Maria Grace Saffery, Salisbury, to Anne Whitaker, Bratton, Friday, 9 October [1807].

   My dear Bror & Sister will I am sure receive with inexpressible satisfaction the assurances I am permitted to give them, of their sweet Boys recovery from day to day, indeed nothing of disease seems now to remain, but the evacuating – medicines, spare diet, & confinement to his bed, fm wh I have only allowed him to designate a few hours this aftn render him of course a little delicate but the sincerity of his Eyes the clearness of his complexion & his incessant prattle sufficiently prove the good state of his health, his pulse are now reduced to their right standard & the temperature of the skin is good I mean now to suspend the doses for a few days & let him use his teeth as well as his tongue otherwise the poor fellow will be treated with ye regimen Dr Ryland prescribes for the Antinomians who he says shd be condemned to live on “Imputed Mastication” – Sarah is return’d & gives a pleasing accnt of the baptizing & indeed every thing at B–  but my poor boy who is I trust getting well apace I feel for my dr Anna lest his indisposition shd oppress her spirits be assured of my confidence I have no dread of Calomel.  Indeed I know French has frequently given him this, & I believe with more success than any other medicine tho I suppose he will want bracing afterwards –

   I heard from my dr S– to day he is pretty well but anxious @ his business & his home. I have written him repeatedly @ dr Phil.  I have heard with much regret that the little Rylands were ill almost immediately on the getting home I had so pleased myself with the perfection of health in wh they wd return to B. that I sensibly feel the disappointment  Mrs Ryland also was very poorly –

   Remember me kindly to all @ you kiss the children for me with ye affection of an Aunt in the fullest sense & give my boy one for his Mother  I am glad he so good.  Tell him that dr little P. has been very good indeed but I hope Carey will not let < > be ye “goodest boy of all” but adieu. I < > only add that I am

                     Ever Your’s

                                 M. G. Saffery

Salter, Ryland, & Mason beg remembrances – I shall hope to hear to morrow my kindest wishes of Christian love to ye Candidates for Capn in yr house

Friday 9th Octr –

Text: Timothy Whelan, gen. ed.,  Nonconformist Women Writers, 1720-1840, 8 vols. (London: Pickering & Chatto, 2011), vol. 6, p. 244 (annotated version); Saffery/Whitaker Papers, acc. 142, I.B.4.c.(29.), Angus Library. Address: Mrs Whitaker | Bratton Farm.  No postmark. Mentioned above is the Broadmead congregation under the ministry of John Ryland, Jr., and his two daughters, Elizabeth and her younger sister, the latter mentioned for the first time, both attending at Saffery's school; also young Philip Saffery.