Dealtry, William
Hannah More to Marianne Thornton, 28 January 1819
Two mornings successively I have set aside for answering your letter with one or two others, but from breakfast till now when the dinner is almost ready, I have had a number of visitors one after another till I lost my patience as well as my time. However tho I have lost a few minutes (for an inflammation in my eyes prevents my doing any thing by candle light) I snatch up my pen, as perhaps you may be waiting for an answer respecting , thus he spells his name.* I am however not well qualified to give an opinion as I do not know him at all. I believe him to be a very pious young /man/ of the Calvinistic School. But he is an Irishman with all the warmth and impetuosity of his country. I should be grieved to say any thing that might be injurious to a deserving Man but it /is/ my private opinion that he would not be well calculated for the temperate zone of Clapham. He has got himself into two or three little scrapes and tho I really am inclined to think he was not the aggressor yet the habit of getting into scrapes generally indicates the want of a cool temper. If Clapham was an obscure Village I should not have said a word of this, as few villages are perhaps better supplied but he does not stay long in a place I observe. I should /think him/ not fit for so enlightened – would say critical congregation as Clapham. Pray present my best regards to Mr. Daltry* and tell him I begin to fear I must wait till we meet in a better world before I shall /enjoy/ that long indulged wish of making his acquaintance I entertain better hopes as to seeing you and your admirable friends if it please God to spare me till the Summer I beg my most affectionate respects to them and love to dear who is to be of the Barley Wood party.
Hannah More to Marianne Thornton, 28 January 1819
Had I written a few days ago I could have given you a favourable report of my .* but she has had another of her alarming attacks in the lungs and is just now now faint and weak. I thank God, who is always better to me than I deserve, that I have been tolerably for some weeks. Your account of the increasing excesses of the Baringites is shocking.* I begin to think now that the worse they are the delirium they have excited will be the sooner cooled. What between the blaze of these new lights and the frost of the worldly clergy our poor church is sadly threatened. I would not send off this which I cannot ever look over but that to morrow there is no post, and Mr. D. may be in suspense. has been false-hearted, for I thought he would have looked in upon us again. I rejoyce is so popular. He cannot be more so than he deserves. if he woud talk more he would be perfect. I am glad his rare talents have such a field. I am afraid tho, that it is a weedy, tho far from being a barren field. I long to know whither the School for the Sons of the great at which sent me the prospectus prospers, if it does I shall hail the omen for poor Ireland. I grieve for dear illness. I do love her. I am glad you nursed her so kindly
Hannah More to Marianne Thornton, October 11th 1819
I have received about a hundred letters full of kindness and condolence, and many of them, of piety – but I have felt myself utterly unable to answer them – You will be so kind as make this true apology to any friends who may think themselves neglected. My health has been very bad, and neither body or mind has yet made much progress, the former I hope is most in fault, for I bless God my mind is I trust unrepining and submissive, but it is still very weak. I am forbid by my to see company, for which I am thankful as I have no heart to see any but two or three particular friends in my own room – for talking brings back the complaint in my chest. Your excellent Mr. Dealtry kindly promises to come to see me from Bath – I hope it will not be till I am much better, as I should be sorry to see him only for an hour in my chamber which is all I can yet do. It is grievous too that and should be at Clifton at this time – It is many years that we both looked forward to seeing those dear friends for a few days, and [deletion] now I can so little profit by their neighbourhood is painful to me.
Hannah More to Marianne Thornton, December 4th 1819
Thanks for your very kind and interesting letter. We were all deeply affected with and all the circumstances which accompanied his introduction into his sacred Office.* May he, in living and preaching be the exact representative of his excellent . Such fathers as his and have left a high Standard to which I trust it will be the study and the delight of the children of both families to act up. It is a great thing even where we cannot say we have altogether attained to be always pressing forward. I doubt not I shall admire Mr. Dealtry’s Sermon* as I do every thing that comes from his pen, his head, and his heart. I should be sorry if they had diluted it. I do not approve of that prudence which is apt to put ‘trop d’eau dans le vins de peres.’* In my poor judgment it is not easy to be too strong on the delinquencies of the present times – When we adopt excessive moderation to the few we are guilty of cruelty to the many – I should prefer the Sermon glowing and animated as you heard it, to the more lowered cautious production, after it had passed thro the hands of the nibbling and lapping critics.