Flaxman-1-2

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Nov:^r 27 1794: N:^o 420 Strand

My dear Sir

We feel ourselves extremely gratefull for your kind wish to recieve & entertain us at the Muses Seat, believe me wished to recieve [sic] your hospitality as much as you could to bestow it, but you know my dear Sir that the carefull discharge of our general duty sometimes perforce teaches us to abstain for a time from the company of our most beloved friends, that when the meeting comes it may be the Sweeter – this & this only was our Motive in not coming instantly to Eartham, if your goodness understood that motive in its true Sense.

I have been seeking for a house amongst other employments, but for the present have not been able to suit myself & I apprehend my resource must be to get into the best situation I can find for the present, untill I can find premises exactly to my liking by the means of public Advertisement.

You will believe me when I tell you that I love your son as tenderly as you can wish for Yohis father’s sake & that nothing would be likely to improve that love but the intimate acquaintance

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of his admirable qualities, & now that you express your so serious an intention of placing your little good boy under me it is necessary that I should explain my intentions concerning him, when he is under my care my first object will be to preserve his mind in his duty to God & his Neighbour, which cannot fail to form a good citizen & give his Mind sufficient Strength & resource for happenings under the various attacks on his peace which he must meet with in this world — with respect to instructions in the arts of design, I shall only consider his Good, & instruct him in those sound principles which cannot fail of laying the foundation for an excellent practice

I will If it is agreeable to you he shall live with me & have his own lodging room, he will fare as we do, & you shall pay only what I lay out for him in these particulars, without putting you to the charge of keeping a floor & maintaining a Housekeeper — If you prefer his living out of the house you can accommodate him on your own plan & I shall only require his regular attendance - in this case you are well aware that I can only be answerable for him, whilst he is in my sight. When the Muses Child comes to town, we hope that

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he will recieve [sic] the Most cordial welcome in the Sculptor’s dwelling, & the longer the Honoured Bard stays under the same roof the greater his welcome will be — but a reason exists in London which will I fear make any attendant upon my young friend, impracticable, in my house; I was not aware of this reason when I troubled you with my last letter. I hope I have no need to say how much any little [sic] information I can give immediately in the province of my own Art will be at your service — but I believe I can likewise promise to procure for you any information, which I am not Master of — pray Accept the kindest wishes of my dear Wife & Father

with those of
Dear Sir
Your most obliged
& obedient Servant

John Flaxman Jun

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William Hayley Esq:^re
Eartham
^near Chichester