Bristol July 16th- 1784

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      Be assured my dear
Friend, I take the most lively interest
in all your concerns. Judge then how
very agreeable to me was your last
letter which gives me an assurance that
you are in a train to be lastingly
happy. How I rejoice in your joy! I am
impatient to know more, and could almost
quarrel with you for cramming so interesting
so important an information into so small
a compass; I don't wonder that this agreeable
meeting with the favoured Young Lover put the
old one as much out of your head as he
had ever been out of your heart, and yet I

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had some curiosity for the detail you
had promised me of the splendid offers and
pertinacious attachment of the poor rejected
Swain. But you now so engaged in happier
prospects that I dare say you have not only
forgotten his proposals, but almost his existence.
You have my hearty and warm wishes that
your present agreeable prospects may give
even more than they promise and that you may
enjoy with the Man of your choice (whom
I am prepared to love and esteem) all the
happiness that this world in its very best
estate can bestow, in waiting for that perfection
of goodness and of happiness which is not
to be found till we come to a better World.

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It gives me pride as well as pleasure to
be remembered by my Lord Stormont. He is
a little wicked though about Madame de Genlis
whom you saucily call by the name of
my friend. I do indeed admire her Talents;
I feel in my heart a natural propensity
to love ingenious persons with an Enthusiasm
which I am often, to my great sorrow, obliged
to lower considerably when I come to know
their private history. But can this Woman
be such an Advocate for Virtue, if she has
really no principles? and can I really be
such a fool to ask that question, I who
have read so many books written by people
whose whole liv es have given the lie to their
writings. -- Lord Stormonts subject of the Cloke

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would really be an excellent one, though I hope
not applied to this Lady, but to any hypocrite,
but then it must be written by a Man, for
there is a sort of writing which though very
innocent, yet requires a Spirit and a hardiness
which never sit well on a Woman; this in
my notion is the case with all satire and
all Comedy: You could not name to me one
of either of these however excellent that
I would wish to have written, no not to have
acquired the laurels, I don't mean of Juvenal
or Congreve, but of the most decent comic
or Satiric poet that ever lived
      Pray tell Mr. Walpole that neither the
outside nor inside of my head acquired any
thing by my stay at Oxford, and I came away
without either wig or Wisdom; but had it been

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otherwise I would have renounced all the
honours they have to bestow for the pleasure
of spending the day you describe at
Strawberry Hill. He is very good in his
generous wishes towards my poor Louisa
and pray tell him that I will thankfully
accept of him a guinea a Year, but no
more, towards her support. -- The unfortunate
Creature is much the same as usual, rather
better in health, rather worse in Mind --
      Pray let me know if you hear Miss Gregorys
marriage is likely to be forgiven, by Mrs. Montagu --
where she lives and what is her new name.
      Let me know if my dear Mrs. Vesey
is still in Town and how she does, and write
soon to your affectionate Hannah More

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I had looked out Mr. Walpole's sweet
Verses to send you, and now have
mislaid them --
Pray send the enclosed to Mrs. Ord