Nathaniel Neal, Million Bank, London, to Philip Doddridge, Northampton, 17 July 1750.

July 17, 1750.

Dear Sir

         Your favour of July 14th from Yarmouth is before me, and as you make no mention of it, I suppose my letter wrote (I think) ye 5th instant directed to you at Mr Wood’s at Norwich never came to your hands. In that I mentioned ye receit of the MSS Expositor; & my design of going to Tunbridge Wells, wch in order to have the pleasure of seeing you. I have sent off to this day fortnight; otherwise had gone on Sunday sennet [sennight]. Mr Basker has also ye same place in view, tho’ not quite so early, from whence I form a secret hope, especially as Rev. Littleon is there already, & Mr West’s is 1/3d of ye way, of drawing you down after us. 

         I heartily rejoice in your having made so agreeable a Tour with ye Ladies. The constant stream of happiness they afford you is no doubt the reason that you politely give these friends whom you see only occasionally a momentary preference. For that you dare not say any thing to the disadvantage of the Sex, I have ye most recent proofs in ye accounts you have sent me of Lady Huntingdon.

         The great wheels of ye London Academy are yet to be provided; a fund, Tutors, Pupils. When I find they agree in the second, & have raised ye first, I shall think they may possibly surmount ye difficulty of ye 3d  Till then, I shall have my doubts, tho’ I make ’em known only to you.

         You say I have not power to settle you in London, but I hope I shall have power to bring all your annual visitation of your friends here a little earlier in ye year; you drive it off so late till we are literally burnt out, & hardly allow us ^not^ to retreat into ye Country till all others have been there so long, that there is hardly any fresh air left for us. Why is it that you devote to our use only dog days, when we are willing to devote ye best of our time to you? But to be serious. I must beg you will spend either Saturday or Lords day Evening ye 29th instant with me at Clapham. I’ll fetch you to Clapham after you have preached, or bring you to London in order to preach, according as you fix ye time. For I want to injoy you a little alone, & to talk with you abt a philosophical Assistant Tutor. Could you find one yt wod suit you? Pray turn it in your thoughts before I see you, & favour me with a line wn I may expect of your Company, because Tuesday ye 31st I go to ye Wells. Accept our united Salutns & believe me Dear Sir

                     (tho in haste)

                                 Most faithfully & affectly Yrs

                                             Nath: Neal

Million Bank

July 17th 1750

Address: To | The Rev: Dr Doddridge | at his house | at | Northampton

Postmark: illegible

Endorsed: Mr Neal | July 17. 1750 – [not in Doddridge’s hand]

Text: Aberystwyth University Library, Special Collections, GB 0982 ML/1/6/12. My thanks to William Hines, formerly Information Services Departmental Fellow, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, Wales, for sharing images of these letters with me as well as backgrounds on correspondents and named individuals. MS was not known to Nuttall; the letter appears in Nuttall's Calendar (1977) but only from a printed source, Thomas Stedman's Letters to and from Dr. Doddridge (Shrewsbury, 1790), p. 393.