John Saffery, Salisbury, to Anne and Philip Whitaker, Bratton, [c. December 1808].

Monday Evening

My Dear Bror & Sister,

   I was pleased to see William, yet felt regret that my thoughtlessness should have been the inducement to your sending him, or giving you a necessary pain & anxiety but I had so got it into my head from Mrs Thring’s acct that you would be here to-morrow, & was otherwise so encumbered & overwhelmed when I wrote that it never occurred to me that I might have written again yesterday.  You must forgive me.

   The dear object of our affectionate solicitude is I trust in a fair way tho not just as I could wish her. Perhaps a more minute acct of her to you may not be improper. She has endured a great deal of after pain & I cd perceive this morning she was somewhat anxious lest there wd be inflammation, Mr French was sent for but was no way alarmed in this case & from the state of her pulse she has no fever, however he advised that a bladder of warm water sd be applied if the pain continued but it has happily subsided so far as to render this unnecessary.  She has had no relief from her bowels since she was confined tho’ she has taken 3 draughts & has just now taken a little castor oil by Mr French’s direction which I hope will soon produce the desired relief.  She is as you will suppose very weak & nervous & I assure you I am not in the latter sense much better, but seriously I do not see any cause for alarm. She was lifted out of bed yesterday, but as she has been occasionally faint to-day from the causes mentioned did not think it advisable.

   Glad as we sd be to see you we think your plan of delaying the journey a few days the best, were you to come to-morrow it wd be impossible that you cd enjoy each others society – Your being in the house & not with her a good deal wd distress her, & for you to be immured much in a dark gloomy Chamber wd injure you – But you must not stay beyond Saturday  She wishes you to come then & has been saying to me that as it is the ninth day & she of course must not rise your presence will enliven the evening & she hopes to be able to dine up Sab. day.  Thro’ mercy the boy & all the rest of the children are well.  My cold is rather worse this evening but I ought not to complain. As the snow to-night will not allow of Bill’s going very early I will add a line in the morning & to save you anxiety I will write Thursday evening & you can send to Westbury, Friday morning.

Wednesday Morning

Late last evening the Mede officiated 3 times this with the necessity she was in of drawing off all her milk, & the consequent noise of the boy has produced a distressing night & she is very languid this morning – But her pains otherwise are subsided very considerably, obstruction is removed, she is composed & comfortable in her mind & hopes to get some sleep to day @ which I trust will be the case. I am much better satisfied @ her this morning. May the Lord hear all our prayers.

   My dr Relatives none but those who are so happily connected as we are & who are each surrounded with 6 infants who need ye pious, affectionate, wise & unremitting attention of parent’s can possibly know what is the painful post of observation in such circumstances. All the influence of religion, & the supports of faith in such a situation are needed & how miserable are those who have them not  It is our mercy not to be without them O that God may increase them.  But I cannot enlarge.  Be assured I feel it one & not the least of my mercies to enjoy your affection, sympathy & prayers. My love to the dear children &c  Should it be necessary to say any thing to Mr A on what I observed in my last do it delicately.  When you are not circumstanced as at present painful as is his society to me I wd cheerfully make a sacrifice for a season of my own peace if it would in any measure contribute to the happiness of one who is so generally miserable.

                     I am your’s very affectionately

                                 John Saffery

French has just seen her & is much pleased. He says her pulse are very good & things are going on well. Blessed be God. 10 oclock.           

Text: Saffery/Whitaker Papers, acc. 180, A.10, Angus Library, Regent's Park College, Oxford. Address:  Mrs Whitaker. No postmark. For a complete annotated version of this letter, see Timothy Whelan, gen. ed., Nonconformist Women Writers, 1720-1840 (London: Pickering & Chatto, 2011), vol. 6, pp. 279-80. This letter is written just after the birth of his son, John Saffery, in December 1808.