Description
[004652] Burdett, Francis; Bentham, Jeremy. Autograph Letter Signed from Burdett to Bentham. Wiltshire: No Publisher, 1819. First Edition. 8vo. Unbound. Letter. Signed by Author. Good. Single sided autograph letter signed, with conjugate ‘envelope’, approximately 180mm x 220mm in size
Lightly creased from old folds, very lightly browned, a couple of closed tears around old seal, catching a couple of letters, but with no loss of sense, dated in pencil in another hand to top right hand corner, with address of Bentham and drop head title in ink to final leaf
Dated October 4th, 1819, and sent from Burdett’s family seat, Ramsbury Manor, it deferentially invites Bentham to spend some time at Burdett’s house, addressing him as “My very worthy Master”, and promising Bentham that he will “endeavour to make everything as agreeable and convenient to you as I can, you shall have a vibrating room for yourself and room next to it for your scribe, you shall come out when you please and remain alone as much as you like, in short you shall do just as if you were at home, and no one will ever ask any questions – In short you shall be perfect master of your time and actions”. Burdett notes at the foot of the letter that “Bickersteth [Henry Bickersteth, later Baron Langdale] is I hope coming perhaps you may journey together”
Burdett and Bentham were regular and long term correspondents. It was probably this letter which elicited the response by Bentham to Burdett [Letter 2565] printed in Conway (Ed), The Correspondence of Jeremy Bentham, Volume 9 January 1817 to June 1820, page 356. “Much Esteemed Disciple, Man proposes: God disposes. In the event of a removal, I have all along had it fully in contemplation to profit by thy kind invitation last year signified; but Providence has ordained it otherwise. The cold weather is now come: to my weak eyes the heat and light of an ordinary fire are altogether unsupportable. I have here, as thou mayest perhaps remember, an apparatus for keeping the seat of my meditations in a state of moderate warmth, without visible fire. At Ford Abbey I had an apparatus for that same purpose: otherwise I could not, as in winter I did, have sojourned there. The produce of thy fields arrived here in safety: it hath assisted me in the support of my mortifications. Forget not the children of men: wicked and ungrateful as they are, keep thyself for their sake. The Hermit of Queen’s Square Place. Given at this my hermitage, this 5th October, 1819″
