William Godwin: his Friends and Contemporaries
Ch. VI. 1804-1806
Ann Hull Godwin to William Godwin, December 1804
“Dear William and Mary,—You must excuse my
incorrectness in writing. I can scarce write, my memory is so bad. I can say no
more about Harriet than I have in a former letter. I am
the unhappy grandmother of such naughty children, and must say that the parents
are as much to blame as their children, for that they have set no better guard
on them, and instructed them no better, have Idled away their own time on
Sabbath days. . . . In answer to yours, relating to young
John, I’m much obleged to you that you show such
frendship to him. I purpose sending you and ![]()
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his father
and all of you equal alike, what I have scraped together with the utmost
frugality, and if you please to lay out for the tooles he wants, I will keep it
back out of his father’s and send it to you and am much obleged to your
wife for the regard she professes for your brother John, but fear most, if not
all, are so deep in debt as not to be the better for anything I can do for
them, am affraid that London streets will be filled with begging
Godwins when I am gone, but that’s not the
worst. Idleness is the mother of all vice, forgers, pickpockets or Players,
which I take to be very little better. Do you know of any of them that are
following the precepts of the precious Redeemer who suffered the Ignominious
deth of the Cross to save sinners from eternal death? I wish you to let me know
if you will lay out what I mentioned for young John by a
parcel we expect from Hannah. I
don’t know if it will be soon, but that’s no matter, if you set him
in a way of geting his bread. I shall send a few things for his wife against
she lies in, as a bed-gown, a decent shirt and shift. And if you can give 10s.
for interist of the £10 you have in hand for 4 yards of strong cloth for a
shirt, and get it made for him, there will be some left to mend it, and any
little old things for the child. I am in hopes it will not be ill bestowed, and
will be returned to you in better blessings than earth affords, for without the
Lord bless, vain is the help of man. I hope Hannah will be
wiseer than to make any entertainment this year, coles are 46s. the chaldron,
and 15s. carriage to Dalling. Hully
finds enough to do with all his industery. You will receive a turkey from me.
Don’t once think of sending me the least thing. I shall be very angry if
you do. I wish your happiness most sincearly. Hully, his
wife, and children are well. Their little one just begins to go alone, a year
and a quarter old. I would recommend you to get an oven to hang over the fire
to bake pudding and meat upon it. If you can get smal wood to burn on the top,
it takes very little fire under it. We bake most of our victuals so: it will
save many steps for yr. servants. Young Mr Raven is not
likely to live many days; no medican has been found successful. It would
surprise you to know how greedyly he swallows physic, so ![]()
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loth to die. They all think his mother will
loose her sences for him, she is shrunk with grief and fiteague in a surprising
manner, but, I am afraid, looks not up to the supreem being; reads the
prayer-book to him, but that’s all.—Your affectionate mother,
Hannah Godwin (d. 1817)
The younger sister of William Godwin; she worked as a dressmaker in London.
Philip Hull Godwin (1765-1852)
The younger brother of William Godwin; he was a farmer in East Bradenham, Norfolk.
Mary Jane Godwin [née Vial] (1768-1841)
The second wife of William Godwin, whom she married in 1801 after a previous relationship
in which was born her daughter Claire Clairmont (1798-1879). With her husband she was a
London bookseller.
William Godwin (1756-1836)
English novelist and political philosopher; author of
An Inquiry
concerning the Principles of Political Justice (1793) and
Caleb
Williams (1794); in 1797 he married Mary Wollstonecraft.
