42 LETTERS TO GILBERT WHITE 



spent at Mr. Young's at Hampton; So She has been within 

 my Beat ; but alass, by the Time this reaches You, She & my 

 Girl & Mr Young will be all going to Town ; & I am within View 

 of another solitary & tedious Winter. But I will not trouble You 

 wth my Sensations upon that Occasion, only to let You know 

 that it would be a friendly Part to help to make them lighter, 

 by promising to support my Spirits with your Company. I must 

 let You know one thing, which is, that You have not now the 

 squeamish Excuse for not going to King Square Court which 

 You used to threaten my Father & Tom with : for they have 

 virtually made You a Visit. Upon your Invitation at Oxford, 

 both my Father delayed his Journey to Twywell & Tom 

 sending his Mare to Grass when ye Circuit was over ; & were 

 in Expectation of a Notice of your being at Home. But some 

 Time after I let them know that You was in Devonshire ; and 

 they accordingly alter'd their Schemes. I hope by this Time 

 the other Eeason of their deferring their Visit to another Year, 

 ye wedding, is over ; or at least in great Forwardness. I take 

 part in the Satisfaction of the Family on that Occasion & heartily 

 wish all Prosperity to your Sister.-'' When this Affair is over, & 

 the Bride gone Home, I hope You will think of Me. I shall not 

 be so cruel as to confine You to Sunbury ; we will go to London. 

 Miss Hecky has two or three new Songs, (one or two Italian) : & 

 our Catches increase. But I will not tempt You by selfish Views, 

 but pique your Generosity, by assuring You that I at least shall 

 be happy while You are wth me. My Father is as yet in 

 Northampshire, but will soon be at Home : Tom & Pressy are 

 in Town. They were wth Us for a few Days lately at Hampton, 

 & on Tuesday last we all went to a Ball there, when we danced 

 away wth great Glee, 'till a Fracas happened, when two Gentle- 

 men fell to ye modern genteel Art of deciding Controversies, 

 bruising : which frightened the tender Spirits of Heck & Pressy, 

 that ye Joy of ye Night was over, & succeeded by Headachs 

 &o : &c : 



When we go to Town You will have a new House to visit at, 

 & that is little Poet Harman's. The Life of that Man is very 

 much like ye comical Tragedy of Pyramus & Thisbe. His Horse 

 died ye same Day his Mistress was buried. He celebrated his 

 Horse in serious Heroicks, & his Lady in an Elegiac Song which 

 goes to a ridiculous Tune : which Pieces He produced wth a 

 grave Face, & first cried and then laugh'd over. Himself. Miss 

 Bright left him all She could, & amongst the rest some Household 

 Furniture : upon which He took a House only to hold ye Goods, 



* Miss Anne White was married a little later (Jan. 6, 1751) to Thomas 

 Barker of Lyndon HaU, Rutland, a man of some note as an astronomer and 

 mathematician, interesting himself also in natural history observations. 



