vastly well, and was dreʃs'd with
[g]reat modesty and elegance. She has done
marvels this winter, and has made a great
progreʃs towards decorating the new House at
Thames Ditton. I delivered to Mrs. W. Your
Meʃsage together with the notification of the
birth of Your daughter; and she desired all
manner of kind remembrances; She never names
You but with great esteem and high commendations
Our friend Mrs. Carter is much as usual; we
have had one Vesey evening with the old
Set; the dear Vesey herself looks pretty well,
and is in tolerable health, but subject to
fits of low spirits still; her memory, I
think is grievously shattered. She has still
the same benevolent delight in collecting
her little band of favorites together, but
when they are with her I much fear that she
cannot really enjoy it. Mr. Walpole's kind and
good natured attention to her shews the gentleneʃs of
his mind in the most amiable point of view.
I dare say he often sacrifices his own convenience
to amuse and delight her. -- I have not
seen the Pepys's yet, but will remember your
message. I have seen Lady Herries, and we talked
You over without much slander.
My Sister Patty[3] is so delighted with You both
that I know not which she is most in love
with; she aʃsures me it is a sweet Baby:
How provoking that you shou'd come at a t[ime]
of Year when I am here, just as I shou'd
have wished to be there! Of Your Charrards
I made out Mr. Foxe's;[4] somebody told me
Buckthorn, and the French one I am still to learn.
The King's Oratorio was very full and splendid
on friday; G. R. is gallant and sends Tickets
to the Young Ladies, Miʃs Penn and several
others; but honours are not always pleasures
for they dare not miʃs one I suppose, whether
they like them or not, in compliment to the
Royal Bear who sends the Tickets. Ly. Cremorne's
dear little Girl is somewhat better. --
▼
[5]Mrs. Garrick sends a thousand loves to You and
the Blackamoor, both of whom she cordially loves.
Adieu. I hope You will go to Bristol, tho
it will only increase my regret at not being
there. Yours my dear friend most faithfully H M
[6]
London february twenty sixth 1787[7] [8]
Mrs. Dickenson
Abbey Street
Bath
Free
Chas. Middleton[9]
[10]
[11]
red text is normalised and/or unformatted in other panel)
Notes
1. In January 1787, John Fenn (a Norfolk antiquary) published a selection of the Paston Letters in two volumes (abridged title: Original Letters written during the Reigns of Henry VI, Edward IV and Richard III by Various Persons of Rank or Consequence), with another two volumes in 1789, and one posthumously published volume in 1823 that Fenn had been preparing before he died in 1794. He presented the originals of the first volumes to King George III in 1787, and was knighted by the King on 23 May that year.
2. See Original Letters written during the Reigns of Henry VI, Edward IV and Richard III by Various Persons of Rank or Consequence., Vol. 1 (2nd ed.), p.33.
3. Hannah More had previously mentioned that she would ‘send her to call on Mrs. D.’ (MS Eng 1778 173 p.2).
4. Probably Charles James Fox.
5. This passage is written below the address.
6. Remains of a stamp, reading ‘26 FE’, indicating that the letter went through the post on 26 February 1787.
7. The address is in the hand of Charles Middleton, MP for Rochester, provider of the frank.
8. Remains of a free frank, in red ink.
9. Moved address here from middle of page, written vertically.
10. Various numbers have been written at the bottom of the address panel for calculation purposes.
11. Remains of a seal, in red wax.
Normalised Text
London 25 February -- 1787
My dear Friend
I hope I may by
this time congratulate You on the most perfect
recovery of health and strength. You can't imagine
how delighted both Mrs. Garrick and I were with the
welcome intelligence which Mr. Dickenson so
kindly and so early indulged us with. We heartily
rejoiced at the appearance of little Missy in
this wicked World, which I hope she will help
to make better, by the excellent Education I am
sure she will receive from her dear Pappa and
Mamma; pray aren't You both vastly delighted
with those two Words? I dare say the first sound
of them was the sweetest Music You ever heard.
I have been in Town only a week, and have
made as much use of my time as a cruel
and frequent head ache would give me leave. My
first sortie was to meet two Courtiers of your
acquaintance, Mr. Smelt and Miss Burney;
and a very joyful meeting it was; it was
I think the first evening Miss Burney had ever
been out; for her friends all complain sadly
that she is entirely lost to them; she however
appears well and happy; and being perfectly well
dressed You can't imagine how pretty She looked
She seems to have no complaint of her situation
which I rejoice at; but want of time and
liberty would be, to my disorderly spirit at least,
no small hardships; but I hope it does not
appear so to her. You know that Mr. Smelt,
our old flame, is comfortably set down in
his pleasant little retreat at Kew; he is
in good health this Winter and looked as
handsome as an Adonis last Night, but Mrs.
Smelt has her old Asthmas; they are at Mrs.
Cholmly's, who has a house at Stratford Place
we drank tea with them last night, with
only Mrs. Ord and the Young Montagu's; Madame
goes on well, and I hope, after one or two
past disappointments, will be successful this
time. Mrs. Montagu has great pleasure in
the prospect. From thence we went to Madam
Walsingham's assembly; she said if I would
come she would get a little talking Party in
a corner, and with Mrs. Montagu Mr. Walpole
&c. we contrived to make it out decently enough.
The ever elegant and ever pleasant Horace is
in charming health, and your humble Servant
ever; we have met I think two or three times
but not in that comfortable way as to be
able to talk you over, en detail, as we shall I
trust to morrow night, when we have an Assignation
at the dear Mrs. Vesey's; but Mrs. Carter will
be present to see that every thing is proper
and prudent and to save our reputation. Mr. Walpole
has interested himself in the Old Paston Letters
just published. I cannot say I am Antiquary
enough to be delighted greatly with them;
as letters they do not pretend to much
intrinsic worth but as they give some little insight
into the domestic manners, as well as information
of public events in that bloody period of the
Lancastrian Wars, they are certainly matter
of great curiosity to the diligent Investigator
of old Memoirs: It is curious to see the great
Earl of Warwick, the setter up and puller
down of Kings writing to a friend in a great
exigence to desire he would lend him ten Pounds.
There is one letter which would be thought admirable
in any collection; it is from the Duke of Suffolk
full of prudential and religious advice to his Son.
Dear Mrs. Delany has been very seriously
ill; she is still very weak, and I believe sees
nobody but Miss Burney, who tells me that
though she will take a long while before she
is re-established, yet she thinks her likely to
do well again, the contrary of which was lately
much feared. The Queen sends Miss Burney to her every
day. -- Miss Boyle was presented last Week,
I went to see her with her finery on, and
she looked vastly well, and was dressed with
great modesty and elegance. She has done
marvels this winter, and has made a great
progress towards decorating the new House at
Thames Ditton. I delivered to Mrs. Walsingham Your
Message together with the notification of the
birth of Your daughter; and she desired all
manner of kind remembrances; She never names
You but with great esteem and high commendations
Our friend Mrs. Carter is much as usual; we
have had one Vesey evening with the old
Set; the dear Vesey herself looks pretty well,
and is in tolerable health, but subject to
fits of low spirits still; her memory, I
think is grievously shattered. She has still
the same benevolent delight in collecting
her little band of favourites together, but
when they are with her I much fear that she
cannot really enjoy it. Mr. Walpole's kind and
good natured attention to her shows the gentleness of
his mind in the most amiable point of view.
I dare say he often sacrifices his own convenience
to amuse and delight her. -- I have not
seen the Pepys's yet, but will remember your
message. I have seen Lady Herries, and we talked
You over without much slander.
My Sister Patty is so delighted with You both
that I know not which she is most in love
with; she assures me it is a sweet Baby:
How provoking that you should come at a time
of Year when I am here, just as I should
have wished to be there! Of Your Charades
I made out Mr. Foxe's; somebody told me
Buckthorn, and the French one I am still to learn.
The King's Oratorio was very full and splendid
on friday; G. R. is gallant and sends Tickets
to the Young Ladies, Miss Penn and several
others; but honours are not always pleasures
for they dare not miss one I suppose, whether
they like them or not, in compliment to the
Royal Bear who sends the Tickets. Lady Cremorne's
dear little Girl is somewhat better. --
▼
Mrs. Garrick sends a thousand loves to You and
the Blackamoor, both of whom she cordially loves.
Adieu. I hope You will go to Bristol, though
it will only increase my regret at not being
there. Yours my dear friend most faithfully Hannah More
London february twenty sixth 1787
Mrs. Dickenson
Abbey Street
Bath
Free
Charles Middleton
quotations, spellings, uncorrected forms, split words, abbreviations, formatting)
Notes
Metadata
Library References
Repository: Houghton Library Repository, Harvard University
Archive: Elizabeth Carter and Hannah More letters to Mary Hamilton
Item title: Letter from Hannah More to Mary Hamilton
Shelfmark: MS Eng 1778 175
Correspondence Details
Sender: Hannah More
Place sent: London
Addressee: Mary Hamilton
Place received: Bath
Date sent: 25 February 1787
Letter Description
Summary: More, Hannah, 1745-1833. Autograph manuscript letter (signed) to Mary Hamilton; London, 1787 February 25.
Length: 2 sheets, 1075 words
Transliteration Information
Editorial declaration: First transcribed for the project 'The Collected Letters of Hannah More' (Kerri Andrews & others) and incorporated in the project 'Unlocking the Mary Hamilton Papers' (Hannah Barker, Sophie Coulombeau, David Denison, Tino Oudesluijs, Cassandra Ulph, Christine Wallis & Nuria Yáñez-Bouza, 2019-2023).
All quotation marks are retained in the text and are represented by appropriate Unicode characters. Words split across two lines may have a hyphen on the first, the second or both fragments (reco-|ver, imperfect|-ly, satisfacti-|-on); or a double hyphen (pur=|port, dan|=ger, qua=|=litys); or none (respect|ing). Any point in abbreviations with superscripted letter(s) is placed last, regardless of relative left-right orientation in the original. Thus, Mrs. or Mrs may occur, but M.rs or Mr.s do not.
Acknowledgements: Transcription and XML version created as part of project 'Unlocking the Mary Hamilton Papers', funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council under grant AH/S007121/1.
Transliterator: Kerri Andrews, Senior Lecturer, Edge Hill University (submitted 11 August 2020)
Cataloguer: Bonnie B. Salt, Archivist, Houghton Library
Copyright: Transcriptions, notes and TEI/XML © the editors
Revision date: 26 October 2022