William Wilberforce, near London, to John Fawcett, [Wainsgate, Yorkshire], 14 January 1799.

Near London 14th Jany

1799

Sir,

   I am sorry to be under the Necessity of beginning my Letter to you by confessing that I have treated you with great Incivility. I can however assure you with truth that nothing was farther from my Intention – You can have no Idea of the number of my Correspondents &c (with a weakly frame which will not allow of my abridging my hours of Sleep) how unequal I am to the Load of Business which presses upon me.  I am now discharging an Epistolary arrear of long standing which was of necessity suffer’d to accumulate during our Parliamy Attendance 

   I have enter’d into this detail, from my wish to satisfy you that I have something to allege as an Apology tho’ I dare not call it a full Justification I did receive the favor of your little Tract & tho’ I have not yet found an Opportunity of reading it, I hope to peruse it ere it be long.  Meanwhile I beg you to accept my best thanks for the [?] of your Esteem & Regard afforded me by it & by your obliging Letter – And I remain with Esteem

                     Sir

                                 Your faithful hble Servt

                                             W Wilberforce

Text: Wilberforce Papers, Series II (Microfilm), reel 16, fol. 5, Bodleian Library, Oxford.