LETTER L 91 



Letter 50. 



Suabury, 



Novr. 13, 1754. 

 Dear Gil : 



I should have been very sorry to have owed a Benefit to 

 your sufferings, & am very sorry to hear of your Accident. Such 

 unforeseen Casualties are a good Argument to give Us Courage 

 & Boldness ; for all the Precautions of the coldest Temper could 

 not have prevented such a Case as this ; & many Others as odd 

 happen to those who deny themselves a great & reasonable 

 Enjoyment of Life for fear of Dangers vyhich are more obvious. 

 I don't know Any Body who would have felt the Severity of 

 being a Cripple more livelily than Yourself, for if You once come 

 to Confinement You are gone. I look upon Myself to have many 

 more Femalities than You have, & 9,ra more likely to breed for 

 my Wife than You, & to relish the Comforts of a great Chair & 

 Candle. And if You don't make Haste to get me a Horse, I 

 shall be a more enervated Creature than I am now; & yet I 

 could be ashamed to tell You how much that is at present. I am 

 sorry that this Task gives You so much Trouble, & I'll tell You 

 how I will qualify the Matter to You. If Your Dealer is returned 

 & has not brought what You like, send me Word, & put a Stop 

 to your Search : then I will begin mine in Town, for this is 

 a very likely Time of the Year to get them good & pretty cheap 

 there ; But I must not be going to one Markett while You are 

 in Commission at another. 



I had not heard the Circumstances of Whiting's Death. I 

 hope the poor Man did not suffer much in it, tho' the Appearances 

 were so bad : I heartily wish that All Party Rage had died with 

 Him ; & that not so much because we have increasing Obliga- 

 tions to the present Family, but for a real Regard for the 

 University, which is in a very low Consideration for the Sake 

 of a Parcell of Fools who are a Disgrace to it in every View, & 

 are of the most contracted Hearts of any Set of Men that I 

 know. I am very glad that Dr Bentham is to have so long 

 a Grace, but do not see how it naturally comes to pass, & if by 

 an Interest it is a good Sign I hope that He is stronger in it than 

 I once thought. Will not This give Him a chance if the Provost 

 should die ? which, however, I wish otherwise, or does his going 

 to Christ Church take away a Claim to the Headship of Oriel ? for 

 I could not answer this to my Uncle who lately asked me about 

 it. How did Whiting salve to his Conscience the holding his 

 Fellowship six Years in Wedlock ?'•' Was this one of his indefease- 

 able Rights ? 



* This recalls the Cambridge story of a Fellow whose marriage was 

 unknown to his College, until one day an application was received from his 

 widow for a pension. 



