Thomas Beddoes to Davies Giddy, 15 June 1793
Bristol Hotwells
15 June 1793
Dear Giddy
Considering the kindness you expressed in your late letters & your —’s ready compliance with my request, I must seem ungrateful or at least inattentive in not <sooner> continuing my history, as you both desired. I know not whether it is a sufficient excuse to say that I have been traversing England & Wales in order to secure a subsistence at least – To a certain degree I have succeeded; & if your favourable prognostications concerning my success in the practice of medicine shd be realised, I think I may succeed in my present pursuit. I was in hopes of detaining the object of [xxxx] it in England; but she told me early in our intimacy that she thought it prudent for people that liked each other to separate for a time in order to try whether the sentiment is durable. She has also in view to improve herself in the useful art of housekeeping, for which purpose she is to have by her father’s & mother’s consents the management of his large household in Ireland – These & other good reasons render her inflexible upon this point; & as I cannot but approve the motives, it is impossible not to esteem her the more for her firmness. The father intends, as far as he decently can, to put her in the way of Irish Lords, Squires, Captains, &c &c. But I do not think I have any thing to dread but untoward <external> accidents. I conclude so entirely from her conduct; I have no wish to extort any thing like a promise; such a bond ought never to keep people together, if others be relaxed or broken. Indeed I cd not do it; & I shd only ruin myself in her esteem by any thing like an indirect attempt of this sort; & very deservedly – I expected as much ingenuousness as I have found, but in so very young a person placed in a situation altogether <new & somewhat trying> I did not expect such perfect discretion.
According to the best calculation I can make I may possibly want in the next & the following year more money than I can in conscience take from my friends, relations, &c. Besides what I expect from my father I have other contingencies of from £3000 to £6000 each; & judging from the ordinary motives of men there is scarce a possibility of two of the parties altering their wills – the third cannot, being only tenant of an estate for life. I do not think I can want in <those> two years above £200 & if I live I shall infallibly be able to repay the money – if I die I will leave a written requisition to my sister who will not fail to do it, as she will step into my place & become a considerable heiress – Upon these grounds I do not feel any humiliation in asking you, if you will lend me the above sum, if I shd want it & if another person who must be made acquainted with the transaction shd consent to borrow it – & I assure you I shall not feel at all hurt if you shd decline the proposal, being in all cases practically persuaded that the askee has as good a right to refuse as the asker to ask –
My late letters have been so full of <more> interesting matter that I have not had room to say that I have prosecuted my ideas on consumption & have found them to answer so well that I (with 3 other friends) have taken an house & set up an air-apparatus here – I have scarce been here a fortnight at a time but have had a fair pat[MS torn] The apparatus is just upon the point [MS torn] being completed & I have it in complea contemplation to undertake several incurable diseases <besides consumption>. I intend to send you 50 or 100 copies of the Letter to circulate as widely as you can: & if you can with decency & propriety make me known to any native or natives of Bristol, pray do – I wish you might be able to come here for a week or fortnight when my apparatus is set to go – How shall I send you the copies?
Yours faithfully
Thos Beddoes
Address: To / Davies Giddy Esq / Tredrea / Marazion / Cornwall
Endorsement: Dr Beddoes / 1793 / June the 15th
MS: Cornish Archives MS DG 41/28