Maria Grace Saffery, Salisbury, to Anne Whitaker, Bratton, [Friday], 6 November 1807.

[opening portion of letter faded and virtually unreadable]  My Mind is generally dissipated when eveng arrives with ye fatigues & follies of ye day. My current dislike to talking except when very brief or a good deal interested makes my present chit chat appear rather laborious. Those who have expatiated on the pleasures of Education were more practical than just – else such a drone as Thompson (you see I am rather out of humour with him) would not have called it a “delightful Task.” A nursery of embryo Genius’s could not be cultured without incalculable cares, but the pupils that usually compose our seminaries, such however as ye little Knot of Misses @ me are enough to give ye Spleen to Sapphrosyne herself  but leaving ye imaginary Powers & treating ye subject more seriously I am every hour convinced yt uncommon sweetness of temper strength of judgment & above all superior degrees of grace are necessary to tolerable success & satisfaction in ye Work. Judge how unqualified I feel myself besides the difficulties incident to the natural ignorance & depravity of Children.  Ye views & sentiments of parents &c furnish so many crosses  I do not know if I have written since Miss Wakeford came – she appears to be a delicate amiable Girl of 9 years of age & have tolerable spirits & teachable disposition, but Mrs W– dislikes early devotion – of consequence she has all ye disgusting wearisome part of it before her  -- can scarcely read or spell a word of one syllable. I do wish this to be noticed but is it not strange & pitiable yt people should thus punish their Children from mistaken tenderness. I am charged not to hurry her too much – & indeed it wd be cruel to expect much from her at present.

   Mr Birt was here on Wednesday & gave a sweet Sermon in Eveng he is all triumph & ecstasy I suppose the happy period is not far distant he is a droll creature & has had a World of trial in the affair wh he describes & very divertingly he says his dr Jane has been almost shaken to death in ye Conflict – ye Portsmouth folks have wept & storm’d but all in vain.

   It is pretty well time yt I recollected ye principal business of my letter wh is to say Mr Moody has complied with Brors request – will be with you Sab. week – my dr S–  had a very dangerous fall from his Horse early last week in going to Shrewton & came home sadly disfigured  next Morng ye contusion chiefly affected his nose wh has now discovered its appearance – I cannot be sufficiently thankful for ye mercy wh saved him in ye perilous moment.

   I have had a sad cold since last Saturday, but am better – ye prevalence of this complaint is considerable here. I hope it is not so fashionable at Bratton & if it be yt you will be out of ye Mode.  P– has & still has a Cough but is otherwise well – He takes a great deal of notice < > ye winter Eveng & is sometimes < > put one in mind of < > at other times he is much diverted & tries to make a < > me with his pretty little fingers – my < > yr Boys I long to kiss ym remember me affectionately to dr Bror – & father if he is < > you &c &c.  It is time my letter was < > Office therefore I hasten my Adieu,

                     Yrs most faithfully

                                 Maria Grace Saffery

Sarum Friday Novr

Have not mention’d our baptizg Sab. Day 3 women near Shrewton & Betsy Royce. The experiences were all pleasing. Dr Mr Horsey baptized 20 ye same day.

Text: Timothy Whelan, gen. ed.,  Nonconformist Women Writers, 1720-1840, 8 vols. (London: Pickering & Chatto, 2011), vol. 6, pp. 248-49 (annotated version); Saffery/Whitaker Papers, Acc. 142, I.B.1.(31.). Address: Mrs Philip Whitaker | Bratton Sarum | To be left at Mr Green’s | grocer | Warminster. Postmark: Salisbury. Lines above from James Thomson’s ‘Spring’, l. 1069, from The Seasons (1730). "Miss Wakeford" is another of the Andover Wakefords, the family of the poet Mary Steele Wakeford (1724-72). "Mr Horsey" is one of the relations of Joseph Horsey, formerly the Baptist minister at Portsmouth.