38 ^ LETTERS TO GILBERT WHITE 



in a Lady's Eyes, who must confess myself no accomplish'd 

 Cavalier ! 



I don't know when I am to expect that your Western Rambles 

 will be over, but I hope to see You & hear You describe the Scenes 

 of Devon. Besides I have much to enquire of my old Friend 

 Nathan.* I could wish to see his Family, I am sure He becomes 

 it well ; I never knew a young man of a better Turn for domestic 

 Enjoyments. Pray give my Love to Him, let Him know that the 

 wind has blown so contrary, that I dare not yet put out upon my 

 Venture with the little Frigate which He remembers at Bath, & 

 which I desired Him to keep clear of. 



I look upon the Son of Copper to be my own Dog ; You have 

 described Him so well that I can claim Him ; a Handsome idle 

 Dog is just fit for me, for He has ye Task of recommending 

 Himself to ye Ladies upon his Hands, & I think those are just 

 ye Qualifications. Such a One would be admitted into a Bed- 

 chamber, while the Gravity & Philosophy of a Fresco would 

 be confined to ye Straw. We generally seek with greatest 

 Eagerness after those Things which we do not really want ; so 

 I must insist upon it that young Copper be well made for 

 Travelling, tho* I am One ye least likely to put Him to it. 



Mr Pelham is building a Belvidere on purpose for your seeing ; 

 I hear that Lady Suffolk's Marble Hall is ye genteelest Cabinet 

 in England. You know you never saw St Ann's Hill & Cooper's. 

 Mr. Waller's at Beconsfield where I dined lately wth Mr Young, 

 is one of the finest Places that I ever saw, but it is a great way 

 off, I don't promise to go there, but recommend it to You when- 

 ever You travel to London by ye Oxford Road thro' Wickham &o : 



You tell me that You saw my Father at Oxford : Do You 

 know that I went as far as Maidenhead wth him, & that I should 

 have been strongly tempted to have come as far as Oxford to 

 have met You there? But You don't tell me of Tom Mander 

 & ye rest of ye Orielenses ; whom You found, & whom You heard 

 of : An Oxford Scheme wth a female Party is what I have set my 

 Heart on. I will endeavour when You come to Sunbury that 

 You shall not be quite solitary. Perhaps Heck may be come 

 from Canterbury & will like to visit some of ye Parts of this 

 Inland World, in Company with one who can make such just 

 Remarks as so great a Traveller as You can certainly do. At 

 present I go on in a way which I do not like : I wish we 

 knew what would please us, so well as we know what does not. 

 I love ye good Hearts of ye People of Sunbury, but I cannot say 

 that their Company fits me : I grow old by it too fast, but I don't 

 grow wise enough. As to money affairs, my Heart shrinks 



* Nathaniel Wells, an Oriel contemporary, at this time Rector of East 

 Allington, near Kingsbridge, Devonshire. 



