LETTER XCVIII 161 



proceeded to York, thro' Tadcaster, a poor Town, where we 

 changed Horses. We past over Ferry Bridge before That, where 

 is a good Inn & a handsome Eiver. We arrived at York before 

 Four a good while, tho' wth bad Horses. From Pontefract to 

 York is 24 M. York is situated on a flat Country, of a poor 

 aspect, not seen to any advantage fm the London Road. The 

 Streets 'till You come to the Bridge are large enough, but in 

 ye most frequented Parts of the Town narrow & poor. There 

 are about 26 Churches, but all of a Heap ; poor Incomes, ill 

 served, & thinly attended. The Minster is beyond any that I 

 have ever seen ; perhaps Some are larger tho' I am not sure : 

 But none so clean, so fair, so properly proportioned; & where ye 

 Painting of ye old Glass is so well preserved. Nothing of That 

 Kind ever gave me so much Pleasure : You know that I have 

 seen St Paul's, Westminster, Winchester, Salisbury, & Canter- 

 bury, & Oxford, tho' the last need not be named but for some of 

 ye Glass. 



The Castle, where the Prisoners are kept & assizes held, is 

 I beleive the handsomest in England, finely situated, wth a large 

 base-Court, & very handsome Buildings in it. But it was so 

 truly cold & Myself so ill, that I could not pay it a due attention. 

 The Assembly Eoom is famous, You may have seen a Print of 

 it in London, It was designed by Ld Burlinton & is very 

 striking for a long Gallery : I saw it to advantage full of Ladies 

 & Lights : But I made an Effort to bear to be there & retired 

 in a little Time thro' a violent Mob, who afterwards made a Riot 

 & stopped ye Diversions of the Night. These Northern Swains 

 love Riots dearly. I returned on Fryday morn, staying from 

 Tuesday, in private Lodgings. I met my Horses at Wakefield. 

 Nobody ever saw Home wth more Delight. Indeed I saw no 

 Place so agreable from the Time I set out, except Sr George 

 Dalston's at Heath, esteemed one of the prettiest Villages in 

 England, a mile fm Wakefield, but I was not up at ye Village. 



I have built new Gates; new floored a Room, in short I am 

 the busiest of idle Men : I have sold above 13 Pds worth of Hay 

 at 4 pence pr Stone, & 6 Stone to ye Pound. 



We expect your Congrat's upon my Uncle's being your 

 Bishop.''' The affection of his Majesty's manner exceeded his 

 Gift ; & I beleive gave my Lord the greatest Pleasure of the 

 Two : He was content before. And now — You will say — have 

 we no Hopes of drawing You to ye South? — I almost love 

 Thornhill so well as to determine never to leave it. It must be 

 something very great & very charmingly and healthily situated : 

 But I think not of it. And I assure You that while I read the 

 account of this Preferment my own did not enter into my Head, 



* i.e. Bishop of WinclieBter. 

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