AND THE REV. R. CHURTON. 205 



LETTER XII. 



FROM MR. CHURTON TO GILBERT WHITE. 



Brasen Nose, Oct. 14, 1787. 

 DEAR SIR, 



I OUGHT to have written to you sooner ; but, besides other 

 reasons, my cold was rather worse, either from change of wea- 

 ther or travelling, or both, and I was not willing to send you 

 an unfavourable account. I hope I can now truly say that I 

 am still better than when I left Hants, though my cough is 

 not yet entirely gone. I lost my way to Waverley as usual ; 

 but I did not much regret it. I endeavoured to cut off angles 

 upon entering the Holt ; and keeping a good look out for the 

 great oak, I found myself under it before I was aware. I 

 rode round it, and must confess it the largest by far I ever 

 saw. The nearest to it, but " longo proximus intervallo," 

 grows at Mar bury in Cheshire. Going on from the oak I 

 came to the Lodge, no very splendid house for a nobleman. 

 Here I got instructions from one of the servants, and pro- 

 ceeded without any more deviation to Waverley. I sheltered 

 once or twice for a few minutes in the Holt while a slight 

 shower passed over ; and the next day I stopt at Hartford 

 bridge (where I breakfasted) about two hours on a similar 

 occasion, and then got on safely to Caversham. Mr. Loveday's 

 cold, which had been better, was that day increased; but from 

 losing some blood twice since that, he is stronger, and his cold 

 much better. The next day was rather stormy; but by quick- 

 ening or retarding my pace, I slipt through the clouds without 

 getting wet, and got to Oxford in good time. The next day, 

 which was Saturday, not feeling very bold, I went in a post- 

 chaise to Williamscot; and good nursing and gentle rides, 

 though we could not procure a milch ass, soon made me 

 better. 



Oct. 15. On my road from Reading hither I saw martins 



