Maria Grace Saffery, Salisbury, to Anne Whitaker, Bratton, Tuesday, 1 December 1807.

My love dear Anna,

   The satisfaction I should otherwise enjoy from the intelligence of your progressive recovery, is at this moment suspended or least rendered incomplete, by the attendant report of your nervous depressions, these indeed are I had almost said, inseparable from an accouchement in November, with a delicate anglaise like yourself. I hope the sunshine of divine mercy both in providence, & grace will beam on you independent of the wintery glooms, & speedily dispel all yr vapoury distress.  I am pained too that my delay as a Correspondent should have added to the pensiveness of yr confinement, the anxieties of suspense & blame myself more than you do on the reflection I had fully intended sending a parcel on Friday night, but cd not match the muslin for yr gowns or get the tape accomplished wh in fact for a few days was lost.  This rather discouraged me in writing & in addition I had I will now confess to you, @ the same time my November fit that is, I was what yr plain people call in the dumps, what a fine Lady would term exquisitely susceptible!  What a Poet defines, & you will understand him, “Sad & passionate.” I am now at a loss for any rational cause or explanation of my malady, so that I must content myself  with assuring you of my devotion   I had a slight cold & felt weary after my journey but the consequences were not in the smallest degree serious. Mr Rowe had [come] to meet with us at Shrewton, & attend us home on horseback for our very great comfort & advantage.  He had been to Chattem on business – Mrs Claypole’s illness I regret on his accnt & fear I have cause to do so on yours frm a suspicion that you are charged with noise & bustle remotely at least of all the little tribe.  Pray be careful of needless efforts & make yourself very scarce to the belle famille down stairs for the present  I am delighted to hear so good an accnt of my pretty Margravine my tenderest regards await all the dr Children little Anne’s rake is found & will be forwarded I trust without fail on Friday I have also Miss Alexander’s boot laces in readiness  my love to her.   Miss Moody left us the day after my return in consequence of her sisters illness I was really sorry for her departure.  Miss Norton occasions me much solicitude, but not a word on this head.  My dr Lucy continues to please me & her sister to harass me – my good Mason is always the same in high favor with Prince Chezy & myself the sweet fellow appears to me & I believe to every one else a pattern of good health & good humour.

   My dr S wd be most affectionately remembered to you & our dr bror he says the donkey’s skin will be of no service to him & he fears from what he has heard that it is of little value.  The Message to Mr Thringe delivered I fancy – 

   Adieu my dear dear Anne. May the God of all grace bless our friendship & continue to excite our gratitude with cause for mutual congratulation in answer to the unceasing prayer of

                     Your’s with tenderness

                                 Maria Grace Saffery

Tuesday Eveng  Decr 1st 1807

Remember us to my father if you please

Little T Moss is I hear pretty well if Mr M. has a little on Friday I will put it in the parcel   love to Mrs Twise

Text: Timothy Whelan, gen. ed.,  Nonconformist Women Writers, 1720-1840, 8 vols. (London: Pickering & Chatto, 2011), vol. 6, pp. 253-54 (annotated version); Saffery/Whitaker Papers, acc. 142, I.B.1.(32.), Angus Library. Address: Mrs Philip Whitaker | Bratton Farm | near Westbury | Wilts | Decr 12th 1807. Postmark illegible.  Apparently, the letter was not sent for several days. References above include  a short phrase from Shakespeare’s King John, Act II, l. 553; and a reference to Anne Whitaker's young son, Philip (the "Prince Chezy").