[Change hand] The young lady whose death is so affectingly announced
in this letter, was the orphan daughter of an Apothecary in
Market Street Lane – M^r Sam^l Hope was her guardian, & at
his house she died. D^r Tho. Percival has given an account
of her death in “Medical Transactions”
Vol:4. p.80

[Original hand]
My dear Hodson
You will wonder much at receiv^g
a letter so soon after my last – my subject is too
gloomy for you to read without shedding a friendly &
sympathetic tear with y^e writer upon y^e sudden & awful
death of my dear & valued friend Lucy Boultbee I can
scarce repeat you y^e awful circumstances for blotting
y^e paper with an unavailing tear which rises
when I consider y^t {?enerving} wisdom design’d a young
blooming creature (just turn’d 17) for y^e gloomy
repository of y^e Grave & to all appearance twas an
unexpected shock – She was well at Chapel y^e
sabbath M^r Hod^son was in town I went & spoke to
her & she said “my dear I’ll call upon Wednesday
morning” – y^e morn^g {^came} I looked for her but to my
great surprize I heard – after she was confined
in her Bed not hearing till y^e last Friday I
went on Saturday & saw her she was in
[new page]
extreme pain in her side & Bowels I said tho my
heart was almost too big for utterance my dear girl
what are your thoughts of death she looked with
a look I never shall forget thro’ing her hand of
mine my dear “its very gloomy to me this moment
tho she continued I think I woud rather die than
live in this misery I replied theres an eternity
follows she said there is & I know I have not
lived as I [deleted] ought” – she grew from {^y^t} time worse till
on sabbath afternoon she vomited up some pickled
{?samphion} (which eating an immoderate quantity of
y^e Monday before her physicians thought was y^e
cause of y^e disorder) she appeared rather better
but it returned with more violence she lay in
agonies on Monday & Tuesday till nature being
quite exhausted for want of rest they gave something
to compose her & she went into an eternal world
out of a sleep on Wednesday morn^g about a ¼ before
3 – yesterday the Body was opened & twas found
a mortification of y^e stomach had took place –
I could not refrain with M^r Harvey saying
[new page]
Thow lov’d how valued once avails thee not
To whom related & by whom forgot
A heap of dust alone remains of thee
‘Tis all thou art & all y^t I must be.
Now my dear what improvement shall you & I
make of this alarm^g providence methinks it loudly
calls to me in particular as I was an intimate
of y^e dear deceased to be on our watch we
know not when our time is why was it not you
or me we yet are spared n health to see y^e
necessity & have y^e opportunity of calling for mercy
but Oh trust not till tomorrow is it not worth
present endeavours surely yea may you I & all {?pen}
{?rivers/vivers} – seek ask & knock yea never rest satisfied
till we are made y^e happy recipiants of it
as y^e poor dear girl said “I” see now y^e necessity
of apply^g in health to religion for while my Body is
racked with pain my mind is not capable of think^g
as I should” – {?Smitten} Friends are angels sent on errands full
of love For us they languish & for us they die young
And shall we yet remain hard as y^e nether millstone
[damaged] my dear it is my wish for myself y^t this may not
be y^e case & I can assure you it is breathed with y^e
same ardor for my her to whom I write & subscribe
myself an affectionate &
sincere friend R Clegg
Manchester
Sep 4^th 1783
[new page]
Miss Hodson
Cuppins Lane
Chester
Single
Clegg – Manch^r
Answer’d Sep^r 18^th
1783

[Change hand] The young lady whose death is so affectingly announced
in this letter, was the orphan daughter of an Apothecary in
Market Street Lane – M^r Sam^l Hope was her guardian, & at
his house she died. D^r Tho. Percival has given an account
of her death in “Medical Transactions”
Vol:4. p.80

[Original hand]
My dear Hodson
You will wonder much at receiv^g
a letter so soon after my last – my subject is too
gloomy for you to read without shedding a friendly &
sympathetic tear with y^e writer upon y^e sudden & awful
death of my dear & valued friend Lucy Boultbee I can
scarce repeat you y^e awful circumstances for blotting
y^e paper with an unavailing tear which rises
when I consider y^t {?enerving} wisdom design’d a young
blooming creature (just turn’d 17) for y^e gloomy
repository of y^e Grave & to all appearance twas an
unexpected shock – She was well at Chapel y^e
sabbath M^r Hod^son was in town I went & spoke to
her & she said “my dear I’ll call upon Wednesday
morning” – y^e morn^g {^came} I looked for her but to my
great surprize I heard – after she was confined
in her Bed not hearing till y^e last Friday I
went on Saturday & saw her she was in
[new page]
extreme pain in her side & Bowels I said tho my
heart was almost too big for utterance my dear girl
what are your thoughts of death she looked with
a look I never shall forget thro’ing her hand of
mine my dear “its very gloomy to me this moment
tho she continued I think I woud rather die than
live in this misery I replied theres an eternity
follows she said there is & I know I have not
lived as I [deleted] ought” – she grew from {^y^t} time worse till
on sabbath afternoon she vomited up some pickled
{?samphion} (which eating an immoderate quantity of
y^e Monday before her physicians thought was y^e
cause of y^e disorder) she appeared rather better
but it returned with more violence she lay in
agonies on Monday & Tuesday till nature being
quite exhausted for want of rest they gave something
to compose her & she went into an eternal world
out of a sleep on Wednesday morn^g about a ¼ before
3 – yesterday the Body was opened & twas found
a mortification of y^e stomach had took place –
I could not refrain with M^r Harvey saying
[new page]
Thow lov’d how valued once avails thee not
To whom related & by whom forgot
A heap of dust alone remains of thee
‘Tis all thou art & all y^t I must be.
Now my dear what improvement shall you & I
make of this alarm^g providence methinks it loudly
calls to me in particular as I was an intimate
of y^e dear deceased to be on our watch we
know not when our time is why was it not you
or me we yet are spared n health to see y^e
necessity & have y^e opportunity of calling for mercy
but Oh trust not till tomorrow is it not worth
present endeavours surely yea may you I & all {?pen}
{?rivers/vivers} – seek ask & knock yea never rest satisfied
till we are made y^e happy recipiants of it
as y^e poor dear girl said “I” see now y^e necessity
of apply^g in health to religion for while my Body is
racked with pain my mind is not capable of think^g
as I should” – {?Smitten} Friends are angels sent on errands full
of love For us they languish & for us they die young
And shall we yet remain hard as y^e nether millstone
[damaged] my dear it is my wish for myself y^t this may not
be y^e case & I can assure you it is breathed with y^e
same ardor for my her to whom I write & subscribe
myself an affectionate &
sincere friend R Clegg
Manchester
Sep 4^th 1783
[new page]
Miss Hodson
Cuppins Lane
Chester
Single
Clegg – Manch^r
Answer’d Sep^r 18^th
1783