W1/6558

Samuel Whitbread II, Bordeaux, to Elizabeth Grey. Marked no 13.

26 June 1787

From: 1787 To: 1787

My dear Bessy, Whether my Imagination outruns the Post; whether my letter from Orleans never reached Fallodon, or whether it was too impertinent & too full of complaints to deserve an Answer I cannot determine: but I was not a little disappointed at not hearing from you by the last Post. I will however for my own comfort conclude that the first is the true reason & that the wished for Packet will arrive tomorrow. I will not be Enemy eno' to myself to suppose that I have offended You. If I have, there I am at your feet begging pardon most humbly & submissively, & protesting that I never did intentionally offend, & that I never will. Do not harden your heart Love, nor be deaf to my pitiful moan. but excuse me. I prythee Love turn to me. If you are or ever should be angry with me, sing this over to yourself & the passion will immediately subside. Seriously I begin to be alarmed, & think that I shall not have another letter before I leave Bordeaux & it will be near six Weeks before We reach Strasbourg; I must submit. It is extraordinary too for my Father has answered even my letter from Cherbourg but no more - Fallodon is a great way from London, the post does not travel a step faster because I am in haste. She is not angry & the letter will arrive tomorrow. Be easy friend Sam. I have received a letter from Punch which informs me that by the omission of one day in keeping his Terms he cannot be called to the bar----this Circuit & that his plan is to go to Ireland the middle of July. I hope however that he will change Ireland for Switzerland, & that we shall meet a letter at Geneva, giving us intelligence of his coming. I am not therefore blameable for your loss of Partner at Newcastle; but as the intention is as reprehensible as the deed, shall I be put down in the black list? He laments much the loss he shall have in not seeing a Lady with a curled Lip. & asks me how I dare trifle so much with a person. I do not know, as to put it in the public papers that I am going to be married to her; for he is convinced I am the Author of the Paragraph I sent to You; & you sent to me. All the World exclaims he say, how close Sam was, he never mentioned it to a Soul! it was very unlikely that I should for in good truth I knew as little of the matter as any Soul alive & notwithstanding his insinuation it is no Finesse of my own to draw off attention. Not that I am sorry for it as I told you before, for I shall envince the Superiority of my own real choice. My Father writes in good humour & good spirits. He is at this instant at Bath with my eldest Sister & they are to remain there ten days. not for health of either but on a visit. he then returns to Bedwell & proposes as he says, to spend the remainder of the Summer quietly there. not that I at all give credit to his assertion, as I firmly believe he will make twenty excursions, & never remain seven successive days in the same place. As his mind however is perfectly at ease, & in the State that I could wish it, he may transport his Body to any part of the Island he pleases with my full consent. He appears very averse to the journey into Holland, that part of our plan therefore will be altered; but we have not yet determined what We shall adopt instead of it: nor shall we till we get to Geneva, & are certain whether we have our Compagnon de Voyage or not. You will have the earliest intelligence of our Motions.- A degree of sameness pervades our life at Bordeaux, so that no one day is distinguished from it's yesterday or tomorrow. no events but the receipt of letters mark the time. it has not however passed quite unpleasantly. dearth of amusement at present gives me greater scope to look forward to the happiness that is to come.- The Post arrives tomorrow in course, but often is detained till Thursday. we shall wait its arrival & set off as soon as we have received our letters. I depend upon one from you & you shall hear from Lyons whether I was disappointed or not. You shall also hear whether our servants or ourselves are scorched by the way, a circumstance a little to be dreaded, for in my life I never felt heat equal to what we have experienced these four or five last days. Thank heaven we have given up the Idea of going farther South. no animal but a Salamander could I think travel in one degree of latitude lower at this Season .- I hope you have fine weather at Fallodon unaccompanied by Wind, & that you make use of your time in riding, walking & driving, that you are perfectly well, & that you sometimes think of me. Seven Weeks are now elapsed since I parted with you; I wish that as many more would bring me to the meeting. No Prisoner ever counted hours with more impatience but I must not murmur, I have forbid you to complain, & must not take any privilege for myself that is denied to you. Believe me I still retain the same opinion, that my coming abroad was the wisest step I could take, that (words erased) possessing, in the degree I trust I do, your esteem, the pennance itself appears extremely trivial that no distance situation or circumstance can possibly lessen my esteem & affection for you; that you may most faithfully depend upon me. Adieu then me dearest Bessy, Adieu & believe that I shall ever remain most sincerely & affectionately your's & your's only. S. Whitbread My best remembrance to all at Fallodon. remember from Newcastle, Partner, dress, conversation; every circumstance minutely. direct to Strasbourg still. Adieu & Heaven bless you. I will write very constantly.

item

Whitbread, Samuel II,
Grey, Elizabeth,
Whitbread, Samuel I,
Punch,
St John, Emma

Bordeaux, Geneva, Bath, Holland, Strasbourg, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, travel