| Sender Location | 3 Great Marlborough Street |
| Transcript or Index | 3 Great Marlborough Street
July 11th
My Dearest Eleanor
The principal reason for my dining at home yesterday was that I might have devoted the Evening in communicating my sentiments to you at some length on the subjects contained in your two last notes, but when my sister informed me of your intention to drink Tea with her I preferred having the pleasure of your society to writing, and consequently put off my letter until this morning. The occupation of writing is generally most irksome to me, but as I have perceived you are at present in too delicate and nervous a state to converse cheerfully on those points upon which I should wish to convey my sentiments, I willingly use this means of communication. I beseech you to receive them as an earnest of my sincere affection, and in the same temper of conciliation and true friendship that was evinced by both of us yesterday. Your opinions have been given to me with amicable frankness and candour, and at the impulse of duty, in the same spirit I hope to deliver mine.
An explanation from me is indeed the more necessary as you have unfortunately <though naturally> mistaken my sentiments on the important subject of religion in consequence of the perusal of those letters I put into yours hands. Your last letter convinced me that we perfectly agree on the essential points – in placing our only hope of salvation on the infinite goodness of the Omnipotent through the merits and redeeming love of our Saviour! I had at the first concluded these to be your Sentiments from the perusal of your recorded opinions and especially from many parts of Coeur de Lion, but you will pardon me if I tell you now, that I had improperly imagined from one of your letters, sent to me in the country as well as from an expression in that of July 8th and from parts of one or two of our conversations that you did not admit so distinctly as I could wish the intercession of our Saviour. As this is the ground of my Faith which has been conveyed to me in our most excellent Liturgy, you can well conceive <that> the base apprehension of a contrary reliance being entertained by the friend with whom I had the prospect of passing the remaining portion of my life, gave me inconceivable pain. Great therefore was my joy on reading in your letter of yesterday a positive avowal of your “strong faith in Christianity”.
Having my faith grounded as I have said, it would surely be my duty to evidence it by living as far as I could in conformity to the directions contained in the Sacred Scripture <especially those given by our Saviour and his Apostles>, and you must allow me to illustrate my sentiments with regard to my practice <towards others> by making quotations from the Bible, though I entirely agree with you in thinking the frequent unnecessary quotations from that Sacred volume are injudicious. The texts I allude to are “What doth the Lord require of thee O Man but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly before thy God” “Do unto others as ye would they should do unto you” “Commit thy ways unto God” “Love one another”.
An obedience to these injunctions would surely prevent me from <every desire> to judge others, and I have before said, if I know my own heart I have not the least disposition to do so, but acting under the influence <which> our religion imports I hold it my indispensable duty, to refrain from associating with either an infidel or an immoral person, nay more to abstain even from perusing their works however <high> may be the conviction or reputation of the writer. I rejoice that in our country the fullest permission is given to every denomination of Christians to exercise their own religion and even go farther than you <probably> would expect in being a <humble> Advocate for Catholic Emancipation. This leads me to the mention of Lady L.B. and the persons whom I have been accustomed to meet in her circle. They belong perhaps to what is termed the Calvinistic part of our Church. To these doctrines however I do not and cannot assent. I admire the zeal the goodness and the philanthropy <of this party> but cannot go the length of thinking others are necessarily wrong who happen to take a different view of Christianity from ourselves. To her Ladyship’s [?]kindness I owe much, and I trust shall ever acknowledge my gratitude. From the Books she put into my hands I was certainly induced to read the Scriptures more attentively (in fact daily), and thence I received through the blessing of God stronger grounds of hope in his divine mercy and goodness – and additional motives for endeavouring to follow the excellent precepts of Christianity to those I had previously entertained. I also feel a peculiar interest in the endeavours which this kind Lady and her friends <with many others who do not coincide in their religious sentiments>, are making to disseminate the Scriptures among the Sailors and Soldiers, having witnessed not only the great want of such means of instruction but the benefit to be derived from it – and when I bring forward my invaluable friend John Hepburn as an instance in favour of the latter consideration I am sure you will join your assent to mine. He has often assured me that in his conduct he was influenced by a sense of duty which the Scriptures had taught him. With respect to your having to associate with the Lady, <or any of those persons to which I have alluded> believe me I should never ask that of you, but I hope you could <not> wish me to be so ungrateful as to separate myself entirely from her society, or to withhold my assistance from the objects she has in view respecting my profession, as far as they appear well grounded, moderate, and perfectly consistent with our Church Establishment.
Now let me state my sentiments with regard to the observance of Sunday, which I hope will not startle you though I confess your admission of being “half a Catholic” on this point did me. I think with you that this day is not to be a reason of privation and penance, but as you say of rest, relaxation, of divine worship, and of innocent recreation. The only difference then between us if any does exist, consists in the qualifications we give to relaxation and innocent recreation. In reference to the first point I conceive we are commanded not only to abstain from our ordinary occupations and pursuits but from every other employment which may tend to remove entirely the devout impressions we have received during our attendance on the divine worship. With this view I should desist from following pursuits that I did on other days, though they might be <innocent> and unobjectionable – except there was a necessity for my acting contrarily. I should not travel, or at any rate set out on a journey, neither should I give a party except to a few branches of my family. In the two latter considerations I am influenced as much by what I conceive to be a duty towards my servants, as my own obligation. They at least should not be deprived of the means of attending the services of religion if they choose which either travelling or the preparation for a longer drive must necessarily occasion. Masters & Mistresses incur a great responsibility I think if they prevent their servants from going to a place of worship; and perhaps if they do not urge them to that duty and I can hardly think them free from blame if by following their own ordinary pursuits they teach their servants lightly to regard that sacred day. David you will remember prayed “that he might give occasion of falling to no one.”
Within the scope of innocent recreations I certainly include the society of your friends & agreable conversation, though I should prefer if the latter did not so generally turn on the amusements and trifling occurrences of the week and above all of it was free from the discussion of the foibles or follies of our acquaintances. Your friends I should think are generally too intellectual to fall often into these discourses and this remark might perhaps have been spared. I must add however that much as I shall rejoice in seeing you surrounded by your literary circle, and heartily as I should welcome them as friends of my own, I should be sorry to find this day appointed for ever their meeting, for though the topics they would discuss would doubtless be perfectly innocent and agreable – yet the very pleasure that I should enjoy would have the effect of making me forget the duties of that sacred day. You justly remark that the feeling on religious subjects depends much on constitution and the course of our education, and perhaps truly infer that you and I have not been cast in the same mould. I sincerely hope however that as you say – “our opinions and habits will become in a great degree assimilated”, if they are not at present which I trust will be found to be the case after you have read this letter. Your mind I am aware is higher endowed than mine, and stronger and you have perhaps searched deeper into these important points of Christianity than I could attain. I have sought earnestly in the Scripture for the grounds of my faith and hope, and the result of my enquiries <whilst it> has given the greatest conviction of my own unworthiness, has <also> afforded me the fullest confidence in the divine goodness and mercy, if I follow the means he has approved for Salvation. This hope I need scarcely repeat to you has been my support on the most trying occasions and I fervently pray it may continue to sustain me and you, until our eyes are closed on this world.
I entirely agree with your commendation both of Shakespeare and Scott’s works. Who indeed can deny their containing perfect lessons of morality? The former was a masterly pourtrayer [sic] of the human heart and none can read his works without deriving benefit. I should not however select either of these Authors for my perusal on the Sunday, because I should prefer at that time to read Books that were not only replete with morality but also with Christianity. Do not suppose that I mean to say <that> either of these works are destitute of Christianity, but that it forms a less prominent feature in them than in other books I should choose to peruse. The remark respecting the Lady to which you allude deserves some notice. My observation was excited by her choosing to stay from Church, and employing the interval of service in reading Scott’s novels. Can you approve of such conduct?
You seem to feel that I have hitherto shunned all opportunity of becoming acquainted with your friends, and even go farther and express a doubt that I should not be inclined to welcome them. Pray dismiss these sentiments as unjust towards me, and permit me to ask you what opportunities have I had of getting known to them since any intimacy has been so generally known that it would have been prudent to have introduced me as your friend?- or whether you have ever expressed a wish before that I should become acquainted with them? Believe me I shall be most happy to know them as soon as you please, and be assured you will find me ever ready to give them the most cordial welcome under our roof. You are aware that I am reserved towards strangers, but I sincerely hope they would not imagine from my manner at the first, that I should ultimately be wanting in friendship towards any whom you recommend to me. I fear you even think me unsocial, if this be the case let me beg of you to remove this impression – No person enjoys society more than myself nor does anyone more cheerfully partake of innocent mirth, and though I cannot join in a Quadrille, it would <give> me great pleasure to see you and your friends doing so, or in following any other amusement that might suit your taste. As to conversation the habits of my profession may have unfitted me for entertaining it in the lively manner many do, but this rust I hope will soon wear off under your tuition and example.
I am rather in a scribbling humour though it be past midnight. The approach to the bottom of the paper however bids me wish you good night. There is another remark of yours has just struck me – “Remember that there is no nourishment in pepper”, the application of which I cannot admit. The emotions I then had were indeed strong. They afforded me the greatest consolation at the time, and thanks be to God continue to do so.
Ever yours affectionately
John Franklin.
P.S. I should like to know how far your entiments coincide with mine on the points in this letter, when it suits you to write, and probably you would at the same time say whether you have fixed any period for the happy day. |