32 LETTERS TO GILBERT WHITE 



Opening of the Eatcliff Library) and ask'd me to be of ye Party. 

 Lady Musgrave & ye little Niece Betty are very well ; my Love 

 to Chardin, tell Him my Pulpit gapes for Him. And for You too, 

 good Sr, for when You chuse to come, you must come arm'd, 

 consider that You will make me idle, & therefore must supply my 

 Part. By what You said about the Leaf being out, I am not to 

 expect You yet, but send me word in Time and make your own 

 Choice of it : when the Family are here, as I beleive they will be 

 when ye Summer comes on a little, we shall have Room for You : 

 So choose what Time You will, or come now, and then too : I 

 shall use You quite en Famille. I hope your Family in Hamp- 

 shire is well ; my Love to Jack & tell me how Poetry goes on. 

 Where is Steward Harry ? My Compliments to ye Provost & Mr 

 Bentham, & all the Orielites whom I remember with fraternal 

 affection ; to Jennings, in Fact every Body You think will take it 

 in good Part, Mrs. Croke &c : &c : 



I am dear Gil, Yours sincerely 



J. Mulso. 

 Upon being disappointed of seeing Tom Mander at Sunbury I 

 wrote Him a little Letter, but I have neither heard of Him or the 

 Note since, I mean from Himself : That shatter-brain Toad drops 

 me : However remember me to Him, & tell Him if I come upon 

 this Scheme to Oxford, I shall absolutely expect a Bow at least 

 from Him for I desire to have ye Credit of knowing some ingenious 

 clever Fellows. 



Letter 20. 



Sunbury, 



Apl 11, 1750. 

 Dear Gil : 



I hope by this Time matters are well accommodated at 

 Oriel, and that the scruples of ye severe Youth are resolv'd before 

 the warm Eyes of Pol : Bull. You should have serv'd Him as ye 

 Enemy did ye superstitious Egyptians, and ranged all your Gats 

 against Him. As You have some handsome & some masculine at 

 College, half of them would have made his arguments unnecessary, 

 and half would have forct Him to drop them whether they were 

 or no. But seriously I hope ye Affair is settled, because I dare 

 say it causes a great deal of Uneasiness of Mind to ye Provost, 

 who has a sufficient Share of Suffering in ye Body. 



You are now I suppose to be found, like Cyrus, ranging your 

 Trees, and nursing your Plants ; I believe I should have said 

 like Laertes, because I recollect your great Partiality to ye 

 Odyssy : Yet I cannot think but, tho' there was more Simplicity 

 & Innocence in ye old King, yet Cyrus was ye finer Gentleman ; 

 BO I shall leave ye Choice of ye Simile, to be contested between 



