96 LETTERS TO GILBERT WHITE 



paultry Beason that holds good against the Schemes of us miser- 

 able younger Brothers, & which keeps me from Hampshire, where 

 I assure You I long to be. Our Ladies in Town, except Pressy, 

 are pretty well, & we talked about You, as usual, so I suppose 

 your cheek glowed ; we were to have had a ball at Pressy's, but 

 poor Girl She has been very ill & remains too weak to think of 

 such a Thing now. tho' her Spirits have their Flows, & then She 

 is for setting a Day. Miss Young lately gave One, but I was not 

 at it. Mr Young is very weak but otherwise pretty tolerable. 

 The Eussian Ambassador's Ball made the Town mad all last 

 week, it was infinitely brilliant. The French Ambassadour was 

 there, but shabbily dress'd, & the King took mo Notice of Him. 

 The Princes were there & outrageously happy. 



The Fear of the Fleet at Brest is over ; we have a great Force 

 getting in Readiness & the Sea Officers throng to be employ'd, 

 which is very pleasing to the Court. Captn Young has no Ship 

 on this Occasion, as he only appeared agst he was wanted, but 

 did not solicite, but his half Pay increases upon it. If You have 

 read a World lately upon the Hermetic Philosophers You may 

 apply it to Jack Young, as I have no great Faith in the Secret, 

 I am really uneasy to foresee that He must be quite taken up 

 hy it one of these Days. Tom is preparing for ye Circuit & is in 

 good Health, & Ned is of late pretty well. As to your Oriell 

 News, it affords a Prospect but I suppose You hardly entertain 

 solid Hopes of any present Preferment by it ; tho' it may make 

 way for Harry. Young Mr Shaw of Cheshunt would yesterday 

 have perswaded me that Dr Hodges was dead & You was going 

 to be Provost in his Room ; I should have liked one Part of the 

 News very well if true, but I know you would have invited me 

 to condole wth You upon the Death of the worthy Provost. 

 Sunbury News is Nothing to You. You don't tell me when You 

 will come & revisit the Place & interest Yourself more in it ; You 

 are at least sure of giving great Pleasure to. 



Dear Gil, Your's Afftely, 



J. Mulso. 



Comps. to your Hosts & Family. 



Letter 53. 



Sunbury, 



April 8th, 1755. 

 Dear Gil : 



I think Mr Richardson values Himself upon fancying a 

 Correspondence which is wrote to ye Minute ; where things are 

 set down just as they are warm from the heart, & of the first 

 A uncorrected Impression ; if he values himself justly, our 

 Correspondence too has a Merit, if what You say of my Letters 



