Friday Decr. 16th

Bummy wdnt go at first—settled that she wdnt: and I ran up stairs in an in-disposition. Presently up into my room came Bummy. She wd. go. I had been walking up & down, in my dungeon building mood, half resolving not to go with her on Monday for fear of — --?-- My resolution is not to be tried. We went. The rain & mist did all they cd. to drive us back, when we had travelled half way; but they missed their object. I argued so logically & entreated so persuasively that we went en avant!— Bummy was supererogatorily civil to Mrs. Trant, & wd. call on her. Half an hour’s boring. And then on to Miss Steers where Bummy wished me to go in & hear the preliminaries. Went in. Miss S disinclined for Ireland. On Annie’s account I am glad: on no other. She would be an excellent governess. She unites a very active & cultivated mind, to agreable ladylike manners, & many accomplishments. Arabel drove me to Ruby Cottage, & returned to Bummy after a few minutes warming. Mr. Boyd pleased to see me. A very happy two hours visit! I read to myself some extracts from his translations & letters against Exley, in the Methodist magazine; and begged him to let me take the book home.[1] Granted—tho’ I am so careless!— He does not like the idea of our going to the isle of Wight; because he does not like the idea of crossing the sea. “Unless you wish to go there yourself, do try & prevent such a plan.” “I assure you I do not wish to go there. I wd. rather go anywhere where you wd. go!—” He certainly means to be with us wherever we go!—

Got home thro’ wind & rain & darkness. Papa not angry. Miss — — —. What was I going to say? They called me down to tea, & I forgot!--

1. The Methodist Magazine for the year 1818 (London, 1818). H.S.B.’s translation of St. Basil’s Homily “On the Faith,” with a covering letter, appeared on pp. 248–253. A letter from H.S.B. on the Creed of St. Gregory Thaumaturgus appeared on pp. 434–436. Further letters from him, on the subject of the Eternal Sonship, occurred on pp. 196–202; 254–256; 257–260; 333–335; 335–338; and 338–340. This last group of letters expressed criticism of the views propounded by Thomas Exley in his pamphlet A Vindication of Dr. Adam Clarke, in Answer to Mr. Moore’s Thoughts on the Eternal Sonship of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity (Bristol, [1817]). Exley dealt with H.S.B.’s letters on pp. 67 ff. of a further pamphlet, Reply to Mr. Watson’s Remarks on the Eternal Sonship of Christ; and the Use of Reason in Matters of Revelation. … To which are Added Remarks on Mr. Boyd’s Letters on the Same Subject in the Methodist Magazine, (London, 1818).


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