LETTER XXXV ' %6 



cially from a Fall upon a Gallop. The slippery Turf deceived her 

 feet ; but whether She or I was most in fault I do not know : yet 

 up I got, undismayed, & did not dismount without a Gallop or 

 two more. Yet to say Truth it has made me the more inclined 

 to part wth her ; & yet I would not willingly lose my little Use, 

 which I have gained by ye Sweat of my Brow & the Loss of my 

 Leather. But I must hop on 'till Times mend, & I believe a 

 little more composedly. I am glad your Uncle has Hopes of me, 

 I should be glad to stand well in his Opinion in all Characters ; 

 but I must own, I still know when I am going down a Descent, 

 so that I am far from his good Opinion yet. If I should break 

 my neck at last, do me the Justice to inscribe ye stone wth — 

 magnis tamen excidit ausis. — To shew that I am no Flincher, I 

 ride tomorrow to Kingston to bespeak a new pair of Leathern 

 Breeches, having rode the last to pieces. 



Chardin Musgrave is here, & favours my Escape to Town next 

 Week. He gave a Sermon last Sunday & I beleive intends me 

 the same Favour next. I have reason to think that his Stock of 

 Sermons composed by Himself amount to four : I hope You beat 

 Him by this Time. I dare You to come & shew. 



Our Girls are clear that the affair between You & 07ie Jenny* 

 is quite serious. Missy & Johnshy are very fond of ye Thought, 

 being much taken wth the Lady ; but You was so grave wth me 

 in the Post Chaise that I dare not add to their Opinion any thing 

 but my Applause of the Lady. However that be, I dare say that 

 She is very instrumental in soft'ning the Eigour of your Oxford 

 Confinement, & often prevents your forgetting family Life. 



My expectation ventures out her Horns again, upon the fresh 

 Sunshine in our Family. Every Thing conspires to make my 

 Uncle as happy, as a Man ravished from his own Plan of Life 

 can be. The universal good will wth which he enter'd upon his 

 Post,t a Thousand Pounds a Year additional, & pretty certain 

 Hopes of greater Preferment, are pretty Alleviations of that 

 Circumstance. My wishes turn towards your Country, & I 

 declare to You I have a Meaning beyond Selfishness. I shall 

 have the Family a little nearer to Me in ye Summer now, as the 

 Bishop must take a House at Kew for the Summer. He lives 

 now at his new House in Soho Square. My Father is but just 

 come up from Northamptonshire ; a good Friend & a good Fiddle 

 kept him from us at Oundle beyond his usual Eustication (I had 

 forgot, that word has a bad sound in an Academic Ear). Miss 

 Heck who is become a Collar of Brawn, & asserts that I am 

 shapely, has got a new Cantata for You ; & if You come before 



* Miss Jenny Croke. 



t Dr. Thomas at this time became tutor to Prince George (afterwards 

 George III.) and his brother Prince Edward. 



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