LETTER LI 93 



to sum up the Character by saying, in short He is the Gentleman. 

 I don't know whether You, who was always averse to a Dis- 

 tinction of Place's being made a Distinction of Merit, will be 

 satisfied wfch this Corollary ; but I can assure You, it was, in the 

 Sense of Him who used it, as perfect and compleat a One, as 

 any of Euclid's. 



You are vastly soUicitous, & very kindly so, about my having 

 a Horse this Winter. I made an Enquiry of Pierce Clay, when 

 I was in Town, & so did my Bro:r Tom, who wants to make a 

 Purchase ; but either he was ignorant or would not do Us Service 

 in this point ; he said there was Nothing to be got worth crossing 

 under a great Price ; & several other discouraging Speeches. 

 Yet I am not without a Horse, for Sr Phil : Musgrave has lent 

 me an old Horse, a Bone Setter, for the Winter : the Creature is 

 of use to me, tho' an indifferent Beast. My Hay, which but for 

 You would have been given away, has lasted me 'till this week. I 

 cannot say that it was hearty, but wth the Help of Corn the Beast 

 has done my little Business upon it. I have new laid in half a 

 Load at three Pound ten Shill : pr Load, which is not ye greatest 

 Price in our Cutthroat part of ye World. I believe it is very 

 good. But by the Time that ye Pleasure of riding comes, I must 

 I'estore my Horse & be left destitute, having no Hope of fitting 

 myself in Town, & chiefly for this reason because I have not one 

 Friend who understands any thing of the Matter. Tom does not 

 stand in my way because I would not buy so tall a Horse as he 

 chuses ; for I would not exceed fourteen but by very little. 



We all thought that this winter would have robb'd us of my 

 Grandmother Thomas ; She has had a hard struggle for Life, but 

 is again out of Danger ; She bears up at her Time of Life against 

 more than a Younger Body could do. My Father is mending, 

 I hope, but he will never get over that Stroke, it has alter'd his 

 Look, & he does not feel in his Limbs on the Side affected so 

 quick as on the other. I hope Mr White is recovered entirely : 

 his was a more tractable Illness, tho' severe, than my Father's. 

 You doubted about his recovering his Hardiness & I am afraid 

 this Winter has shut Him up. Ned has been wth Me these 

 Holidays, He continues to complain in Town of Pains & Sick- 

 ness, but seemed to be quite well while he was here, which 

 makes me hope that his Complaint is partly Vapours & partly 

 mismanagement. Dr Napier is not of Opinion that he has ye 

 Stone. Miss Young is gone to spend the Holidays at her 

 Brother's in Hertfordshire, but we shall assemble together by 

 the 15th of next Month which is ye Bishop's wedding day. Mr 

 Hubert asked me when I wrote to You, & desired that You 

 would put Gibson in Mind that he promised Him some Cocks, 

 & if he does not send 'em he shall look upon it as an Impeach- 

 men of his Gun, & set him down as a Spoiler of old Proverbs. 



