Letter from J Currie to Mr Greg

My dear friend

Your letter has arrived too late, for the
thing you dread has by this time reached you; and
in the state of your Spirits I cannot but fear
that it may have given you some uneasings.
I protest to you however that I wrote in the
Sincerity & Simplicity of my heart, and that I
have said all the ill of your Book that I
could, in obedience to your express commands.
What praise I have given it is incidental &
in some degree unintentional, and I could
have said much more in its favour without
the sacrifice of truth.

Tho’ I have criticised your stile in
the preface, yet I clear I think all the
faults venial; & the particulars into which
I have entered, have been given for the express pur=
=pose of drawing your attention to a considera=
=tion of verbal & minute nicities, which these
who are novices to the press, whatever their
talents may be, are never in the first instance
sufficiently attentive to.


p.2
Your preface was written in haste & under con=
=straint. I know it as well as if I had stood
by you. When you write freely & flowingly,
as you do in general in your letters to me, your
stile is almost always correct, & often very beautiful.
Many of your letters are fit for the press - &
there is one, (that describes the Society & manners
in the North of Ireland[?]) that I have actually
had thoughts of printing.

If you consider my censures as sincere,
you will I am sure give me credit for equal
Sincerity in my praises; and I am certain
the last are at least equally just.
Your secret is safe.

It would be a most mortifying thing to
me if the highest proof I could offer of my
esteem should occasion any [illegible] on
your part towards me in future; &
I rest with confidence that nothing [illegible]
ungenerous, and let me add, unjust,
will ever enter into your conduct.


p.3
As to the Cow-pox, I have only to say that
if I had a child to inoculate, I would
do it in the Ordinary way – and in
fact I inoculated my little Arthur lately,
knowing every thing I now know.

I wish you would send me a Copy of
Ferrears last Book. There are none to be
had here.

I wish you would
also [illegible, paper torn] to them that 20 or 30
Copies of any others he writes
would always find a speedy sale
here.

[illegible] my dear friend

Believe me always yours with the truest
esteem & affection.
J Currie
Liverpool
25 Dec. 98


p.4
Mr Greg
Manchester

This final page also includes two seemingly unrelated lists:

Miss Doxon
Bigby
Heywood
Haworth
Mrs Walford
Mary Addy
Currants
Anchovies


Repository
Pencil
Pocketbook
Drawing