W1/6560

Samuel Whitbread II, Toulouse, to Elizabeth Grey. Marked no 15.

30 June 1787

From: 1787 To: 1787

Altho' I wrote to you only two days ago & have nothing new to say to you, I could not resist the pleasure of writing you a few lines upon hearing that the Post for England left Toulouse at four o'clock this Evening. Indeed, my very dear Bessy, if it can be a pleasure to you to think that you entirely occupy my thoughts & are the subject of perpetual & pleasing meditation You may enjoy Yourself without Vanity or fear of being deceived. I more particularly caught at the Idea of writing to you today because I had written to you on Thursday, & because that letter was written in a moment of disappointment, expressed the Uneasiness I felt, & I fear will communicate it to you I sit down therefore to recant every expression of discontent that I then let drop & to tell you that had I reflected for half an hour, I must have found that it were very possible a letter dispatched from Orleans the 1st of June could not be answered at Bordeaux by the 28th of the same month even supposing the intervention of no preternatural, or even disagreable natural accidents. All this I had not time to ruminate upon before I left Bordeaux, I had expected by two successive Couriers & was disappointed in both, my anxiety immediately prevailed over my Understanding, & presented fifty reasons which had no foundation but in my own brain. The letter I wrote was the impression of my Mind & Heart & the moment. all my letters are You are equally so, at the time they are penned, & as you have been indulgent eno' to them & me to be pleased with some of their contents partdon me if one should have given you uneasiness. it is the uneasiness preceeding from the perfect & anxious affection of the Person who causes it. who is now a jumble of inconsistancies, but he has to look to you now as the Directress, the Regina of all his thoughts & actions, & if they should be absurd, you should be the first to forgive them. Do not scold me for any thing I have said, You will annihilate me. I now believe that Le Duc will certainly bring me a letter to Geneva, I shall then be comparatively happy; superlatively so I can never be whilst there exists such a distance between Us.- We arrived here about an hour ago. the Weather has been more propitious than we had any reason to expect. We left Bordeaux about three o'clock on Thursday dying with heat before however we had been three hours on our Road a very violent Thunder Storm came on which cooled the Air very much. the rain continued all night & the Clouds are still very thick, so that the Sun has not annoyed Us. We continued our Journey all Thursday Night & Yesterday Evening arrived at Mont----which we quitted this Morning between three & four. We had intended spending the day at Toulouse but the weather is so favourable for travelling & there is so very little worth notice in the Town that we shall continue our Journey to Castelnaudary or perhaps to Carcasson & tomorrow arrive at Narbonne. that will be the most distant point of our travels. having weathered that I shall be always drawing nearer to you. How happy I shall be when - but no matter. I shall be happy in due time & the happier for it's being a little removed. You know my philosophy on this Subject. It is half after eleven & we have just dined. primative hours, up at 3 dining at 1/2 past ten. If we could but bring ourselves to your system of vegetable diet we should be Philosophers indeed a votre Gre. but We both seem to think that Fish, Flesh & Fowl are eatable & made to be eaten notwithstanding which, if no Philosopher I hope I am a Man Au Gre. de ma Grey.- The Post shuts at twelve & I must therefore conclude but not before I beg you not to scold me again. to remember me to all at Fallodon. to depend upon me my dearest Bessy, & to believe which you may do without scruple, that I am & ever shall remain most sincerely & affectionately Your's & Your's only S. Whitbread So G. Baker is married Nesfield writes me.

item

Whitbread, Samuel II,
Grey, Elizabeth,
Whitbread, Samuel I,
Baker, G,
Nesfield, William

Toulouse, Geneva, thunderstorms, travel