Mercy “Cleora” Doddridge, at the Claytons in Enfield, to Mary “Roselinda” Doddridge, Northampton, Wednesday night, 8 oClock, 10 October [1750]. 

Endfield October ye 10 from my own apartment Wendesday night 8 oClock

pray my Dear Roselinda prepair your self to

excuse as many blunders & as much stupidity as

a Sheet of Papper will admit of

        I want words to express how much I think my self obligd to my Dear Roselinda for her very friendly & indearing epistles indeed I know not which to thank you for first but as I have a great many things (as I always have) to say to my Dear Roselinda I must only beg of her to accept of her Cleoras best thanks for both to gather tho if I was not to take some particular notise of that ^part^ in which you my Dear & my Dear Celia so very obligingly wish for my company in such very kind turns it would be a peice of neglegency quite inexcusable but I must not alow my self to inlarge on this to [sic] subject only add that I think my self very much oblig’d to my Dear friend and that I am sure her wish is to see me cant possibly exceed her Cleora’s to see her very Dear and most ingagend Rosalinda indeed I begin to think a very long time sence I had that pleasure & for this reason I cant but own that I should be very glad to be excusd part the time aloted me to beat St Albarns for between you & I my Dear tis a very Dull sort of a life that we live thare tho I dont know whather I should say so for they have been all very obliging to me especialy our Miss Clark but I bleive my Dear for all what I have sayd above you will begin to think that I am quite at a loss how to fill up my paper that I trouble you with such dull stuf but you see what a stupid humour I am in tho this shall not be an excuse to me for being idle & again disapointing your wishes by not sending a Description of the situation which you so much desire & that I may be sure to have room enough shall begin tho I despair of making it in the least entertaining to you but you shall have it my Dear such as it is which I fear will be but very indefrent, (but I must own I am almost at a loss whare to begin) oh, now I have determind where I will set you it shall be in the Common Parler tho I must beg the favour of you to take a little walk with me presently but my Dear how unfortenuate is it just as I was pleasing my immagination with the thoughts of having the pleasure of your Company the Supper Bell very impertenately has wroung & demands my atendance so for the present I must bid you my Dear an unwilling adue,

        now my Dear Rosalinda am I so happy as to have it in my Power to return to you again which I doe with the greatest pleasure., if you remember I left you in the common Parler whare I return to you again & can scarce forbeare bring[ing] good morrow my Roselinda I hope you [are] well this morning oh, my Dear you can’t immagin what pleasure the very suposition of this gives tho I know tis all an airy fiction but sence I have began I am determind to indulge the pleasing thought long as I can tho I know I shall too soon be convenced of the sad— but I will return to you my Dear to take a walk with me into the field before the house which is a large & very beautiful Plain almost at the end of which is a Farme house yard in which are living Creatures of almost evry kind some or other of which are continuly refreshing themselves (as Celia I suppose would say on this occasion) with walking on this field which mak[e]s the[m] seem the more gay & agreeable a little on the right hand is a fish pond tho by the way it [sic] should not have brought you to that jest [just] yet but should have tould you that on the right hand of the plain is a gravall walk with wrows of trees on either sid[e] which devides the field from a large Grove of statly oks & elms this grove is very large & shady & extreemly [pleasant? missing word here] walking in it the Sumer evenings at the bottom of which runs the new river which devides the grove from a Garden wh is on the other side & where the river which has a nall where the howle [whole] view of the garden from the side of the river which is very large & which ^in that part^ bounds the Eye without looking the least confind, you have a view of the river [New River] for a great way if you will give your self the trouble to walk a very little way by the rivers side which loses it self in Thousan[d] wanton [paper torn] in which it seems to deseve the sight & is gon before you know any thing of the mater or ever could suspect any such trick but that you may not be displeasd ^with its too^ Presipitant flight it shows it self to still greater advantage at a distance in a much wider stream till it [is] erecovourably lost by being hid by the Trees of the grove which hide it from the sight I would now my Dear give you a short Description of the other side but I fear my paper will not permit & I bleive you will think you have more then enough already but to make some little amens for making the first part so long I will make this as short as possible you will please to observe that I devide the plain into two parts on the one side is the grove before mentiond & on the other side a wood beyond that or reather nearer the house is a large field or hill from which is a very beautiful prospect of sevrall very fine madows & vails below behind which rises graduly the hills which you see for a great way as thair is a great deal of wood on this side of the Country the Hill which you see at great distance look like so many woods which limates [limits] the eye by seeming to wreach the skyes I never thought this part of the [letter] I have been jest giving you my ^Dear^ an imperfect description of so pleasant as last Thursday it being a very fine Day was tempted to take a ramble & I only wanted my Dear Roselindas Company to make it one of the most agreeable walks I ever took in my life the fineness the Day the beauty of Prospect the warbling birds perching from Tree to [Tree] made the sene very agreeable tho had I been so happy as to have had my Dear Rosalindas company it must have been quite delightfull O, my Dear you do not [know how] much I long to see you how happy would your Cleora think her self could be so happy as to have you with her what aditional Charms would your Company give to evry scene but this would make me two [sic] happy I must tharefore reconsil myself as well as I can with writing to you for the present, I intend to begin as soon as I convenently [can] for I have a thousen things still to say to you but I have not room to add here I must content my self with ading that I beg you [to] be so good as to give my Duty to my Pappa & Mamma love to my Brother Service to my Cousin Molly [the other Mary Doddridge] if she be with you I intend writing to them all as soon as I can find any convenient way of sending them not putting them to the expense of the post I have only room to add that I most ardently wish that blessings may attend my Dear Rosalinda that [paper smeared]

                                                your Cleora

pray write to me very soon to satisfy my Dear curosity for I have heard strang news of Miss Ekins

Address: To| Miss Doddridge at |the Revd Doctr Doddridge’s | in | Northampton

Postmark: 11 October

Note on address page:  No 8

Text: Crew MS 50, fol. 54, Wren Library, Trinity College, Cambridge.