“Dear William,—You and
your wife have been exceeding kind to young John. I hear
the youngest child is a fine boy, the eldest a poor little sickly girl. It was
your kindness and good intention to set him to work for himself, but what does
he do, or how is he to be employed? Is he industerous? He wrote me a very prity
letter some time agoe to thank me. I hope your wife is better of her rhumatism,
and the blister had a good effect. I prescribe it to everybody since you was
advised to it, for our country doctors have not found out a cure for it.
Miss Woodhouse have had it in her head all this winter
very violently, but I have not got her in the mind to try a blister. . . . He
has begun his shop, and has met with some incouragement, but when the weather
is bad and nobody comes his spirits flag, and he says he don’t care what
he doth if he could get a living. He wants a good wife to spend his vacant
hours with, but they are hard to find and he fearfull to try. How doth
John go on? I have heard he is out
of Mr Wright’s place again: he talked of advertising
for a place: he should not delay, but not quit his old one till he is sure of
another, for half a lofe is better than no bread. . . . If you live to see me,
I am brown, wrincled, week, my eyes rather dim, hands and head shake. . . .
Give my kind love to your wife. I hope she will excuse me, I cannot write to
her this time. If you and she can come to see me, set your time, for I live in
a barren land, but the
| 136 | WILLIAM GODWIN |
“Your brothers desire their best respects to you.”
