CORRESPONDENCE WITH HIS FAMILY. 109 



two or three nights and days, so that several of our hollow 

 Iniics became impassable. The turnpike thro' your village 

 must be a very pleasant circumstance, and prevent such in- 

 conveniences to which, I remember, in old days it was very 

 liable. I recollect to have heard Mr. Isaac say that they had 

 often been snowed up, and that he had shot woodcocks and 

 snipes from his bed-chamber window as they came to feed at 

 the fine perennial spring from whence y r parish * takes its name. 



Mr. Charles Etty left us last Friday, and went to his ship, 

 the f Duke of Montrose,' now lying at Gravesend, in which he 

 is soon to sail for Madras and China as third mate. The 

 wicked wood-cutters entered our hanger this day for the second 

 time in order to fell some more of our beautiful beeches. 

 Last year they cleared as far as the shop-slidder, and will 

 strip now as far as Hercules I If my niece does not come and 

 see the remains of that sweet pendulous covert next summer, 

 she will never be able to conceive how lovely and romantic it 

 once had been. Sam White is a very fortunate lad ; for not 

 long since the provost and fellows of Oriel elected him to a 

 good exhibition, founded by Dr. Robinson, B p of London, 

 which he is to enjoy for three years. I have just sent y r 

 father an account of the Selborne rain during last year : it 

 will again greatly exceed that of Rutland. 



S. White t has undertaken to translate the ' Prognostics ' of 

 the Greek poet Aratus into English verse ; it has never, it 

 seems, been rendered into our language, but was so admired 

 by the Romans, that Cicero and others thought it worth their 

 pains to give a Latin version of it for the amusement of their 

 countrymen. Virgil, I fear, that notorious poacher of every 

 thing that was elegant in the Greek tongue, has gleaned up 

 every fine image, and transplanted them into his ' Georgics.' 

 It is remarkable enough that there is now sitting at my elbow 

 an Oxford gent.J, who is deeply employed in making an Index 



* [Whitwell. T. B.] 



t [Samuel, Son of G. W/s brother Harry at Fy field. T. B.] 



| [The Rev. Mr. Churton, an intimate friend and correspondent of 



G. W. Many of the letters which passed between them will be found 



further on in this volume. T. B.] 



