1721-February 2-Clark-Doddridge

Samuel Clark, St. Albans, to Philip Doddridge, Kibworth, 2 February 1720/21.

St Albans Feb. 2. 1720/1

Dear Phil:

         I rec’d yrs relating to Mr Camdens Proposal. I am entirely in yr Sentiments upon it & accordingly have writ to yr Brother about it to let him know yt tho yr accepting of ye Proposal might ease me of ye Care I’ve undertaken yet as I at first engag’d in it to give you ye greatest advantages for future usefulness so I should continue it God enabling me till you had laid a sufficient foundation for it by going thro’ ye Course of yr Studies, wch I apprehended yr being at ye School wd very much obstruct. You have now yt time entire for ye treasuring up valuable Knowledge under ye conduct of a very worthy Tutour, as [I dou]bt not you improve yt advantage to ye uttermost, so I am desirous it may be continued to you as long as possible. For I wd have you furnish’d not with a bare superficial tast[e] of Literature but with so rich a stock of solid knowledge as may abundantly qualify you for what ever service God shall call you to in his Church. Now’s ye time for thorow Improvement when you are call’d to publick work you’ll meet with a 1000 Avocations. Close Reasoning[,] a perfect acquaintance with ye Scripture & ye Methods of applying most effectually to ye Consciences of Men are what I in particular recommend to yr Diligent application in order to some skill in what I nam’d last its necessary to study ye Passions & ye Secret Springs by wch they are mov’d & ye several principles upon wch men generally act but especially ones own heart a thorow knowledge of yt will lead one ye directest way into ye breast of another. But I need not by such hints to anticipate ye Instructions of Mr Jennings upon these Subjects. I have given yr Sister Directions to furnish you with ye Linen you desir’d & left with her a Quinea for yt Purpose. I payd Mr Ellicot Mr Jennings’s bill about 3 weeks agoe of wch I suppose by this time he has had notice. I spoke to Mr Jennings to furnish you from time to time with what mony you want. It wd give me I doubt not an agreeable entertainment if you wd when you have by any means an opportunity send me some of yr Public exercises & particularly yr observations upon ye Different Stile of some of ye Penmen [signatures] wch Mr Jennings told me of. Pray my humble [Compliments?] to Mr Jennings & Lady. I heartily recommend you & [yours] to ye Divine Blessing & am

                                 Yr Affectionate friend

                                             S. Clark

I thank you for ye particular account you give me in yr former of ye present methods of yr Studies, as being what I can not but thorowly approve of. I do not know whether I writt you word or not yt we have in Mr Reeds Room one Mr Earl a very ingenious man bro’t up under Mr Lowe so yt I believe Mr Downes School will not suffer by ye Change Tho if a Project succeed Mr D. is engag’d in of Carrying St Albans River to London it will be to him so good an estate yt there will be no occasion for their keeping School.

Address: For | Mr Philip Dodderidge | at | Revd Mr Jennings | at Kibworth near | Harborough | Leicester[shire]

Postmark: none

Endorsed:  Answer’d November 15 1721 [in Doddridge’s hand]

           On the back page (in Doddridge’s hand):  Mr Clark Feb. 2 1720

Text: Aberystwyth University Library, Special Collections, GB 0982 ML/1/2/15. My thanks to William Hines, formerly Information Services Departmental Fellow, Abersytwyth University, Aberystwyth, Wales, for sharing images of these letters with me as well as backgrounds on correspondents and named individuals.  The above letter is not mentioned in Geoffrey Nuttall's Calendar of the Correspondence of Philip Doddridge (1977) or Nuttall's Philip Doddridge: Additional Letters (2001).