HAM/1/19/18
Letter from William Napier (later 7th Lord Napier) to Mary Hamilton
Diplomatic Text
[1]
about secret
copied EGA
X
2d- Canterbury Augt 27th- 1772
I was favored with my Dearest Miʃs Hamilton's
letter of the 20th- instant a few days ago, and
would have obeyed her commands in write
=ing immediately had I not waited to get
some franks, as I was extremely sure all
the subject in this, would not be wothworth the
postage, excepting what concerned her-
self so without more preamble take wh-[2]
follows be it good, bad, or indifferent,
I shall tomorrow my dearest Miʃs
Hamilton by the stage Coach ʃend you
that Part of Mrs- Carters poems that
is in print, the rest shall follow another
time provided I can coax her out of
them & you pleased with these I now
send -- you are extremely right in
calling my last a scrap of a letter but
I could not help it, the whole family
being out an airing so was obliged
to borrow a peice of Paper from the
Butler, or lostlose the post for that day which
I should have been ʃorry for as I was to
sett off for this good City next morning.
You ʃay you think you have a right
to scold, allowed if you please, but an
amiable young Lady that thinks she has
twenty good reaʃons for so doing, and
makes use of only one, & that with so much
good nature, must and always shall do
with me as she pleases, & I shall always
think myself much happier by recieving
so gentle a Scold (if it can be called one)
from my dearest Girl than any other
favor from the rest of the Sex can
poʃsible make me & believe me when
I aʃsure you that it was neither your ambition
nor self interestedneʃs that made me lay
at your feet what you was, in my opinion,
born to rule & if you are pleased with
what I have done, my greatest deʃire is
entirely fulfilled -- Nothing can give me
more pleaʃure than the recieving those (as
you are pleased to call them) stupid & constrain'd
letters from a Girl in your retired situation
pray My dear Madam be so good, as let
me have them as often as you poʃsible
can, & allow me to acquaint you that there
is always another sheet of Paper to be
got from the ʃame place the last came
from, so dont make any excuʃes of want
of Paper for the future and as for the
Subject that never can be wanting as
there is a young lady at NorthamptonShire
called Miʃs Hamilton who's thoughts
upon any subject will always give me
the highest ʃatisfaction to either
hear or read. so I think my dear Girl
you have now no excuʃe either for
delaying writing or making them short
as that young Lady mentioned above
may always be applied too whenever you
find yourself at a loʃs & any thing.
that comes from her will always be
recd. with pleasure by me -- your Mama
ʃays I am partial to you, is it poʃsible
to be otherwise but you may tell her
from me that every body must be
so where no fault can be found,
nor am I in the least afraid that my
Judgement will ever be called in Question
when my opinion of Miʃs Hamilton is to be
the subject I wish I could ʃay that I was
always as right in all my other opinions
than indeed you would ʃee me a second
Solomon in Wisdom & a Daniel in
Judgement[3] -- It gives me great pleaʃure
that Mrs- Napier has been able to be
of any use to Mrs Hamilton wt Mr Brown
I am ʃure any thing she can do you may
always com̅and -- When I got to town
the thickneʃs and heat of the Air made
me extremely ill, for which reason
I stayed but only one night & did not
make one viʃit so had not the pleaʃure
of seeing Sir Wm Hamilton however I
hope for that pleasure here in his
way to Naples -- I make no doubt of
his going to Viena, but I suppose he
must first go to Naples[4] to settle not
only his own private affairs there
but likeways the publick affairs and
to give the new amb: a little Knowledge
how the land lies -- Lord Cathcart has
been very ill of a Fever but I hope now
every thing is as we could wish it &
that we shall ʃoon have the pleasure
of seeing him & family -- I thank you
my dearest Miʃs Hamilton for your Secret[5]
& be aʃsured I'll keep it to my self, the
anʃwer you make for me would do very
well for most people but the burden
in question wont be too heavy for
you, tho I own had you asked my advice
without first telling me you had an
inclination to do it, I should most cer-
tainly have perswaded you not to learn it
as its not only tedious in taking up years
but when acquired of very little use to
any body but those who's employments
are what is called the learned Profeʃsions
such as Divinity Phiʃic &c and all the
books in that language proper for your
reading (as many are very improper for
Lady's) are translated into english
I believe full as good as the originals
however My Dear Girl if you are reʃolved
to go on, I beg you'll keep it a dead
secreat from your most ------ intimate
friends as well as from the rest of the
World as a Lady's being learned is most
com̅only looked upon as a great fault
even by the learned, and I would have
you not only faultleʃs but even not to
be suspected of having one, this my dear
Mary is my real opinion but I beg you
may just follow yr own inclinations but let
me know what you do. I have ʃince I have
been here had a very ʃevere fitt of the Gout
in my Bowels in ʃo much that I had a
Phiʃician & Surgeon to sitt up wt me
almost the whole night, it continued
about forty eight hours however thank
God, I am at present extremely well.
I am greatly obliged to you for concern=
=ing your self about our Bustle which
------ you ʃaw in the news papers but my
dear Girl its all a Canterbury tale. ye
Soldiers were called out by a drunk
custom house officer but our Adjt, seeing
the affair called the Soldiers away and
so ended this great Scotch insult upon
the Mayor & City of Canterbury, but in
stead of doing harm the Mayor and
Aldermen in a body thanked me for
the Good behaviour of our Men, not
only in that instance but for the whole
time they have been here. I am ʃorry that
you think the Kitten little the better of
Buxton, she certainly did not give it a fair
tryal & shall be glad her Father allows
her to go back again this Season
please my Compliments to her & tell her
to keep up her spirits & eat plenty of Milk
& bread (is not that kittens food?) and she
will do well again. whats become of her
Br & Sister as you did not mention them.
I do begin to think its not in my Power
to give over writing what a size of a
letter is this, a good example is a good
thing I hope you'll follow this one, but I shall
soon ʃee whither you are pleased with
me or not, butby the quickneʃs & lenght
of your next Please make my best respects
acceptable to Mrs- Hamilton, Margate is
a good place for her to prepair for
Buxton next Spring, I am ʃure I am not
in the least selfish in this advice[6] but
my dearest Mary believe yours most affctly- -- WmNapier
red text is normalised and/or unformatted in other panel)
Notes
1. An extract concerning Hamilton's plan to learn Latin appears in Anson & Anson (1925: 17).
2. This abbreviation more commonly stands for which or with.
3. Napier refers here to the Old Testament figures of Solomon, King of Israel c. 970-931 BCE, noted for his wealth and his wisdom, and Daniel, protagonist of the Book of Daniel, recognised as a prophet in many Judeo-Christian traditions.
4. In fact Sir William retained the ambassadorship in Naples and arrived back there in early 1773, having travelled ‘via Vienna, Venice, Florence, and Rome’ (ODNB).
5. That is, her wish to learn Latin.
6. Margate is only some 17 miles from Canterbury.
Normalised Text
Canterbury August 27th- 1772
I was favoured with my Dearest Miss Hamilton's
letter of the 20th- instant a few days ago, and
would have obeyed her commands in writing
immediately had I not waited to get
some franks, as I was extremely sure all
the subject in this, would not be worth the
postage, excepting what concerned herself
so without more preamble take what
follows be it good, bad, or indifferent,
I shall tomorrow my dearest Miss
Hamilton by the stage Coach send you
that Part of Mrs- Carters poems that
is in print, the rest shall follow another
time provided I can coax her out of
them & you pleased with these I now
send -- you are extremely right in
calling my last a scrap of a letter but
I could not help it, the whole family
being out an airing so was obliged
to borrow a piece of Paper from the
Butler, or lose the post for that day which
I should have been sorry for as I was to
set off for this good City next morning.
You say you think you have a right
to scold, allowed if you please, but an
amiable young Lady that thinks she has
twenty good reasons for so doing, and
makes use of only one, & that with so much
good nature, must and always shall do
with me as she pleases, & I shall always
think myself much happier by receiving
so gentle a Scold (if it can be called one)
from my dearest Girl than any other
favour from the rest of the Sex can
possible make me & believe me when
I assure you that it was neither your ambition
nor self interestedness that made me lay
at your feet what you was, in my opinion,
born to rule & if you are pleased with
what I have done, my greatest desire is
entirely fulfilled -- Nothing can give me
more pleasure than the receiving those (as
you are pleased to call them) stupid & constrain'd
letters from a Girl in your retired situation
pray My dear Madam be so good, as let
me have them as often as you possible
can, & allow me to acquaint you that there
is always another sheet of Paper to be
got from the same place the last came
from, so don't make any excuses of want
of Paper for the future and as for the
Subject that never can be wanting as
there is a young lady at NorthamptonShire
called Miss Hamilton who's thoughts
upon any subject will always give me
the highest satisfaction to either
hear or read. so I think my dear Girl
you have now no excuse either for
delaying writing or making them short
as that young Lady mentioned above
may always be applied to whenever you
find yourself at a loss & any thing.
that comes from her will always be
received with pleasure by me -- your Mama
says I am partial to you, is it possible
to be otherwise but you may tell her
from me that every body must be
so where no fault can be found,
nor am I in the least afraid that my
Judgement will ever be called in Question
when my opinion of Miss Hamilton is to be
the subject I wish I could say that I was
always as right in all my other opinions
then indeed you would see me a second
Solomon in Wisdom & a Daniel in
Judgement -- It gives me great pleasure
that Mrs- Napier has been able to be
of any use to Mrs Hamilton with Mr Brown
I am sure any thing she can do you may
always command -- When I got to town
the thickness and heat of the Air made
me extremely ill, for which reason
I stayed but only one night & did not
make one visit so had not the pleasure
of seeing Sir William Hamilton however I
hope for that pleasure here in his
way to Naples -- I make no doubt of
his going to Viena, but I suppose he
must first go to Naples to settle not
only his own private affairs there
but likeways the public affairs and
to give the new ambassador a little Knowledge
how the land lies -- Lord Cathcart has
been very ill of a Fever but I hope now
every thing is as we could wish it &
that we shall soon have the pleasure
of seeing him & family -- I thank you
my dearest Miss Hamilton for your Secret
& be assured I'll keep it to my self, the
answer you make for me would do very
well for most people but the burden
in question won't be too heavy for
you, though I own had you asked my advice
without first telling me you had an
inclination to do it, I should most certainly
have persuaded you not to learn it
as it's not only tedious in taking up years
but when acquired of very little use to
any body but those whose employments
are what is called the learned Professions
such as Divinity Physic &c and all the
books in that language proper for your
reading (as many are very improper for
Lady's) are translated into english
I believe full as good as the originals
however My Dear Girl if you are resolved
to go on, I beg you'll keep it a dead
secret from your most intimate
friends as well as from the rest of the
World as a Lady's being learned is most
commonly looked upon as a great fault
even by the learned, and I would have
you not only faultless but even not to
be suspected of having one, this my dear
Mary is my real opinion but I beg you
may just follow your own inclinations but let
me know what you do. I have since I have
been here had a very severe fit of the Gout
in my Bowels in so much that I had a
Physician & Surgeon to sit up with me
almost the whole night, it continued
about forty eight hours however thank
God, I am at present extremely well.
I am greatly obliged to you for concerning
your self about our Bustle which
you saw in the news papers but my
dear Girl it's all a Canterbury tale. the
Soldiers were called out by a drunk
custom house officer but our Adjutant, seeing
the affair called the Soldiers away and
so ended this great Scotch insult upon
the Mayor & City of Canterbury, but instead
of doing harm the Mayor and
Aldermen in a body thanked me for
the Good behaviour of our Men, not
only in that instance but for the whole
time they have been here. I am sorry that
you think the Kitten little the better of
Buxton, she certainly did not give it a fair
trial & shall be glad her Father allows
her to go back again this Season
please my Compliments to her & tell her
to keep up her spirits & eat plenty of Milk
& bread (is not that kittens food?) and she
will do well again. whats become of her
Brother & Sister as you did not mention them.
I do begin to think it's not in my Power
to give over writing what a size of a
letter is this, a good example is a good
thing I hope you'll follow this one, but I shall
soon see whether you are pleased with
me or not, by the quickness & length
of your next Please make my best respects
acceptable to Mrs- Hamilton, Margate is
a good place for her to prepare for
Buxton next Spring, I am sure I am not
in the least selfish in this advice but
my dearest Mary believe yours most affectionately- -- William Napier
quotations, spellings, uncorrected forms, split words, abbreviations, formatting)
Notes
Metadata
Library References
Repository: John Rylands Research Institute and Library, University of Manchester
Archive: Mary Hamilton Papers
Item title: Letter from William Napier (later 7th Lord Napier) to Mary Hamilton
Shelfmark: HAM/1/19/18
Correspondence Details
Sender: William Napier, 7th Lord
Place sent: Canterbury
Addressee: Mary Hamilton
Place received: Northampton (certainty: medium)
Date sent: 27 August 1772
Letter Description
Summary: Letter from William Napier [later 7th Lord Napier] to Mary Hamilton,
concerning her wish to learn Latin. Napier writes thanking Hamilton for
telling him of her secret of studying Latin and assures her that he will not
tell anyone but notes that he would have attempted to dissuade her from
doing so if he could. The language, he notes, is not ‘only tedious in taking
up years but when acquired of very little use to any body but those who[s]e
employment are what is called the learned professions [...] and all the
books in that language proper for your reading (for many are very improper
for Lady’s) are translated into english’. Napier continues that as she is
determined to study then he advises that she keep it secret from her friends
and from everyone else. A learned woman, Napier writes, ‘is most commonly
looked on as a great fault even by the learned’.
Napier also writes that he has got a copy of Mrs Elizabeth Carter’s poems
for her. He concludes his letter on the subject of a newspaper report about
an altercation that some of his regiment were involved in at Canterbury. The
bustle was minor and caused by a drunken custom house officer.
Dated at Canterbury.
Length: 2 sheets, 1312 words
Transliteration Information
Editorial declaration: First edited in the project 'Unlocking the Mary Hamilton Papers' (Hannah Barker, Sophie Coulombeau, David Denison, Tino Oudesluijs, Cassandra Ulph, Christine Wallis & Nuria Yáñez-Bouza, 2019-2023).
All quotation marks are retained in the text and are represented by appropriate Unicode characters. Words split across two lines may have a hyphen on the first, the second or both fragments (reco-|ver, imperfect|-ly, satisfacti-|-on); or a double hyphen (pur=|port, dan|=ger, qua=|=litys); or none (respect|ing). Any point in abbreviations with superscripted letter(s) is placed last, regardless of relative left-right orientation in the original. Thus, Mrs. or Mrs may occur, but M.rs or Mr.s do not.
Acknowledgements: Transcription and XML version created as part of project 'Unlocking the Mary Hamilton Papers', funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council under grant AH/S007121/1.
Transliterator: Cassandra Ulph, editorial team (completed 11 December 2020)
Cataloguer: Lisa Crawley, Archivist, The John Rylands Library
Cataloguer: John Hodgson, Head of Special Collections, John Rylands Research Institute and Library
Copyright: Transcriptions, notes and TEI/XML © the editors
Revision date: 2 November 2021