124 LETTERS TO GILBEKT WHITE 



Mrs Mulso bids me tell You that She longs to see You, which 

 I assure is a strong Expression, & one that I prick up my 

 Ears at now whenever She makes Use of. As to the Visit to 

 Selbourne We must talk of it when You are here & I beleive that 

 is all that we shall do about it. 



Tho' I have entered upon the Augean Labour, I am no 

 Hercules. I thank God that I am a little better than I was, but 

 the Weather is against me. This is the seventh Week of 

 Drought. It is wth us the Fall of the Leaf, & the Song of the 

 Dust Cart is again in Fashion. Judge therefore whether a 

 most shatter'd Set of Nerves can hold out against such severe 

 Heat and Closeness. Yet I persevere in the Use of the Cold 

 Bath & have never miss'd one Morning since the 13th of last 

 Month. As to Valerian it is my Daily Drink. We are Tanners 

 ourselves. You will not now see me at ye Park Corner, as 1 

 have no vehicle. Your Wig is arrived & put into ye Care of Mr 

 Webster. I wish You a good Journey, & a grey Day. 



I am dear Gil, Afftely Your's, 



J. Mulso. 



P.S. Miss Prescot has left You her Compliments & her Bed : 

 She is gone to Town to be wth Tom before the Circuit; he 

 sets out ye 18th : My Father, Sister & Aunt Donne are gone to 

 Canterbury. 



Letter 71. 



To the Rev. Mr. White, Sunbury, 



at Selbourne, near Alton, Ha.v4)3hire. Sepr 20, 1757. 



Dear Gil : 



I partly suspect by your Letter that You never received a 

 long One which I sent You, directed to West Deane* near 

 Salisbury : Your Summons has been too short for a Lady, but 

 We purpose to be wth You on Monday next, if it please God to 

 lend Us Life & Abilities. Your Patience, I am afraid, will be 

 tried at the Swan at Alton, for it is impossible to say that We 

 can come to any exact Time. I have been very ill lately, & am 

 but poorly wth my Head & Stomach ; and if such Fogs as 

 reign at present continue, I shall be afraid of setting out so soon 

 in ye Morning, which is three Hours before they clear up here : 

 However, we shall set out by seven. We have already borrowed 

 Dr Fry's Chariot to set us on to Staines from whence We purpose 

 to come in ye Eoad Carriages. You may calculate the Time 

 when You may expect Us, for Banyard at the Bush calls it 32 

 miles to Alton fm Staines. 



♦ During the autumn of this year Gilbert White acted as curate of Newton 

 Valence and West Dene in the temporary absence of his cousin, Basil Cane. 



