Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Marry by Elizabeth Essex

Author:Elizabeth Essex [Essex, Elizabeth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-03-20T07:00:00+00:00

Lady Greer Douglas

Dalshee House

Perthshire

16 April, 1790

My Dearest Lady Greer,

I stand rebuked. And rightly so. I fear I had some of the zealotry of the convert in my last letter. I hope you will forgive my fervor for agricultural improvement, for which I suffer great abuse from my friends, who all pursue far more classical intellectual studies—Alasdair reads Latin and history in preparation for the law and government, Archie pursues the written word as if it were game, and Rory refines his already exquisite taste with more study of medieval art and architecture, while also adding some elements of the up-to-date science of chemistry for reasons none of us understand. All of them disparage my agronomy as dirty and grubby but have little understanding of all the science—the breeding of strong seed and stock alike—that will revolutionize farming, which I esteem as the backbone of all Crieff’s estates.

I do realize it is more than a little ridiculous to study farming from the ancient, medieval halls of the university, so far from any actual fields, but I must hope that the base of knowledge being pounded into my thick skull will eventually see me in good stead upon my return to Crieff.

I hope this letter finds you and your family in good health and good spirits, and that your spring lambing season goes well. Pray do keep me informed so I may have the benefit of your practical advice to weigh against the latest theories. You shall keep my feet upon the ground far more successfully that any of my friends.

As a token of my penance, I send with this letter all my esteem and devotion, along with an armful of Scots kisses—less refined, you may assume, than the Italian—but all the more passionate in their honesty.

I remain your devoted friend, EC

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