The Letters of the Duke of Wellington to Miss J., 1834-1851: Edited, with Extracts from the Diary of the LatterWellington, Arthur Wellesley, Duke of
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The Letters of the Duke of Wellington to Miss J., 1834-1851: Edited, with Extracts from the Diary of the Latter
Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, Duke of
Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, Duke of, 1769-1852 -- Correspondence
"In the Duke's next letter, dated Nov. 15th, he writes--'I have no
recollection of having failed to write an answer to any letter of
which you desired to receive an acknowledgment.
"'I receive thousands of letters, a vast proportion of which I am
under the necessity of answering, and I am of course desirous of
avoiding to write more than is necessary; particularly to a person
so particular as you are in respect to the forms and contents of
the letter addressed to you.'
"The Duke's next letter is evidently an angry one. It is dated Nov.
21st, wherein he writes--'I have received your letter of the 17th
Inst. in which you have enclosed certain letters which you have
written to Sir Robert Peel which I return! I am not the Post Man!
nor the Secretary of Sir Robert Peel nor your Secretary!'"
Miss J. retained a copy of her answer to the last.
November 25th, 1849.
MY LORD DUKE,--Your unmerited angry letter astonished me
inexpressibly, being a reply to one as kind and affectionate as
my heart could dictate. Nor had I the most remote intention of
taking the unwarrantable liberty of considering you in either of
the characters you mention, but simply in that of a valued and
beloved friend whose kind advice I was desirous to receive before
taking a step which I had feared may otherwise vex you. This
feeling my Letter to Your Grace plainly expressed, nor could I
have believed after such affectionate disinterested devotedness
to you for the last sixteen years such a simple confidential
request would meet with the answer received. That letter, as is
my custom in the time of perplexity, distress and trouble, I
prayerfully spread before The Great "Lord of lords," beseeching
Him to undertake for me, showing me how I ought to act under such
circumstances, relying upon Him accordingly. Since then I made an
attempt to address you not wishing you to remain ignorant of the
safe arrival of those enclosures, but had I been given worlds I
could not proceed. Consequently I laid aside my pen, fancying The
Lord did not mean me to write at all. However, finding myself
this morning thus influenced, I purpose, if HE permit forwarding
what I write, promising should it be His good will and pleasure
ever to allow me to intrude on Your Grace again, to procure such
paper, etc., etc., as you require, apologizing for any _apparent_
want of respect on such points, which, loving you as I have done,
I did not consider was expected. But as "it is written," "Honour
to whom honour," I shall sedulously avoid every repetition of the
kind, such being the command of Him "with Whom is no
variableness, neither shadow of turning," "Who is the same
yesterday, to-day and forever," consequently One I must ever love
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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