Tinwell Nov.^r 18 1769.
My dear Madam

I most certainly ought to
begin my letter to you with an apology for not having
yet answer’d a very obliging letter I received from you
some three or four months ago; but as these things
are done in general with a very ill grace; I will
not attempt it, but will throw myself [damaged[?on your]]
mercy by owning my fault and beging your pardon
which is a sure method to disarm a generous mind
of the most justifiable resentment, and I hope
my dear Madam Hare will convince me of this,
by sending me my pardon by the first opportunity.
Thus much for myself, and
now a little for my friend Madam Digby on the
same subject only the tables turn’d upon you, which
I must own helps to mitigate and {?softing} my own
fault not a little. _ She bids me tell you that
she is very angry with you that you never write

[vertical left side] Sally sends her kindest love to you.
and this she pray’d me to tell you

[new page]
to her, and that she has friendship enough for you to be
extremely hurt that you do not, that she wrote a very
fine and a very kind epistle to you some time since which
you have not yet answer’d which she is much concern’d
at; I need not after saying so much desire you to
write to her I know you will do it very soon; {^and} I
know it will give her great pleasure to hear from you.-
I have been rambling about a great
deal since my dearest Sally married, tho’ I have spent
[damaged] part of my time with M^rs Brooke and her,
I [damaged[?left]] M^rs Brooke about a fortnight ago to come and
make my home in Lincolnshire near the most amiable
of friends, I am going to board with M^r Knowles’s
family who live but a few miles from hence._ My
dear Sallys present situation, intrest’s my whole con-
-cern. _ She is in a way to be a Mama very soon,
and till that event is happily over my mind will
be fill’d with ten thousand anxietys. - Yet I thank
heaven we have every reason to hope and expect
the best, as she is in much better health than
she has been in since being in England, looks
vastly well and grows fat. _ I never saw any
[new page]
body carry their baby so well as she does in my
life, this is not partiality in me I do assure you,
but every body says the same thing; she expects
the sweet little stranger will come for his christ-
-mass [illeg] M^rs Brooke is to be here all the time,
it gives our friend very great satisfaction that
she shall have us about her at the time; I
wish with all my soul your uncle could
be of our party as I have the highest opinion
of his cleverness in this way, and [damaged] has [damaged]
[damaged] {?Digby} _ Now we are talking of these [damaged]
I must tell you a little anicdote I [damaged [?heard]]
la’ships, {^when I was in Town} it was that you was lying in of a fine
boy and that M^r Hare was just gone into the
country on the happy occasion. _ Butler told me
this but as her intelligence is not always the most
certain I went to Preston’s to enquire a little
further before I sent my congratulations, and must
own I was not a little mortifyed to find it was
not true. __ How does M^r Hare ‘tis ages since one
heard from you, pray when you write tell us
whole historys. __ Give Sallys and my kindest
respects to your love, and to all your friends,
and remember us most cordially at the park.

[vertical left side]
adieu! every happiness be [damaged] you, I am with the sincerest
[damaged] [?yo]ur obliged friend &c
I. Collier
[new page]

[vertical centre page]
Tinwell
To
M^rs Hare at M^r Elliots
Sheffield
Yorkshire
[Text normal position bottom of page]
To me at the Rev.^d M^r Knowles near
Stamford Lincolnshire. _ To M^r Digby at
Tinwell near Stamford L

Tinwell Nov.^r 18 1769.
My dear Madam

I most certainly ought to
begin my letter to you with an apology for not having
yet answered a very obliging letter I received from you
some three or four months ago; but as these things
are done in general with a very ill grace; I will
not attempt it, but will throw myself [damaged[?on your]]
mercy by owning my fault and begging your pardon
which is a sure method to disarm a generous mind
of the most justifiable resentment, and I hope
my dear Madam Hare will convince me of this,
by sending me my pardon by the first opportunity.
Thus much for myself, and
now a little for my friend Madam Digby on the
same subject only the tables turned upon you, which
I must own helps to mitigate and {?softing} my own
fault not a little. _ She bids me tell you that
she is very angry with you that you never write

[vertical left side] Sally sends her kindest love to you.
and this she prayed me to tell you

[new page]
to her, and that she has friendship enough for you to be
extremely hurt that you do not, that she wrote a very
fine and a very kind epistle to you some time since which
you have not yet answered which she is much concerned
at; I need not after saying so much desire you to
write to her I know you will do it very soon; {^and} I
know it will give her great pleasure to hear from you.-
I have been rambling about a great
deal since my dearest Sally married, though I have spent
[damaged] part of my time with M^rs Brooke and her,
I [damaged[?left]] M^rs Brooke about a fortnight ago to come and
make my home in Lincolnshire near the most amiable
of friends, I am going to board with M^r Knowles’s
family who live but a few miles from hence._ My
dear Sallys present situation, interests my whole con-
-cern. _ She is in a way to be a Mama very soon,
and till that event is happily over my mind will
be filled with ten thousand anxieties. - Yet I thank
heaven we have every reason to hope and expect
the best, as she is in much better health than
she has been in since being in England, looks
vastly well and grows fat. _ I never saw any
[new page]
body carry their baby so well as she does in my
life, this is not partiality in me I do assure you,
but every body says the same thing; she expects
the sweet little stranger will come for his christ-
-mass [illeg] M^rs Brooke is to be here all the time,
it gives our friend very great satisfaction that
she shall have us about her at the time; I
wish with all my soul your uncle could
be of our party as I have the highest opinion
of his cleverness in this way, and [damaged] has [damaged]
[damaged] {?Digby} _ Now we are talking of these [damaged]
I must tell you a little anecdote I [damaged [?heard]]
ladyships, {^when I was in Town} it was that you was lying in of a fine
boy and that M^r Hare was just gone into the
country on the happy occasion. _ Butler told me
this but as her intelligence is not always the most
certain I went to Preston’s to enquire a little
further before I sent my congratulations, and must
own I was not a little mortified to find it was
not true. __ How does M^r Hare ‘tis ages since one
heard from you, pray when you write tell us
whole histories. __ Give Sallys and my kindest
respects to your love, and to all your friends,
and remember us most cordially at the park.

[vertical left side]
adieu! every happiness be [damaged] you, I am with the sincerest
[damaged] [?yo]ur obliged friend &c
I. Collier
[new page]

[vertical centre page]
Tinwell
To
M^rs Hare at M^r Elliots
Sheffield
Yorkshire
[Text normal position bottom of page]
To me at the Rev.^d M^r Knowles near
Stamford Lincolnshire. _ To M^r Digby at
Tinwell near Stamford L