[From Letters of Bishop Hildesley]

Letter LXXXIX

Bishopscourt, Feb. 11, 1771.

By the return of the courier om Saturday we received a copper pot, 4 hundred of quills, a pint of ink, and a pound of apologies, instead of half an ounce of solution of a strange phoonomenon, which has puzzled and still continues to puzzle Hetty's and her brother's joint wits to account for. That you should hastily and inadvertently open a letter that did not belong to you was neither strange nor unaccountable; and which we know you so apt to do that my ingenious folder has of late usually separated your letter from the rest, by placing in a distinct fold of the cover from those designed for the post: which she believes she omitted to do the last time, and for one that is ready to fall upon the first that comes to hand, it might easily have happened to have been to an old Lord or a young Lady, and when discovered that Dear Molly cannot mean Dear Phill, 'tis only changing the mitre for three cats and set it ageing again and all's well. And, among friends, I see no great matter in it, or what need to give vexation on either side. But that, when you had found your mistake, you should deliberately, with your eyes open, take out the enclosed from the Frank, and instead of replacing it, send it to pay double postage, which the cover it was in was intended to prevent, in what I defy all the wits of Bishopscourt and Sherburn together — even including those of the two Ralph conjurors — to account: for! To take out a letter from a frank case, placed there purely out of civility not to make the Dean pay double postage, and which I had told him I should be careful to avoid by sone means or other, and this to make room for yours, for which there was no sort of occasion, Can all this be a blunder fit for me to apologise to the Dean for? It would be full as proper to send him the shilling I cost him, That you might open a letter not for you, with your eyes shut, I can conceive, and that is going pretty deep too for a solution. thus far, but for the rest — after your eyes were open, and you had time to look about you, that you should not seal up again immedintely what you had hastily opened and restore or leave the enclosed where it was placed, The more I think of it the more I am amazed. I want no apologies, If through absence of thought you had hastily opened them all, I would not have cared a pin; you have taught me to know your turn that way, and you have my general dispensation, and pardon for some time since. But the present case, with all its circumstances, I don't believe it in the power of the wise Wilson of Peel to solve. As to the Dean, for me to tell him I was desirous to save him double postage, but that my worthy agent, thinking he was well able to pay, was resolved he should pay 1s. for it; no, sir, I shall say no such thing. As I have been, so e'en let: him be puzzled about it. and be fishing in his own mind for a solution. For I think if I could unfold the riddle to him it would be wrong to make any excuse about a twelvepenny matter. What, he may most wonder at must be that, though I know he is no peer, and consequently that letters can't pass free to him, I should yet honour his letter with a case. And he must e'en wonder on; for I shall not and indeed cannot unwonder him. And so much for this wonderful wonder of wonders that ever was wondered at. And I pass to another, viz., the Manks poet. It may be a curiosity so far as he has gone, but I don't know what end it could answer for him to take up his time, and encouraging him to proceed, unless it can be supposed to equal the rest that are done, which if you compare his C Psalm (159) with that in the book, the difference is great, I am told. I thought I had told you in my last (for I had meant to do it) that I had sent to Liverpool for the crockery part, and the directions I sent you were for the tin part only, which when done as desired might be returned to me hither. I have been thinking, whether 'twould not be as well for Kelly to stay with you till the whole is completed, for if he was the press (sic), we could have none of the work here till all was printed and bound, unless the Bible was to be in two parts, but as that is given up let it be considered which will be most advisable, for him, to go over with what is done, or stay till the whole is revised nnd corrected, and then make one going serve for the whole (160). This, I say, may be considered of. I had sent the small books by Cottier, but as you seem so eager as to send a horse for them as soon as they were here, I thought they might as well go all together Can't the Sergeant send a custom horse with the first goods that come from Liverpool, which I expect soon? and the horse in return may bring these books, for which it shall not go as for another turn; which I believe any of them that have two due would not dislike

My sister has been very near losing her favourite maid Peg, with a quinsy with which she has been some days confined, and very near going off with it. It has broke at last, and she has got some ease, but extremely weak for want of sustenance or sleep.

Mrs Curghey too has had some fainting fits and Mr Wilks sent for express, but she did not faint for good and all, and is got to rights again. There's no believing how near her end till it comes in earnest. How does your principal caretaker do? Has she recovered the use of her limbs? It has been a sore bout with her, sure! Nothing more at present from your equally fallible Brother and fellow servant,

M. Sodor & Mann.

Since I wrote the above old Key brought me yours of yesterday's date, enclosing two from Statham containing nothing but intelligence of two small paper parcels and a small box

I hope all the books here sent you by the bearer will come safe to your hand.

The Psalms are safe at Ballaugh, but do not come with the books, and so must stay for another opportunity. I have heard it said 'tis a good thing to be related to an estate be it at ever so great a distance. Thus great accession of fortune, I doubt will carry this fortunate good man away from Manksland. Perhaps he may go to Air, to settle in that attracting place.

Mr Clucas was here to dinner, and just. gone to take up his residence at his temporary curacy. The old lady there is very feeble, had two fainting fits, and Mr Wilks sent for in great haste, but is revived again, but I believe I said as much before in the former part of this.

You herewith receive a general amnesty for all errors, blunders, or mistakes, as well as an indulgence for time past, present, and to come.

I could indeed acquaint the Dean that my worthy agent, Mr Moore, of Douglas, had got a trick of hastily opening letters that did not belong to him - a habit which we hope' he will master. But as he has not yet helped me to account for his having taken out the Dean's letter from the frank cover, and instead of replacing it to go free he chose to put it into the post to pay double I shall and can say nothing. Unless it be to tell: the Dean you will pay him the shilling postage whenever you see him.

Pray let me ask whether you are clear that by the Law of Scotland, in case a man die intestate, that only one and not the rest that are equal in blood has a right to the deceased's whole fortune. In England I know sisters or brothers' children come in for an equal share. How could the news so soon reach Douglass? Mr Durie could scarce be capable of writing the particulars from Edinburgh and therefore I suppose he must have it in the letter he received with notice of his uncle's death.

I suppose you have more copies of the young Manks genius's poetry, so I have not. returned what you sent me.

(159)—Evidently someone, now unknown, who was translating the Psalms into a Manx metrical version. :

(160)—Kelly crossed to Whitehaven, where the Bible was being printed, with the MS. from Deuteronomy to Job inclusive om the 17th of March following, and was shipwrecked in a storm. "With no small difficulty and danger the MS. was preserved, by holding it above the water for the space of five hours and this was almost the only article saved" (Hildesley's Memoirs, p. 231).