108 LETTERS TO OILBERT WHITE 



Miss Young's & his Home, which our mutual Flames for so 

 many Years did not prevail on Him to do. He is to live wth 

 Us as long as He lives (which I am afraid will not be long) 

 & I am to keep his House in Town for a few Winter Months. 

 No Church Preferment having as yet fallen, our Income will be 

 very scanty : You who are an CEconomist will be sorry at this 

 & shake Your head ; but our Circumstances have at last oom- 

 prest us together, which have kept us asunder in a prudent view 

 a great while. We have had the Merit (if I do not speak too 

 boldly) of Patience A Self-Denial a long while; we are called 

 upon to alter our Plan now, & we will have the Merit of Faith : 

 ♦'God will provide Himself a Lamb, My Son." Words which 

 would have engaged me to marry long ago, if Self had not drawn 

 so strong as to make it doubtful! whether I had any Trust or no. 

 Now that I am grown callous in Self-Denial, I will answer a 

 Call of another Nature & trust to God for a more ample Pro- 

 vision. If our Minds hold A no Accident intervenes, Tuesday 

 fortnight, May 18th 1756, will call for the good wishes of ray 

 dear Friend upon it for our Sakes. You will then have the 

 Friendship of two Hearts for You cemented by a mysterious 

 & very sacred Tye : & Miss Young desires me to tell You that 

 amidst all the Hurry of the present interesting Interval, she has 

 not forgot that You bespoke a White Boom, which when She 

 is settled shall be settled too. 



I am just returned from London very much bruised wth 

 going between Prayers & Dinner Time yesterday, & returning in 

 a hurry to-day : I have been Master of this Secret but one Night, 

 so that You partake of my pleaping Expectations very soon : & 

 do not think me too grave if I beg for your most pious wishes 

 that this that seems to me the greatest earthly Blessing may be 

 really & in it's Events so. For We are little Judges of our true 

 Happiness, & the Grant of our wishes may be fatal. The Bishop 

 is to perform the Ceremony at St. Anne's, & we shall have a 

 Family Attendance of upwards of 20 People, so that there is no 

 Danger of incurring the Penalties of the Act for want of Consent 

 of Friends. 



; You will think it seasonable to repeat your Queries about 

 Lambeth, if I do not answer them now. At present ye Grass 

 grows & the Steed is out of Flesh. But I think it is beyond the 

 Beach of my Uncle, & his Aim ; Yet I am not sure. At present, 

 it is, Nolo ilrc/iiepiscopari wth the same solemn Mendacity as it 

 was Nolo Episcopari. 



I am glad to hear that You are so high on your Oriel Eoll, 

 I wish Harry Success at the Push next Year. I wish Dr 

 Bentham Joy tho' he does not know it : & am glad the Provost 

 is so stout : I beleive it is lucky to have no [tj any thing to do 

 even wth the Book of Job. 



