Olinthus Gregory, Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, to Thomas Raffles, Liverpool, 20 April 1837.

Royal Mil.y Academy

20 April 1837

My dear Sir

         I feel very desirous to meet your wishes with regard to John Bunyan’s autograph; and yet I find it difficult to accomplish my desire. The book in which the bits and scraps of Bunyan’s writing occur, in marginal pithy or pious notes or remarks, is the first edition of Isaac Ambrose’s Prima.  Since I gave one of these scraps to Mr. [Proudfit?], and sent one, by him, to my friend Dr. Sprague, I have had so many applications that the book is almost ruined on account of its numerous indentations. Being, however, desirous to testify my sincere respect and esteem for Dr. Raffles, I have tempted myself to cut out one more little slice from my poor volume; and I now enclose it. The passage in Ambrose against which this was attached, relates to “the joy unspeakable, the joy of the Holy Ghost.” It is of this that Bunyan says, “but whethur thou shalt have it here,” &c. The scrap at the back “all irregular means yn must be avoyded,” relates to such means as end in false joy or delusive peace.

         I have every reason to believe that the writing is really Bunyan’s. The original owner of the book testifies it to be such. I have shown it to Mr. Hillyard of Bedford, and have compared it with Bunyan’s writing in the church book at Bedford—and cannot but think that the similarity is great.

         I hope you continue useful, healthy, and happy; and am,

                             My dear Sir,

                                               Yours very sincerely,

                                                        Olinthus Gregory

Text: Timothy Whelan, Baptist Autographs in the John Rylands University Library of Manchester, 1741-1845 (Macon: Mercer University Press, 2009), p. 220 (annotated version); also Eng. MS. 347, fol. 197, John Rylands University Library of Manchester. This letter has been placed within the folio marked “John Bunyan,” not under Gregory. T. J. Brown, in an article in The Book Collector (Spring 1960), p. 54, argues convincingly that the MS. Gregory is referring to above is not in Bunyan’s hand.