12 LETTERS TO GILBERT WHITE 



was SO melancholy ; I honour the poor old Gentleman for what 

 He has done for You, & long to have a more particular Account : 

 We are all here got into Mourning upon the Death of my Uncle 

 Donne ye Prebendary of Canterbury whom you have heard men- 

 tion of. In a week's Time I propose setting out for Oxford & am 

 afraid I shan't meet You there according to Promise. The Place 

 will be mournfuU without You, therefore make what Hast You 

 can: yet I fancy You will hardly leave the Parts You are in, 

 without making a Visit to Stamford, & then I suppose you will 

 cross away to Hampshire, where your Brother Benjamin told 

 me You was expected : I communicated the Contents of both 

 your Letters to Him, & find I have fresh Obligations to You, for 

 You use me better on this Point than You do your very Brothers. 

 I walk'd a Turn in ye Park with Jo Warton about a fortnight 

 ago, & that was all I saw of Him, so I suppose He return'd to 

 Hampshire ye Day after : I find He is to try how He likes the 

 Curacy of Chelsea, which is just resign'd over to Him by Charles 

 HoUoway, if You know such a Person, & I beleive you must, 

 because when I mention your returning to Town, He desir'd I 

 would bring Yon with me to dine with Him. My Sister had a 

 Letter from Jenny Warton, & She mention'd Jo's Intent of 

 settling for some Time at Chelsea ; but I shall be at Oxford first. 



You are nearer ye North than We, so I shall not tell you 

 about the Rebells : there is Talk of a Prize being taken off Cales 

 that is worth a million of our money, & Mr Young has some 

 small Hope that his Son may be concern'd in the Capture ; but 

 this, as Swift says of ye new-christen'd Child, wants Confirma- 

 tion. — John Bosworth's eldest Brother is dead ; whether this will 

 affect the Election I can't tell, but I do wish I could see Him a 

 Partner with his Father, as his Brother was, which I believe 

 would be an Advantage to Him & to Me too. O Gil ! the 

 Thoughts of the Election are as bad as the Thoughts of a Bide. 



I am oblig'd to You for putting the finishing stroke to your 

 poetical Performance, of which You gave me a Hint whilst You 

 were in Town. I can easily discover which were breath'd out in 

 the pure air of Selbourne, & which in ye Fens ; tho' I don't mean 

 that they are tainted, for the Conclusion is as charming as ye 

 Beginning : I fancy my Sister sung herself into Six Lines, when 

 You was in Town last. I assure you, without Flattery, that they 

 are very much, & very justly admir'd. They are truly poetical, 

 because truly natural. Yet I think there are two Places which 

 are not so well as ye rest ; the first, three words seem to be 

 rather forc'd in, & I had rather my Face had wanted that Share 

 of ye Compliment, than that "Foe to Guile" had finish'd ye 

 Line. The Second ; I think You are rather too circumstantial 

 in your Description of our London cream. These are all that 

 struck me upon reading over often & often your very obliging k 



