110 LETTERS TO GILBERT WHITE 



Letter 60. 



Sunbury, 



August 23, 1756. 

 Dear Gil, 



Mrs. Mulso's short Letter of civil yet Sincere Compliments 

 does not quite satisfy me ; I will not be put from my old Corres- 

 pondence for any Forms & Ceremonials: It is easy to write for 

 Ages to a Mistress, & many pretty things may be said, as variety 

 of Temper, or change of Situation may suggest ; but the free k 

 the nervous Style is calculated for Man to Man ; & the Eepitition 

 of even well meant Civilities only cloys the Genius & clogs the 

 Pen. It is like a perpetual Return of Birth Day Odes, or Epitha- 

 lamiums; which are wrote with Spirit once or twice but hang 

 heavy upon the poor Muse when She has drudged on thro' a few 

 Years. 



I am as well pleased as my Wife can be & as proud of my 

 Present :* the Bishop & Family & Mr. Baker had a Soupe out 

 of it ; & it is thought a great Beauty ; but I am afraid it cost 

 You a great deal of Money. It will be then best used when it is 

 used for You. I am very sorry to find by your last, that your 

 Eyes are still bad ; Surely we have most uncomfortable weather, 

 & your damp Country after these repeated Rains must be very 

 bad for You. You remember what we told You, that we should 

 treat You so much en famille that whenever it is agreable to 

 You to come, it will not be inconvenient to us to receive You, 

 unless our Beds are taken up, of which We would give You 

 Notice ; & if all fails, we can make You a Bed in the Turene, 

 for it is pure large. k 



♦ Aug : 26. 



I thought I had begun this Letter pretty pertly considering 

 that I was recovering of one of my Hysteric Complaints : I rose 

 at Seven & walked; yesterday I rose at Seven and rode 'till 

 breakfast Time; but I had been poorly over Night, & was so in 

 ye Morning, but at Breakfast I was seized wth a very strong 

 Fit, & I am become a very poor Creature again : I was neverthe- 

 less resolved as I am better today to write to You, I am going 

 presently to ride out, for I will persevere whenever I am able : 

 yet I must say that my horse now does me less good than a 

 better would do, for his broken windedness encreases daily, or 

 I daily think so, & it vapours me as I ride. You will remember 

 that You have two Commissions for Me ; one to get me a Horse 

 for ten Guineas, & the other to get me a Curate. This you are 

 not bound to do by any Oath You have taken, but if it falls in 

 your way, I had rather have both from your Recommendation 

 than from any other Man's in England, because You are more 



• A Soup Tureen. 



