LETTER XCVI 157 



of her Housewifry, her managing and marketing, her Pullen & 

 Pigs; (all which, I am sure afc ye Time of reading -gave You 

 great Pleasure & tickled your Fancy) yet by that fatal Habit of 

 laying aside a Letter 'till it is grown cold, you not only have 

 not taken ye least notice of these interesting & uncommon Events, 

 but have not named the name of Mrs Mulso from one End of your 

 Letter to the Other — Oh no Sr — let us have no setting down 

 now and squeezing out more Excuses — No Sr, it is all too late — 

 You have shown out your Show — and if You had not said some 

 handsome & friendly Things (That must be owned) about coming 

 as far as Montreal to see Me, it would have been all over wth 

 You. What ! ! a Lady, who always — but I say no more. You 

 must be now struck stupid ; numbed ; torpid with Consciousness. 



As to Franks, your sending for them from hence is a Joke : 

 our having them at all is a Chance, & owing to Bob Young's 

 leaving Us a few : But that this may be no Excuse, hear, Mr 

 Anti-Cacoethes, my Determination : If I have a Letter once a 

 Month it would not cost me Ten Shillings in the Year ; & if it 

 cost me Ten Pounds I would not go without them. 



I had a Letter lately from my Brother Tom, to acquaint Us 

 with ye News of the late King's Death, a Circumstance that our 

 Family must hear wth a more than common Concern, his 

 Majesty having been so great & personal a Friend to my Uncle. 

 In this Letter He tells me that he made Selbourne in his Way 

 to Town from Wilts, and that he stayed a fortnight with You. 

 But he complains of the Weather, which I suppose has been bad 

 in all Parts of England of late. We have here great Rains 

 & very high Winds ; but our Situation being high, perhaps we 

 hear more of them than You do in your Snug Bottom. Yet 

 I must say, that in winter we beat You, for we have so pleasing 

 a View from the House & Garden, & the near Spots, that in the 

 shortest Turn of fine weather we see a Country, without going 

 out for it, that is extremely striking ; & is not so much alter'd 

 for ye worse by winter as Your's, because it's Beauty does not 

 consist so much in Woods : and we have more View of water 

 than in Summer ; & that at a pleasing Distance ; for when ye 

 Calder is out, as it is after Rains, it spreads over a great deal 

 of Meadow Ground & I should not chuse to be too near it. 

 I thank God we have our Healths here very well : I congratulate 

 You on having a pleasing Neighbour in Mrs Etty, it being a 

 Blessing that we want. I enjoyed your Day at ye Hermitage 

 very much, 



I ask Mrs Mulso whether She is exorable : She desires me 

 to give her Love' to You, and She will forgive You if You will 

 be good & write oft'ner : and that She longs to show You about 

 to our Places & Possessions, to return You in Part some of those 



