Mary Doddridge (cousin), Northampton, to Philip Doddridge, Lisbon, 2 November 1751. [composed after Philip Doddridge had already died].1

Revd & Dear Sir

            The many melancholy accounts I have heard from Time is no small grief to me & particularly the last which I am sorry to hear of which I flatter my Dear Sir with sufficient apology & beg your acceptance of a few as coming from one & I hope can truely say I am affected with the Affections of any that I know & if I know my own Heart should think myself unworthy the name of a Disciple of Christ & be guilty of an unnatural fault and I that have been pulled so many times from the Grave forget then Dear Sir you in the same Circumstance I cannot be ungrateful but must feel in part a tender sympathy with you & Dear Mrs Doddridge who are dear to me on many acconts for I was a stranger and you took me in & may God reward you seven fold for your goodness to me.2 I shall never forget it though Clouds & Darkness are around his throne that blessed be there [is] great reason for thankfulness on many accounts & I adore [the] goodness of God be [with] you both & to you dear Sir in particularly & in supporting through so long a journey to Falmouth & I adore the goodness to both & strengthen you to go through so [terrifying?] & dangerous a voyage which I and many more were assured would be too hard for your feeble strength but with God all things all are possible & nothing is too hard for God to do he can make hard things easy rough places plain & will [never] leave his dear Children nor forsake them no not in a strange [land] Dear Sir notwithstanding the account you give in the & a very melancholy one it is I yet hope God will not turn a deaf ear to the many earnest prayers that are daily offered in many hearts but in his o[w]n Time will hear & answer he is wise trying the Faith & support of his dear minister & people of God of hoping that God will appear for you & have been greatly supported from thence wrote his hand is not shorted that he cannot hear surely our God that we fear is the God of salvation & with him are the issues from death and fervently wish and pray that you may be supported under this severe Trial & that God may direct you in all the ways that you take and may God bless the means you are making use of for the restoring & lengthening out so temporal & valuable a Life for the sake of the Church & the world & those that are unborn & may God direct to such means that he will bless & may the place God may open be happily adopted & suit your very weak constitution & may be strengthened & your Health confirmed & if it be the will of God your Life may be lengthened out as Hezekiah’s was if not 15 years I hope many years & may you shine brighter than ever you have done & may we have reason to bless God on your account I rejoice with you that I hear God is pleased in so a remarkable manner & to support you and the Dear company of you came under this heavy Trial & may God on to support you both with the same support & consolation that you support me & many more when under the afflicted hand of God that you may rejoice in Tribulation & that patience may have its perfect work & now Dear Sir please to excuse this long epistle from me I shall wear you out I duly recommend you to the great Physician & I again recommend you to him who can heal by a word of his power & throne how shall it not [be] so with God no no Blessed be God he hath been pleased to unite with us in an everlasting covenant never to be forgot & this is all our Hope & desire to Bless God for the health of this Family & that we are still kept from many evils by night and day & to me in particular Sally Jackson desires her dear Frnd be so good to tell us here as soon as an opportunity will permit we often think it long & oh if it may be the will of God we may more support and [?] this our repeated prayer may be Return into Praise on your account which is the [wish] of your fervent friend my duty made on dear Mrs Doddridge please to excuse the same please to excuse all faults

                                                 Revd & Dear Sir

                                                           I beg to Subscribe

                                                                           Your obliged humble

                                                                                    servant & afflicted Friend

                                                                                               Mary Doddridge         

Address: To | The Revd Dr Doddridge | at | Lisbon

Text: Crew MS 50, fol. 4, Wren Library, Trinity College, Cambridge. This letter was composed after Philip Doddridge was already deceased. Mary Doddridge demonstrates a knowledge of scripture that suggests she certainly can read, and a verbal understanding of proper English, yet no understanding of written English in terms of spelling, punctuation, word endings and missing words. Of all her letters in this collection, this one is by far her fairest copy. The above letter also suggests that Mary Doddridge the cousin sometime in 1750 came to live permanently with the Doddridge family in Northampton.