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B to R 6 Jan. (B, VI, 49-57).
Richardson himself dates this letter of Lady Bradshaigh's in his answer to hers of 9 February. He continues their argument about "learning in women" and, quoting from her earlier letter, writes, "In your Ladyship's, of January 6, you say, 'I hate to hear Latin out of a woman's mouth . . .'" (B, VI, 79; cf., B, VI, 53). But considering that the complete letter (B, VI, 49-57) also contains the dates 27 Dec. and 28 Dec., one might wonder if this is not another of Mrs. Barbauld's composites. Fortunately, though, there is sufficient internal evidence to prove that it is not. As I pointed out earlier, the 28 Dec. section is a reply to Richardson's December letter about Miss Mulso. But the 6 Jan. section is also a reply to that letter. The passage Richardson quoted and dated as 6 Jan. is followed in Lady Bradshaigh's letter by a direct quotation from Richardson's December letter: "You say 'the men are hastening a pace into dictionary learning.' The less occasion for the ladies to proceed in their's" (B, VI, 53; cf., B, VI, 122). This establishes that the 28 Dec. and 6 Jan. sections are from a single letter written in reply to Richardson's of December. The undated section written prior to the one dated 27 Dec. also belongs with the 6 Jan. letter. A passage from the undated section and a passage at the conclusion of the 6 Jan. letter are both references to her 25 Nov. letter and obviously are replies to missing portions of Richardson's of December. The letter of 25 Nov. ends with a comment on the two plays of Richardson's friend, Edward Young. Richardson must not have responded as she had planned, for she writes in a paragraph prior to the 27 Dec. section, "I only meant to joke a little upon Dr. Young; not to be severe." Also toward the end of the 25 Nov. letter she asks Richardson not to "forget" her "poor Magdalene." In the penultimate paragraph of her 6 Jan. letter she writes, "I am afraid, Sir, I have given you too much trouble about the poor Madgdalene." These two passages unite the undated section and the 6 Jan. section as replies to comments Richardson must have made in December.
Richardson's Feb. letter, then, establishes the date of this letter as 6 Jan., and internal evidence establishes that though it was written on at least four separate days, it is a complete letter in reply to Richardson's of December.
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