William Steele, Broughton, to Mary Steele, Yeovil, [Friday] 2 September 1774.

Broughton Sep. 2 1774

         I am sorry My Dear you should suffer any distress of mind on the account of our intended journey tho’ at the same time the tender emotions of your heart between your duty to your Uncle & your Aunt are very amiable in my sight but as you cannot render your affectionate duty to both at the same time and you are now with your Uncle who is desirous of your Company a little longer I don’t think our Absence (as Mr & Mrs Rawlings will be here the whole time) will make it absolutely necessary for you to return home, they will do every thing in their Power to oblige your Aunt & I shall desire Mr Rawlings to write frequently to you to acquaint you how she is, & if your Aunt should be so bad as to make it necessary to send for you home, if so you can take a post Chaise at any time & be home soon, but I hope a good Providence will prevent it, as your Aunt was yesterday so much better as to come down Stairs after dinner & stay’d 3 or 4 hours I rather fear she may be the worse for it to day.  I have not heard of her yet but shall before I close the Letter.

         On the whole I desire you will make your mind easy & as you are not out of the Way of your duty I hope you will obtain that peace which passeth all Understanding. If you receive this to morrow morning I desire you will write me a Line in the Afternoon that we may hear from you once more before we set out.  I will send to Stockbridge for it Sunday evening.  Let me have a Letter to Pershore where we hope to be at the Close of the Week & to stay there a clear Week & a day or 2 more, so you may write twice thither and I hope, providence favouring us with a good Journey, you will hear from me thence.

         May that kind paternal Hand whose goodness we have experienced all our lives be extended over us all for our preservation & blessing whilst we are separated one from the other & bring us together again in health & peace in due time & inspire our hearts with Love & Gratitude to our Divine Benefactor.

         We are all thro’ Mercy in good health (except yr Aunt) & join in the tenderest Salutations to my Dr Girl & due Services to all.

         12 oClock – Sister is now up not quite so well as yesterday thinks she took cold and I fear wont come down stairs to day but perhaps she may after dinner as I think on the whole she is better than some time ago. – I doubt not but you will write to her when we are absent. – Your Mama rec’d yr Letter & intends to write to you to morrow.  May the best of blessings attend my Dr Daug.r prays her affectionate Far

                                         Wm Steele

Text: Timothy Whelan, ed., Nonconformist Women Writers, 1720-1840, 8 vols.  (London: Pickering & Chatto, 2011), vol. 3, pp. 251-52 (annotated version); STE 4/5/xxxvii, Steele Collection, Angus Library, Regent's Park College, Oxford. Postmark: Salisbury. Address: Miss Steele / at Mr Geo: Bullock’s / Yeovil / Somerset.