132 LETTERS TO GILBERT WHITE 



Weather would not let me, so I was forced to send for the Life of 

 my Founder & Benefactor Wm of Wikeham. 



Mrs Mulso & Myself join very heartily in condoling with You 

 on the Loss of Dr Bristow ; & think of Mrs Bristow wth great 

 Commiseration. I suppose You have the Care of the Church 

 upon You 'till the Successor arrives. I beg of you to contrive 

 to get a great Estate, to be enabled to live on at Selbourne, to 

 be the Friend of the Poor who have now lost one & may in a 

 few Years lose another ; & prevent that Sweet Place, which is 

 already sunk from a great Town to a Village, from decaying into 

 the very Den of Poverty & Misery : Capable as it certainly is of 

 the highest Improvements, & of being one of the most enchanting 

 Spots in England. 



Mrs Mulso has often thought of your good Father's & obliging 

 Sister's kind wishes & concerns for her in her Illness, & imagines 

 it will give them Pleasure to hear that She is much recovered. 

 She was last Night wth Mrs Donne, who came down wth us, 

 at the first Walton Assembly for this Season. My little Girl 

 thrives & will do very well, & by a significant Leer of her Eye 

 promises to be a Droll. Mr Young is but indifferent, having at 

 this time a feavourish Complaint & an Inflammation in his Eye, 

 for which I know You pity Him : but he is upon ye Eecovery. 

 Friends at Salisbury pretty well, Mrs Ogle not yet brought to 

 Bed, but expecting every Day. The Girls inflaming the Hearts 

 of Clergy & Laity, & killing away at a great rate. I hope all 

 your Friends are in as good Health as You can well hope for ; 

 it would be too negligent a Compliment in me to suppose your 

 Father [& Uncle to be quite well, when I know them to be but 

 Invalids at best ; but if they are not quite well, it is not owing to 

 want of good wishes in Mrs Mulso & Myself, for You & Your's 

 are secure of them always. 



I am, Dear Gil, Your's Afftely 



J. M. 



Letter 78. 



To the Eeverend Mr. White Sunbury, 



at Selbourne near Alton, Hants. Aug : 28, 1758. 



Dear Gil : 



I thank You for your agreable Letter from Deane ; * but 

 as I find that You think that will content me, (tho' You fotmd 

 One from Me on your Eeturn to Selbourne), this comes to let 

 You know that I am not so easily satisfied : 



* Gilbert White visited his cousin Basil Cane, the Curate of Dene, from 

 July 4 to 15. 



