Eliza Flower at Cambridge to Benjamin Flower at William Flower’s, No. 47 Cannon Street, London, Saturday and Sunday, 25 and 26 October 1800.

                                                                                      Cambridge Saturday Ocr 25 1800

My dearest love

   I have waited with no small degree of impatience for the parcel which should convey to me a letter from you.  It is now six oclock & nothing is yet arrived—I will send to the Inn and enquire and in the mean time you & I my Love will have a little conversation after our accustomed manner respecting the occurrences of the day &c.

   I received four or five Letters this Morning but no remittances—promised one soon from Washborn of Gloucester—received a Letter from Marshall of Lynn concerning his account Carter of Newmarket says he never had your paper—received 2 advertisements from Hornsby & Richardson—Tarncliff of Burwell has paid 5.2..0 apologized & left his respects.  I am glad my dear Benjm that I did not make Mr Blow a present of seven papers extra on Friday—I was just remarking how short we appear’d to be when the man came in with his parcel it was very attentive of Mr Blow to send on purpose as Richd did not come to Market—the Man says you gave him the parcel besides those which were sent under cover.  Creswell has called for his books & Morgan of Peterhouse desires to have 1 of Joe Millers Jests (advertised in your last paper) sold by Ridgeway. I have also orders from Mr Wade of Abington for 2 memorandum Books with clasps they are made up as Music Books & bound in Leather they must not be large being intended for the pocket.   Dalrymple says the size is 8vo.

   Crespin of Royston desires to[o] an Reflections on the Cow pox no parcel to night—I am truly disappointed such a drawback is this, indeed more, it deprives me of all the pleasure I promised myself to day.   On the night of your departure my dearest Love I travelled with you for many hours—I could not sleep & my spirits were for a while unusually low, but one reflection proved a successive link to another till my mind was led from sorrowing to rejoicing.  I thought much on the goodness of God towards us as experienced during the last year particularly; & to these reflections succeeded Gratitude Love Adoration prayer & praise.  How manifold has been the mercies of our Heavenly Father, he has        afflicted us & sanctified our afflictions I trust—& Oh now he is dealing bountifully with us may we endeavour to live to his glory—adieu my dear Benjm till to morrow.

Sunday

   The expected parcel is at length arrived and my dear Benjm thro the goodness of providence has completed his journey in health & safety.

   I am very well my love but one of your letters contains a passage which has given me great concern—a plentiful flow of Tears however has relieved me.  I have paused to recover myself & to regain calmness of mind sufficient to endeavour to trace this diabolical insinuation to its source & this from the circumstance of our seeing so little company is not very difficult.  The only (what might be termed genteel supper) we ever gave was at the time when Mrs Chater spent the evening with us with Mr & Mrs Randall. We had then for supper a couple of chickens & some green pease & some cold beef we had in the House to make up—on referring to my Housekeeping Book I find the chickens stand charged there at 2[s]/6[p] the couple  the pease I well recollect were the first I had seen for the season & my book as well as my memory assure me that I paid 1s..3p for nearly a peck.   I bought them in the street of a very poor woman who offered them to me for sale saying it was all the produce of her garden, that she had brought them for a gentleman who was not at Home & that her children wanted bread—I dare say you will recollect the circumstances—whether I invited Mrs Chater & Mr & Mrs Randall at the time or whether I invited them in consequence of having such a rarity I know not—but I rather think the latter—I am sure the information must have come either directly or indirectly from that quarter.  I am thus sanguine in maintaining such an opinion because to the best of my knowledge we have never at any time had fresh dressed provisions for supper—no one but Mr & Mrs Randall have supped with us, then we have only had the remains of our dinner, hot or cold, with the addition of a pye.  I recollect too, when Mrs Chater supped with us I made some custards or Blanche [mange] must have come from that quarter in [illegible] or other tho I cannot think so meanly of Mrs Chater as to suppose she would thus violate the laws of Hospitality—& indeed I do not think any one would so wickedly have misrepres­ented me who had not some sinister end of their own to answer.  I have paused again to give vent to my feelings tho I know not why malevolent aspersions should distress me & tho your Mother is totally unacquainted with my character yet I am sure her good sense and discernment will lead her to discover of what cast of character her informer is, whether he appears to her as our friend or our Enemy & by questioning the apparent reason, by which he has been influenced in giving her such & such information, she will best discover his motives.  The most elegant part of our Furniture your Mother has seen I mean the print of which our beds are made I wish most heartedly she could see the whole as I am confident she would rejoice to see us so comfortably settled & what is better so comfortable in ourselves do my dear Benjm remember me respectfully to her & say how very happy I should be if she would come & stay the next summer with us if you can prevail on her to do so I will with much pleasure go to London & accompany her down.  It is very polite for people to complement me on taste I am not conscious of possessing more than my neighbours but this is of little consequence unless where it incapacitates a person for Industry.  Commendation or Blame is but of little consequence to me whilst I possess I trust the favor & love of that Almighty being who knows the secrets of all Hearts whilst I have the approbation of my own conscience & the affection of my Husband—urge your Mother to visit us my love I am very anxious to see her here.  I shall be too late unless I immediately subscribe myself dear Benjms faithful & affectionate

                                                                     Eliza Flower

   I have no great objection to your reading your mother any part of this letter.  I have had my eye on Clayton-matters & they are actionable  “dishonest actions” it is not the first time he has used that expression to you it is his own words I acquit Mrs Chater of ill intention but he has been an adversary.

   Remember my love all the orders as I have promised the books on your return—my affectionate regards await all my friends—tell mamma the bottle sent in the Basket contained some catchup—tell both Mamma Gurney & mamma Flower that the Beef has not been patted long & will be the better for keeping.  I hope all your mothers things went safe.  If your mother will like some Elder wine I will send some at Christmas be sure to call on Mrs Revoult—don’t hurry to come home for a day or two much as I long to see you I would have you see as many Booksellers as possible—you can tell Forbes about Chamberlains if you wish not to [send] so large a parcel.

   Endeavour to know of your Mother first what our supper was ask her again—& see if her reply confirms our letter.  I am sure I am right as to the supper from the remarks made afterwards it could be no time else perhaps your mother thinks you have married a fine Lady convince her to the contrary—dont you mention Claytons name unless you know it to be him for certain cut this piece of[f] lest after you have read my part she might wish to have the letter.

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. 226-29 (a more annotated text than that which appears on this site). 

References above include John Washbourn, bookseller (UBD 3.195), who served as Flower’s agent for the Intelligencer in Gloucester, 1793-1803; Richard Marshall, printer and bookseller (UBD 3.765); James Carter, victualler, operated the Horseshoe Inn in Newmarket (UBD 4.63); Hornsby & Co. were stockbrokers at 26 Cornhill; Richardson, Goodluck, & Co. were also stockbrokers with offices at 104 Cornhill and at 8 Charing Cross; William Blow lived at Whittlesford, just outside of Cambridge, and was among the subscribers to the Baptist Missionary Society in 1799-1800 (PA 2.94); Thomas Charles Morgan (1780-1843), later Sir Thomas, was a medical doctor and author of Sketches of the Philosophy of Life (1818) and Sketches of the Philosophy of Morals (1822), both criticized for their materialism; Joe Miller's Jests: or, The Wits Vade-Mecum (1739), by John Mottley (1692-1750) and Joe Miller (1684-1738); James Ridgway was a bookseller in London, first at 1 York Street, St. James’s Square, and then at 170 Piccadilly; Daniel Crespin was a surgeon in Royston (UBD 4.342); Edward Jenner (1749-1823) was a physician from Gloucestershire who discovered the first effective smallpox vaccine; Edward Randall (1765-1840) was the youngest son of John Randall (1715-99), Cambridge University music professor and organist at Great St. Mary’s Church. The elder Randall had been a friend of Robert Robinson during the latter’s tenure at St. Andrew’s Street.  Edward and his first wife, Ann (d. 1797), and second wife, Mary Menoch, were all members at St. Andrew's Street in Cambridge (see Church Book: St. Andrew’s Street 77, 128, 138, and 158; CI 11 March 1797, 27 January 1798, 3 November 1798, 19 January 1799, and 29 May 1802); William Forbes was achemist/druggist at 34 Blackman Street, the Borough (Kent’s [1800]: 69); Chamberlain and Humphries, were chemists and druggists at 90 Fleet Street (Lowndes [1799]: 38).