Eliza Gould at Newbury to Benjamin Flower at Mr. Kirby’s, Old Bailey, in Newgate Prison, London, undated [Thursday, 3 October 1799].

                                                                     Newbury 8 oclock

                                                                     Thursday even’g

My dearest Friend

   After a fatiguing journey I arrived here about an hour ago—& upon the whole am as well as I could expect to be.   I hope that I shall experience no return of my complaint & by way of prevention I shall take a dose of water gruel (the best recipe in the world)—& go to bed immediately.

   My travelling companions are of a superfine cast—one especially, a most interesting & agreeable woman who by her kind attentions rendered with so much feeling & sympathy has greatly contributed to lessen the fatigue of my journey—she has a servant with her of whose kind offices I am glad to avail myself as the House is too full of company to allow much attendance on an Invalid.  The post goes out immediately—you are gratified you tell me when you receive a letter well written—there is no one in this world my dearest Benjamin whose gratification I would seek in preference to yours—but I assure [you] that I have made an effort beyond my strength to scribble these I almost fear illegible lines & my hand trembles so much that it will scarcely guide my pen.

   We hope to leave Newbury to morrow morning at 8 oclock—I trust a good nights rest will recover my worn out strength—& if I have time will send you a note by the coachman in the morning for penny post—he returns to London & we go by another Coach to Bath—will you favor me with a Letter on Saturday?  Yes I am sure you will—dont be afraid  to credit me for letter upon letter—I will get out of your debt if I can some how or other—direct—for J Haskins Esqr Three Tuns Bath[1]—adding as a Nota Bene—for Miss Gould.   You shall hear from me on Monday Morn’g—be so good to send a line to Miss Gurney signifying that you have heard from me & to what effect need I my dearest friend apologize for a scrawl which I was really ashamed to send you—but write I must & indeed I am too much tired to write otherwise.  To those who did not know me such a letter so illegibly so very incorrectly written would be consider’d dis­respectful—but I feel that you are enclin’d to & will think favorably & partially of

   your sincere & affectionate

                                             Eliza Gould

present my respects to Mr & Mrs Kirby

Text: Timothy Whelan, ed., Politics, Religion, and Romance: The Letters of Benjamin Flower and Eliza Gould, 1794-1808 (Aberystwyth: National Library of Wales, 2008), pp. 132-33 (a more annotated text than that which appears on this site).