William Steele, Broughton, to Mary Steele, Yeovil, [Monday] 2 July 1770.

My Dear Polly,

   I rec’d your Letter of the 23d past & your Uncles note inclos’d in your Letter to your Aunt, wherein he desires me to let you remain with him this Summer & that he will send up a man for your Horse and you seem desirous to stay, as long as will be convenient to me, to enjoy your Uncles Company & to see Miss Scot on her return.  I scarce know what to say my Dear Girl on this Occasion I would do any thing that I thought most agreeable to you. You know a certain time with your Mamma draws on apace but little more than five weeks, perhaps it may be a Week or two sooner; near the time it will be highly imprudent for me to be absent, therefore if I go to Yeovil for you before that time it must be in a fortnight from this time at farthest, perhaps it may be more agreeable to you to stay at Yeovil till the Affair is over, if so let me know your intention by ye return of the Post, for I leave it to you to act as you think proper.  We are all very desirous of your Company at home but if it will be any great satisfaction to your Uncle & you approve of it in your own Mind to stay a few weeks longer than intended I shall not object to it, but if you had rather come home let me know (as above) & I will fetch you at the time.

   I did not mind to ask Mr Wakeford if he knew the people you mention’d in your Letter to Lucy but I am positive he does not as he can have no connection with their business, however when I see him I intend to ask him & if he does I’ll let your Uncle know.

   If you have an inclination to have your Horse sent down let me know and I will send him without giving your Uncle the trouble of sending a Messenger.

   Miss Waters has fill’d the other part of the paper & will not permit me to read a word of it, is she not a saucy wicked ungrateful Girl, let me know if tis not so, that I may punish her for it.

   We all join in Love Service &c &c   and am

                     My Dear Polly’s affectionate Far

                                             W Steele

Broughton July 2d 1770

After a space on the page, Marianna Attwater adds the following letter to Mary Steele; the letter was slightly damaged when the seal was removed:

   I’ve this moment received an agreeable Letter from our dear Mira hope she is well as she says nothing to ye contrary, she laments the loss of the dear enjoyments of a country life, which she must now be deprived of a fortnight longer than she entended, her papa being then to go to London after her.

   All around us seems to wear the Face of Mirth and good humor.  The scene before us appears delightfully engageing the high exulted Musick of town uses its utmost Efforts to entertain the gaping faintings, that seeks much pleasure in the busy crowd   but oh my dear Silvia such musick is too coarse to pleasure the ear that has been charmed by far superior harmony.   Hasten back my lovely friend and let us hear once more the pleasing Musick which only you inspire.

   You will be glad to hear your dear Aunt has walked 2 half miles on the Terace today, I know not whence her strength and spirits is increased by the very great pleasure your excelent letter and verses gave her, but if pleasure contributes to health may we not hope your letters and the sight of her Silvia will be great helps to our dear Theodosia recovering those long lost blessings, she bid me thank you for those new tokens of your affection.

   Eugenius is just gone so be not alarmed if I alter my stile and in mournful strains lament the departure of ye lovely Youth but stay one grevious scene brings another to remembrance who can you think was at Bodenham last Thursday and unfortunate [paper torn] no other than the Dear little Man in his way to Lymington David and he came to Sarum in the machine, Mr [paper torn] and I believe gave general satisfaction  he has preached 3 [paper torn] old Mrs Barton heard and much approved, and the opinion of your dear friends you may gather from the following sincere Compts of Theodosia’s.  I fear David wont like to be a keeper of a few poor sheep at Broughton, but will rather like to be King at Frome. 

   I hope he will be directed by that divine omnipotence who alone can make his ministry beneficial, O may that hand who has softened his disposition and to outward appearance given him a temper truely amiable bestow on him every other qualification to enable him to go on his way rejoicing.

   This you will say is great liberties I take in your papas letter, but as the paper reminds me I am almost at the End therefore must make no appologies and only add that dear Nancy has been at fair and is highly delighted but not so much as all here will be in seeing her dear Sister.  Adieu my valued friend   think of your worthless

                                                         Marianna

Text: Timothy Whelan, ed., Nonconformist Women Writers, 1720-1840, 8 vols.  (London: Pickering & Chatto, 2011), vol. 3, pp. 210-12 (annotated version); STE 4/5/viii, Steele Collection, Angus Library, Regent's Park College, Oxford. Postmark: Salisbury. Address: To / Miss Steele / at Mr Geo: Bullocks / in Yeovil / Somerset.  

Job David (1746-1812), a Welshman, attended Bristol Baptist Academy from 1766 to 1771, with Caleb Evans serving as his primary tutor. Apparently, he was traveling from Bristol with another minister who was either on his way to Lymington (south of Broughton, near the coast) or was possibly the minister there. Another possibility is that his traveling partner was Evans. Whatever the case, David, nearing the end of his ministerial education, preached three times at Broughton during a time when the church was without a stated minister. Marianna’s prediction that David would prefer Frome over Broughton would indeed come to pass. In 1773 he became pastor of the Particular Baptist meeting at Sheppards Barton, Frome, remaining there until 1803, when he succeeded Joshua Toulmin as minister of the General Baptist (Unitarian) congregation at Mary Street, Taunton, Somerset.  Evans and Daniel Turner of Abingdon preached at David’s ordination, their sermons reflecting some concern over David’s embryonic heterodoxy. David would later engage in a pamphlet war with Caleb Evans over the latter’s criticism of David’s adoption of Arian and Arminian positions; nevertheless, David’s ministry was highly regarded among nonconformists in the West Country. See Caleb Evans and Daniel Turner, A Charge and Sermon (Bristol: W. Pine, [1773]); Job David, Letters Addressed to the Ministers of the Orthodox, or, Calvinistic Baptists ... shewing the Inconsistency oftheir Conduct and Worship, and proposing a Remedy (London, n.d.); Caleb Evans, Remarks on a Letter [by Job David] addressed to the Ministers of the Orthodox or Calvinistic Baptists (London, [1780]).

The "Mira" mentioned at the beginning of Marianna's note is the poet Mary Scott (1751-93) of Milborne Port, author of The Female Advocate (1774) and the close friend of Mary Steele and well known to all members of the Steele Circle at that time.