One of Paley's pupils—Thomas Kidd—probably a member of the same family as the Writing Assistant, a family who had lived in the neighbourhood certainly since 1587—wrote from Trinity College, Cambridge, to the Vicar, the Rev. John Clapham, in 1792:
Revd. Sir,
I recd your Draught of £26 0s. 0d. April 19, 92. Mr. Jas. Foster left the University in March. I was very happy to congratulate him on his being elected Fellow of S. John's Col. by that respectable Society and I hope that he will be able to assert this honour legally x x x. I am sincerely sorry that the Governors are not pleased that I so long deferred to send a certificate of my residence, if it is an offence, it is involuntary:—and for the future it shall be sent in due time and nearly, I expect in the same formula. For what business have I in the country previous to "taking" my degree?
There aren't any I remember in the country, some here, who affect to despise what they cannot understand; such enterprising critics and fastidiously hypercritics, men of truly philosophical penetration—of a truly classical taste spurn aside the coarse beverage to be found in Gr. mss. scholiasts and various lections; but
ἀλλ' αἰδεσαι μεν ... ἐν λυγρῳ
γηρᾳ προλειπων ... μητερα
... ἡ με πολλακις
θεῳ ἀραται ζωντα προς δομους μολειν.
This appeals to the feelings: but we must attend to general consequences.
Please to present my respects to my worthy master Mr. Paley—let him know that we have this year gone through Mechanics—Locke on the H.U., Duncan and Watts, etc. Logick—Dr. T. Clarke and Dr. Foster on the Attributes, Mr. Paley's Moral and P. Phil.—Spherical Trigonometry—and are going to lectures in Astronomy—That I have written a Gr. Ode in Sapphics—that it has been examined—that I am advised to hazard it in the Lottery.
This year has been distinguished for remarkable events in the litterary world, wh our narrow limits will not permit us to mention.—The learned Dr. Parr began an edition of Horace—it will come out a 4to on Human Evidence—(a very interesting subject in Jurisprudence)—caused by a political frate.—Porson will vacate the University Scholarship next October.
I am your most obliged humble servant,
T. Kidd.