H CABLE Y CHURCH IN GILBERT WHITES TIME. 



LETTER VII. 



TO THOMAS PENNANT, ESQ. 



THOUGH large herds of deer do much harm to the neighbour- 

 hood, yet the injury to the morals of the people is of more 

 moment than the loss of their crops. The temptation is 

 irresistible ; for most men are sportsmen by constitution : and 

 there is such an inherent spirit for hunting in human nature, as 

 scarce any inhibitions can restrain. Hence, towards the begin- 

 ning of this century, all this country was wild about deer-steal- 

 ing. Unless he was a hunter, as they affected to call themselves, 

 no young person was allowed to be possessed of manhood or 

 gallantry. The Waltham blacks at length committed such enor- 

 mities, that Government was forced to interfere with that severe 



