HAM/1/19/57
Letter from William Napier, 7th Lord Napier, to Mary Hamilton
Diplomatic Text
[1]
35th-
Edinburgh Novr, 12th 1773 X
Before I anʃwer My dearest Marys letter
just recieved without a date I must
thank her for the Poems & ring which
came ʃafe to hand a few days ago
the Ring was immediately ordered to dis-
lodge my other ring & to take poʃseʃsion
of my Left little finger where it is
to remain barring accidents till I
make my exit to another world wh-
I am in hopes will not be in a hurry
& shall be extremely glad to shew you it
fifty or Sixty years hence. As to the
book I am extremely ʃorry that you
should have taken so much trouble
about it as Killarney[2] did not deserve so
handʃome a binding whatever ye Village[3]
did, but tell me was there no Vanity in
it to let me know that none but yr-
bookbinder was capable of doing
a book so well, if there was I give you credit
for doing but Justice to your bookʃeller
as I own I know none that binds half
so neatly as he does & was it not for the
expence of carriage I should most cer=
=tainly employ him from this --
Be aʃsured My dear Girl that we are
quite satisfied with your manner of
expreʃsing your thanks for our joint
advice without your studying to make
use of any other expreʃsions than what
your good heart has dictated in yours
& believe me the first thoughts in those
matters are com̅only the best that
can be made use of and had not
you deʃired us to give it you, it would
mnot have come into my head to have
offered it, especially as I never made
the least doubt of you[4] prudence
nor do I imagine there was the least
reason for it, but as you deʃired it,
it was my duty to give my best advice
& be aʃsured it came from my heart
most ʃincerely and as it pleaʃes you, it
has anʃwered my intentions entirely
& tho you had not wrote the half about
it, believe me My dearest Ward that I
never even thought to see you metamorphosed
into one of those Characters, but only
discribed them to the best of my judgement
to you as I am ʃure you had not been
used to see them, but you have laid
down the best rules I know off to guard
yourself from becoming such an Animal
in yours, that it would be preʃumption
in me or indeed in any body to ʃay any
more on the subject to one so capable
to guide herself as you are, from what
you ʃay on the Subject, and remember
my dear Girl, to whom much is given,
much is expected a young Lady endued[5]
both by Nature and Education and has
profitted so much by reading as you
have done ought to be doubly carefull in
every transaction in life as the Eyes
of her whole acquaintance are upon
her & Envy is so com̅on a Vice in this
world that nothing would give so great
pleaʃure as seeing an amiable, sensible
well educated young Lady fall into a
Scrape, what a triumph for the giddy Miʃses
of the Age to see a ʃencible Woman in
an embarraʃsment /as a modern novell
writer ʃays/ which is not uncommon.
especially in Love affairs, the best way to
escape them is always to be on ones guard
& not to be aʃsamed to acquaint ones friends
& take their advice on every transaction
of consequence that may fall in ones way.
do not think I am raising objections you
remember when & where the word was
made use off and on what occaʃion
that is very far from my thoughts as I
think no Woman can be really happy
without doing her duty & anʃwering the
intention of her coming in to the World
& without marriage its not to be done
but then a Lady ought to be cautious
never to enter into engagements wtout
the conʃent of her Parents & friends
& not to let bashfulneʃs hinder her from
acquainting them with every offer
she may get & she will always have
the ʃatisfaction to think that she has
acted right whatʃoever should be the
consequence I dont mean by this
that she should implicitly take the Man
her friends deʃire without conʃulting
her own Heart, for should that not agree
I should fear greatly for her Happineʃs
I shall ʃay nothing about the Stowe
jaunt but that I am happy to find you
was pleased on yr return home its
the properest place for a Lady to be
fond of whether it be with Parents
or with a Husband, the old Proverb is a
good one, Home's home should it be
never so homely, and the properest
place for the Earthly Angells to inhabit.
The thanks for the distinction and
Honor &c I thought had been banished
from the point of your pen, and
that no such stuff should ever be
mentioned The Picture shall be
received with pleaʃure when it comes
and I shall always reckon the obligation
on my side without giving you the least
credit for the above nonʃenʃical (a
Thompʃonian word) words so adieu for
some hours as I am obliged to go abroad
about buʃineʃs -- The Good Colonel I
have ʃeen & who inquired much after
you & told me he heard you was married
to your vis a vis Mr --- , that mistake
I cleared up & told him the truth but
as for the amiable & agreeable Capt. Price
The Clever Mr Thompʃon & the polite Mr
Egerton I know nothing of them nor have
not so much as heard their name men=
tioned, if I ever ʃee them I shall write
you my opinion of them but I think
its more than probable I never shall,
as I seldom keep Company with officer of
the Army in this Country unleʃs I knew
them formerly & now I'll have leʃs
connexion with them as I am ʃelling
my Commiʃsion in the Greys being
tyred with being a Stroller about the
Country & of spitting over a Bridge in
a Country Town to devert myself when
the Good people of the Town wont speak
to one for fear of our carrying off
ʃome of their daughters. Lady Napier
has been confined to her room & Bed
with a very ʃevere Cold & Cough for ʃome
time past, but to day is a good deal
better & I hope she will now get quite well
again ʃoon. do not from what I have
ʃaid imagine I have quitted the Army
no, no, thats not my deʃign I shall continue
Deputy Adjt, General for North Britain
and my Rank in the Army still goes on
but whither I ever will again enter
into actual Service is not poʃsible
for me to ʃay as time only can make
that appear -- Lady Napier & my Young
Folks join me in best Wishes to you
& Mrs- Hamilton & pray do not forget
me in the best manner to Mrs-
Rogers poʃsible tho you dont mention her
in your last I take that to be yr fault as
had she known you had been writing
I make no doubt but she wd have sent Compts-
I hope Cloe, Fanchon & Fairry are all
in good Health tho you do not mention
them -- Remember me to Mr Hope I
know nothing for certain abt his friends
but only conjecture as I never have heard
them mention him. Adieu My dearest Girl God bleʃs
you &c &c
red text is normalised and/or unformatted in other panel)
Notes
1. Extracts from this letter appear in Anson & Anson (1925: 24-25).
2. This probably refers to ‘Killarney: A Poem’, written by John Leslie and published in 1772.
3. This possibly refers to ‘The Deserted Village’, a 1770 poem by Oliver Goldsmith, which was on at least one occasion printed in the same volume as Leslie's 1772 Killarney poem (see W. Appleby's General Catalogue of New & Second-hand Books from 1826).
4. Apparently an error for your.
5. ‘To invest with a power or quality, a spiritual gift, etc. Often in passive to be endued with = to be possessed of (a certain quality)’ (OED s.v. endue | indue v. 9a. Accessed 21-01-2021).
Normalised Text
Edinburgh November 12th 1773
Before I answer My dearest Marys letter
just received without a date I must
thank her for the Poems & ring which
came safe to hand a few days ago
the Ring was immediately ordered to dislodge
my other ring & to take possession
of my Left little finger where it is
to remain barring accidents till I
make my exit to another world which
I am in hopes will not be in a hurry
& shall be extremely glad to show you it
fifty or Sixty years hence. As to the
book I am extremely sorry that you
should have taken so much trouble
about it as Killarney did not deserve so
handsome a binding whatever the Village
did, but tell me was there no Vanity in
it to let me know that none but your
bookbinder was capable of doing
a book so well, if there was I give you credit
for doing but Justice to your bookseller
as I own I know none that binds half
so neatly as he does & was it not for the
expense of carriage I should most certainly
employ him from this --
Be assured My dear Girl that we are
quite satisfied with your manner of
expressing your thanks for our joint
advice without your studying to make
use of any other expressions than what
your good heart has dictated in yours
& believe me the first thoughts in those
matters are commonly the best that
can be made use of and had not
you desired us to give it you, it would
not have come into my head to have
offered it, especially as I never made
the least doubt of you prudence
nor do I imagine there was the least
reason for it, but as you desired it,
it was my duty to give my best advice
& be assured it came from my heart
most sincerely and as it pleases you, it
has answered my intentions entirely
& though you had not written the half about
it, believe me My dearest Ward that I
never even thought to see you metamorphosed
into one of those Characters, but only
described them to the best of my judgement
to you as I am sure you had not been
used to see them, but you have laid
down the best rules I know of to guard
yourself from becoming such an Animal
in yours, that it would be presumption
in me or indeed in any body to say any
more on the subject to one so capable
to guide herself as you are, from what
you say on the Subject, and remember
my dear Girl, to whom much is given,
much is expected a young Lady endued
both by Nature and Education and has
profited so much by reading as you
have done ought to be doubly careful in
every transaction in life as the Eyes
of her whole acquaintance are upon
her & Envy is so common a Vice in this
world that nothing would give so great
pleasure as seeing an amiable, sensible
well educated young Lady fall into a
Scrape, what a triumph for the giddy Misses
of the Age to see a sensible Woman in
an embarrassment /as a modern novel
writer says/ which is not uncommon.
especially in Love affairs, the best way to
escape them is always to be on ones guard
& not to be ashamed to acquaint ones friends
& take their advice on every transaction
of consequence that may fall in ones way.
do not think I am raising objections you
remember when & where the word was
made use of and on what occasion
that is very far from my thoughts as I
think no Woman can be really happy
without doing her duty & answering the
intention of her coming in to the World
& without marriage it's not to be done
but then a Lady ought to be cautious
never to enter into engagements without
the consent of her Parents & friends
& not to let bashfulness hinder her from
acquainting them with every offer
she may get & she will always have
the satisfaction to think that she has
acted right whatsoever should be the
consequence I don't mean by this
that she should implicitly take the Man
her friends desire without consulting
her own Heart, for should that not agree
I should fear greatly for her Happiness
I shall say nothing about the Stowe
jaunt but that I am happy to find you
was pleased on your return home it's
the properest place for a Lady to be
fond of whether it be with Parents
or with a Husband, the old Proverb is a
good one, Home's home should it be
never so homely, and the properest
place for the Earthly Angels to inhabit.
The thanks for the distinction and
Honour &c I thought had been banished
from the point of your pen, and
that no such stuff should ever be
mentioned The Picture shall be
received with pleasure when it comes
and I shall always reckon the obligation
on my side without giving you the least
credit for the above nonsensical (a
Thompsonian word) words so adieu for
some hours as I am obliged to go abroad
about business -- The Good Colonel I
have seen & who inquired much after
you & told me he heard you was married
to your vis a vis Mr --- , that mistake
I cleared up & told him the truth but
as for the amiable & agreeable Captain Price
The Clever Mr Thompson & the polite Mr
Egerton I know nothing of them nor have
not so much as heard their name mentioned
, if I ever see them I shall write
you my opinion of them but I think
it's more than probable I never shall,
as I seldom keep Company with officer of
the Army in this Country unless I knew
them formerly & now I'll have less
connexion with them as I am selling
my Commission in the Greys being
tired with being a Stroller about the
Country & of spitting over a Bridge in
a Country Town to divert myself when
the Good people of the Town won't speak
to one for fear of our carrying off
some of their daughters. Lady Napier
has been confined to her room & Bed
with a very severe Cold & Cough for some
time past, but to day is a good deal
better & I hope she will now get quite well
again soon. do not from what I have
said imagine I have quitted the Army
no, no, that's not my design I shall continue
Deputy Adjutant General for North Britain
and my Rank in the Army still goes on
but whether I ever will again enter
into actual Service is not possible
for me to say as time only can make
that appear -- Lady Napier & my Young
Folks join me in best Wishes to you
& Mrs- Hamilton & pray do not forget
me in the best manner to Mrs-
Rogers possible though you don't mention her
in your last I take that to be your fault as
had she known you had been writing
I make no doubt but she would have sent Compliments
I hope Cloe, Fanchon & Fairry are all
in good Health though you do not mention
them -- Remember me to Mr Hope I
know nothing for certain about his friends
but only conjecture as I never have heard
them mention him. Adieu My dearest Girl God bless
you &c &c
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, 7th Lord Napier, to Mary Hamilton
Shelfmark: HAM/1/19/57
Correspondence Details
Sender: William Napier, 7th Lord
Place sent: Edinburgh
Addressee: Mary Hamilton
Place received: unknown
Date sent: 12 November 1773
Letter Description
Summary: Letter from William Napier, 7th Lord Napier, to Mary Hamilton, thanking
Hamilton for her poems and for the ring. ‘The ring was immediately was
ordered to dislodge my other ring & to take possession of my Left little
finger where it is to remain’. As to the book he is sorry that she took so
much trouble as he does not deserve such a fine binding.
Napier writes on the subject of marriage and notes that ‘no woman can be
really happy without doing her duty & answering the intention of her
coming into the World & without marriage its not to be done’. He advises
that women should be cautious and should not enter into an engagement
without the consent of her parents and friends. That she should acquaint
‘them with every offer she may get & she will always have the
satisfaction to think that she has acted right’. She should still consult
her own heart for if this is not engaged the hopes for her happiness will be
limited.
Napier also writes of his life as a soldier and that he is selling his
commission in the Greys as he is tired of being a ‘stroller about the
Country’. He also regrets that the ‘good people’ of country towns not
talking ‘to one for fear of our carrying off some of their Daughters’. He
does not want Hamilton to think that he has quit the army altogether. He
will continue in his role as Deputy Adj. General for North Britain but he is
unsure as to whether he will take part in active service again.
Dated at Edinburgh.
Length: 2 sheets, 1271 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: Tino Oudesluijs, editorial team (completed 20 January 2021)
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