William Steele, Broughton, to Mary Steele, Yeovil, [Friday] 26 November 1773.

Broughton 26th Nov. 1773

My Dear Polly

   Your Letters to Lucy & me came together Wednesday tho’ the former should have been here Monday.  I am sorry your Cough is not yet remov’d do you continue to take any Medicine for it, if not I desire you will.

   Your Aunt we hope continues better & this Night for the first time has done without a Watcher. If Providence should yet favor her with tolerable health how kind how gracious (tho’ unexpected) would it be but on every favourable appearance how apt are we to hope. The rest of the Family are thro’ Mercy in a good State of health.

   Mr Peckford is departed from the Stage of Life in a good old Age like a Stock of Corn fully ripe, but let us reflect that he is one in a thous.d & multitudes in their bloom as well as those of riper Years are continually call’d to their long home, how should we then endeavour thro’ assisting Grace to be allways ready, as we know not how soon our change cometh.

   I hope you will set out from Yeovil when your Uncle goes for Exon. If you stop a day with Miss Scott, I suppose M Winsor will only go to Milborn with you, if so it will be necessary for some one to go from thence to Motcombe with you, as you have been so long from home I think your stay there & at Knoyle can be but short if any one of the Miss Frowds should come hither with you I think you may come in Post Chaise. If not you will give me a Line that I may contrive how to get you home.

   If you have not given Mr Gillard the half Guinea I think as you have stay’d so long you may make it a Guinea.

   You need not bring any pease, as I have got a basket from Mr Atwater of the same sort that are exceeding good, but shall be glad of a little Hempseed.  We all join in the tenderest congratulations & am My Dr your affectionate Father

                                 Wm Steele

Text: Timothy Whelan, ed., Nonconformist Women Writers, 1720-1840, 8 vols.  (London: Pickering & Chatto, 2011), vol. 3, pp. 241-42 (annotated version); STE 4/5/xxxii, Steele Collection, Angus Library, Regent's Park College, Oxford. Postmark: Salisbury. Address: Miss Steele / at Mr Geo: Bullock’s / Yeovil / Somerset.