My dear Friend
The day I rec’d yours I suppose mine
reach’d you I therefore did not know which must
write in answer first however I venture to do
it if I may so say I was very glad to see
your papa here on Tuesday but can’t but I
shoud have liked it much better had he broug{^ht}
his daughter along with him he had a very
bad day for travelling it was very wet with
us I don’t know how it was in Cheshire. I
had a letter from Miss Lucy on Wednesday
she tells me you went to M^rs Trinder six weeks
ago. She has got a subject & what do you
think it is – I daresay when I tell you
you’ll say its very easy & so it is – well its
{?attention} – Miss Medleys is “The Advantage
to ourselves & society in general of examining y^e
motives from whence we act”. Miss Reeves;
filial affection. M^r & M^rs Medley are return’d
from London – M^r I Hope has been there near
a fortnight I suppose poor Lucy was very glad
to see him she says she wishes I was at N-
again why Miss Hodson I assure you I woud not
{?be} there another year if any body woud say you
[new page]
Shall have an hundred Guineas when you ret=
=urn. ------ I hope you will {^not} condemn me for not
Writing sooner when I tell you we have all been
Very much confined by reason of y^e sickness of an
Aunt who lives next door to us: on Sabbath morn=
=ing Mamma was going to y^e Chapel & was called
back they thought she was dying when my
Mama got into y^e room & saw her so bad you
may be sure she was much shock’d but my
Uncle coud not bear in y^e room & as my Aunt
saw him go out she said “tell my dear not to
fret for his loss will be my gain” & then said {?in}
my fathers house and and many Mansions & I’m
going I’m going” & then fainted quite away so
y^t they about thought she was gone how ever
the Lord has been pleas’d to restore her as she
has since said to her great disappointment
O Miss Hodson how happy tho’ distressing to
attend such a sick-bed as this to be {?cloak’d}
in y^e righteousness of Christ which can only {?make }
it so is my sincere wish for my friend (to
whom I am writing) & a greater I cannot {^wish} for
myself & I hope I can say whatever be yours
it is my desire & pursuit to be; & without it
I never woud be satisfied – I hope I see more &
more y^e vanity of y^e World for what if we shoud
live a thousand years in y^e pleasures of sin &
spend an Eternity of woe for it forever O my
dear while I write y^e thought shocks me let it
[new page]
you concur & mine to seek higher pleasures than
those y^e world call so. But I’m afraid I have
now quite tired your patience then if so I must beg
your pardon. As soon as I sat down to write
this M^r Priestly & M^r Phillips came in so I put
it away lest M^r P shoud make fun of me –
however I have found time to finish & subscribe myself
your sincere & very affectionate
Friend R Clegg
Manchester
Nov^r 31^st 1781
I hope will write soon they all
join me in compt^s to Papa & Mama
love to yourself excuse haste
[ANNOTATION: The Rev. Timothy Priestly
he was at this time pastor
at the Independent Congre=
=gation in Cannon S^t in
Manchester –
He died at Islington n^r
London 18 Ap 1814 in
his 80th year “in great
peace & tranquillity”]
[new page]
Miss Hodson
Cuppins Lane
Chester

My dear Friend
The day I rec’d yours I suppose mine
reach’d you I therefore did not know which must
write in answer first however I venture to do
it if I may so say I was very glad to see
your papa here on Tuesday but can’t but I
shoud have liked it much better had he broug{^ht}
his daughter along with him he had a very
bad day for travelling it was very wet with
us I don’t know how it was in Cheshire. I
had a letter from Miss Lucy on Wednesday
she tells me you went to M^rs Trinder six weeks
ago. She has got a subject & what do you
think it is – I daresay when I tell you
you’ll say its very easy & so it is – well its
{?attention} – Miss Medleys is “The Advantage
to ourselves & society in general of examining y^e
motives from whence we act”. Miss Reeves;
filial affection. M^r & M^rs Medley are return’d
from London – M^r I Hope has been there near
a fortnight I suppose poor Lucy was very glad
to see him she says she wishes I was at N-
again why Miss Hodson I assure you I woud not
{?be} there another year if any body woud say you
[new page]
Shall have an hundred Guineas when you ret=
=urn. ------ I hope you will {^not} condemn me for not
Writing sooner when I tell you we have all been
Very much confined by reason of y^e sickness of an
Aunt who lives next door to us: on Sabbath morn=
=ing Mamma was going to y^e Chapel & was called
back they thought she was dying when my
Mama got into y^e room & saw her so bad you
may be sure she was much shock’d but my
Uncle coud not bear in y^e room & as my Aunt
saw him go out she said “tell my dear not to
fret for his loss will be my gain” & then said {?in}
my fathers house and and many Mansions & I’m
going I’m going” & then fainted quite away so
y^t they about thought she was gone how ever
the Lord has been pleas’d to restore her as she
has since said to her great disappointment
O Miss Hodson how happy tho’ distressing to
attend such a sick-bed as this to be {?cloak’d}
in y^e righteousness of Christ which can only {?make }
it so is my sincere wish for my friend (to
whom I am writing) & a greater I cannot {^wish} for
myself & I hope I can say whatever be yours
it is my desire & pursuit to be; & without it
I never woud be satisfied – I hope I see more &
more y^e vanity of y^e World for what if we shoud
live a thousand years in y^e pleasures of sin &
spend an Eternity of woe for it forever O my
dear while I write y^e thought shocks me let it
[new page]
you concur & mine to seek higher pleasures than
those y^e world call so. But I’m afraid I have
now quite tired your patience then if so I must beg
your pardon. As soon as I sat down to write
this M^r Priestly & M^r Phillips came in so I put
it away lest M^r P shoud make fun of me –
however I have found time to finish & subscribe myself
your sincere & very affectionate
Friend R Clegg
Manchester
Nov^r 31^st 1781
I hope will write soon they all
join me in compt^s to Papa & Mama
love to yourself excuse haste
[ANNOTATION: The Rev. Timothy Priestly
he was at this time pastor
at the Independent Congre=
=gation in Cannon S^t in
Manchester –
He died at Islington n^r
London 18 Ap 1814 in
his 80th year “in great
peace & tranquillity”]
[new page]
Miss Hodson
Cuppins Lane
Chester