Mercy “Cleora” Doddridge, St. Albans, to Mary “Roselinda” Doddridge, at Rev. Mr. Floyd’s, Daventry, 8 o'Clock, Friday morning, [July 1750].

St Alburns Friday morning.

from my own apartment

8 oClock

                   I have but jest received my Dear my belovd Roselinda’s most affactinate & most Charming Epistle in Deed my Dear I know not how to thank you enough for it or how to Describ the sencation it gave me pleaseing^ly^ painfull that it should give me pleasur is but the natural consequnce of its coming from my Dear Roselinda and of its bring[ing] me the welcome news of her being well but I must now goe to brackfast tho with reluctance for I could with the greatest pleasur deny myself the little gratification of a meal for that time to spend in conversing with my Dearest Roselinda

            O my Dear with what pleasure doe I now again return to you now brackfast is over & proceed to give the reason why your Letter charming as it is does not give me pleasure without pain this my Dear you may think strange & unaccountable indeed but it proseeds from my love for you which no words or any expressions of esteem & Freindship can give you but a very faint Idea of indeed my Dear you are happy in being able to express your regard for your Friends in so Charming & endearing a maner of writing indeed my Dear it gives me the greatest & most sensible pleasure that my letter gave my Dear Roselinda any pleasure if it gave you one half that quarter you gave me twas much more then I ought to have or could have expected but by the way my Dear I am a little angury with you & now I suppose as you will as you well may wonder what but to keep you no longer in suspence I’ll tell you it is for taking such libertys with what I look upon as my greatest Treasuers your letters & calling [them] the harsh name of worthless scrawls Indeed I cant bare this & you must find some better appelation for them, I ^am^ sure you wd if you know how much I value them, indeed at this ungreatfull Distance I know no pleasure so great as that of hearing from my Friends in which number I look on my Dearest Roselinda as one of the most valyable oh my Dear how happy should I be if I could have your Company hear how pleasently should we spend our hours to gather and take our morning and evning in the Garding when to me evry Flower would ware a new Fragrency & new beautyes then we would not wish for grander nor envay kings their state, we’d look with pity on the greate, & bless our humbler lott, but while we are wishing of that which we must not hope at present to obtain let us my Dear not be unmindful of those m[em]oreys which we tho absent from each other enjoy but,

morning & evening let our praise arise

to him who all our Daly wants supplys

& let our thoughts the greatfull Theam pursue

and praise those mercys which are allways new

thus my Dear Roselinda may we live, and,

Enjoy the present hour, be thankfull for the past,

Nor neither wish nor fear, the approaches of the last.

  I know my Dear Roselindas goodness will excuse my taking this freedom or else I should make an apoligy for it I could goe on with the greatest pleasure to write to you but must bid you adeu for a little to Dress for we are to have the Lady’s to Diner which I told you of Mrs Ashhust [Ashurst] & Miss which I think more agreeable evry time I see them they was here on Monday & Mrs Ashhust was so obliging as to take me aerring with Dr Clarke [&] Mrs Clark we was there yesterday & spent a very agreeable after noon I never know any pleasur but I wish for my Dearest Roselinda & if she could partake with me of it twold be more than Dubled sure my Dear you are not obliged to me for this for this is self Love adeue my Dear I cant tell how to leave you but I must

             Now Diner is over and the Company is goen I am so happy as to be at liberty to return to my Dear Roselinda & am very glad to find I have so much of my papper to fill up but prehaps you will expect I should fill up the remainder with an apology for so long a lette[r] I beg my Dear Roselinda I never may have any more apology for long letters for I hope my Dear Roselinda does not think her Cleora can ever be tired of anything that comes from Roselindas Pen no my Dear tho Indeed on the contray I think [myself] very much oblig’d to you and the longer you[r] letters are the more agreable to me & now my Dear I think after this letter I need not say much to prevent you from saying any thing fa^r^ther about your writing when you see this which I am sure I ought to make some Apology for but I flatter myself my Dear Roselinda[s] goodness will excuse it,

             I am very glad to hear you think Miss Floyd & Miss Mattacks agreeable ladys as I hope it will make your retirement for so I think I must now call it more plesant to you I wish I could transport my self to you & bring you back heather with me as I bleive it would be vary agreeable to you & I am sure it would be so to me, I had like to have forgot to send you word where to direct to pappa I wrote this day and directed mine to the Revd Mr Towzers [Tozer] in Norwich which I bleive is wright & now my Dear Roselinda may evry blessing which indulgent heaven has in store for its favour be showerd down on you & may that blessing which I so ardently wish for of seeing my Dear Roselinda before it be very long be added to all the rest adeu

             My Dearest Roselinda may evry blessing ever attend you is the [most] ardent wish of your unaltrable

                                                            Cleora

My Compliments wait on the lady’s ye Young laydes send thair best respects to you my Dr Doctr Clarke is better & better I think evry day Mrs Clark is but very lame once more adeu my Dearest Creature 

Address: To | Miss Doddridge | at the Revd Mr Floyds | in | Daventry | Returnd from Towcester

Postmark: none

Note on address page:  No 2

Text: Crew MS 50, fol. 78, Wren Library, Trinity College, Cambridge.