LETTER LXXIV 127 



You. Our Endive is in good Plight & our Garden smart. We 

 have no News here, nor can I tell You about my Friends, as we 

 have heard Nothing of them. Some Squabbles happen here- 

 abouts about the Militia ; Captn Derby has the Lot fallen upon 

 him to serve & is mortified at some Jokes on the Occasion ; a 

 very low fellow said he beleived he & his Partner Tom Derby 

 should do very well. He is got into his new House. We hear 

 nothing authentic of public News, & Mrs Bristow would think 

 me a sad Correspondent if I filled my Paper with such Stuff. 

 You will be very sorry to hear that Mrs Chardavoyne is still bad 

 at Times, & my wife in great apprehensions about her Visits. 

 We hope Mrs White is better. If You go your Jaunt with Mr. 

 Benjn We wish it a pleasant One, but we hear a strong North 

 Wind & feel it a cold One. Harry is the only one of your 

 Family that we do not love ; & that is only because we did not 

 see Him ; tho' we presume he is like ye rest, & when seen must 

 be admired. 



I am Dear Gil, Afftely Your's, 



J. M. 



Letter 74. 



To the Eeverend Mr White, Sunbury, 



at Selbourne near Alton, Hampshire. March 9, 1758. 



Dear Gil : 



I am almost angry at You for never writing to me in so long 

 a Time ; and Mrs Mulso, who is a Logician, begins to draw strange 

 Conclusions ; tho' as Logicians are not always in the right wth 

 regard to Premises, She may make a just Conclusion & yet be 

 wrong in her setting out ; as I hope You very soon intend to 

 prove, for at present You barely deserve that I should send You 

 the News which this Letter contains. 



Oh, dear Gil, what has not your Friend gone thro* this week : 

 and what a World is this, where our very Happiness & ye 

 Indulgence of our Hopes is to give us so much Misery ! My 

 Wife brought me a fine Girl at half an hour after four on 

 Tuesday morning, but her Pains began at seven o' Clock on 

 Monday Morning ; from Seven at Night they were severe, but 

 from Twelve greatly too much for your Friend to be within the 

 Keach of them. The Doctor had his Share of Attendance upon 

 me, & I have been shabby ever since, & yesterday had a violent 

 Headach & Hysteric Complaint, or I should have written to 

 You, having got my Tackle before Me. I thank God my wife is 

 as well as can be expected, & the Child is alive & pretty well, 

 & reckoned a large & well shaped Baby : I think, if it is like any 

 thing but itself, it is more like me than its Mother, for which I 

 have a small Doubt about it's Judgement ; however it is some 



