LETTER IX 13 



very ingenious composition, & these you'll not take ill that I 

 mention, if I know any thing of You, as I flatter myself I do. 



If You pass thro' London in your Eeturn, don't neglect King 

 Square Court, tho' I am not there : You will find many Admirers, 

 who lov'd you first for my sake, & now have a stronger Eeason 

 to do so. Either Saturday or Monday next at farthest will see 

 me at Oriell ; if You don't intend to come soon, at least comfort 

 me with Letters. 



I am, dear Gil : Your's sincerely 



J. M. 



Letter 9. 



To Mr Gilbert White King square Court. 



at Selbourne near Alton, Hants. May 28, 1746. 



Dear Gil, 



I return You many Thanks, & by You to the Rest of your 

 good Family for your very friendly and elegant Entertainment 

 both at Selbourne and Bradly. I desire your Father to excuse 

 ye Shabbiness of my Present which I took care to force upon 

 Him in Order to prevent both a Refusal and Thanks. Pray give 

 my best Respects to Niecy & tell her that I am still in concern 

 for her Turkeys & that every Cloud gives me a new Pain, lest it 

 should fly towards Selbourne and wash away Part of her nursery. 

 Having told you that I am here, I must now tell You how I got 

 hither. I believe You heard me set out, or rather was sensible 

 of my being turn'd off about half an Hour after three. Voil^ 

 ce que vous appellez, renovare dolorem. I squeez'd myself with 

 ye utmost Difficulty in betwixt a very fat & warm citizen and a 

 Woman of pretty equal Size (excuse the greasy & stinking Truths 

 that my unfortunate History obliges me to disclose & present to 

 your Imagination) and after rubbing my Eyes & yawning open my 

 mouth, the only Things I was at Liberty to stir, I disco ver'd 

 over against me two Gentlemen who confin'd between them a 

 good agreable Woman, who held at her knees and mine a pretty 

 little Girl of about five Years of Age, so that ye Coach might be 

 said to be full : You may imagine that ye Conversation was not 

 very lively at that Time of the morning, but at last we open'd, & 

 indeed had ye words past thro' a more agreable medium than 

 our very foetid atmosphere, they might have past for very agre- 

 able : I found two were rich merchants & the other a Clergyman 

 of Dorsetshire : They seem'd all understanding agreable men. 

 But alas neither the Conversation or ye Day which favour'd Us 

 extremely, was able to compensate for ye prodigious & constant 

 Heat that we suffered. I however arrived at last in Town, & 

 found all here well, except my Mother who is but poorly. Call 



