LETTER CIX 183 



grown cool. I hope ye poor Curates at Lurgishall* are come to 

 themselves again ; It is generally reported that a Hunting Seat is 

 a better place for ye Cure of Love than any private Mad house : 

 we have several in this neighbourhood ; the owners were very 

 bad I suppose once, but they are so well recovered that they 

 never mention women now but to abuse them, and are now as 

 Heart whole as ye Boar of Nulburger Wood, or a Westphalian 

 Bear. So if any Accident should happen to you in this way 

 that you don't chuse shd sit too heavy, please to take — a trip 

 into Yorkshire ; for here are several forgetting Places for young 

 Men, and a taming Town for wives, at which I propose soon to 

 take Lodgings. 



My Mrs Mulso (who, by ye by, cried over your last Lr, so 

 you need not hate her so bad as you do, whatever I may) has 

 ye Sin of Envy upon her, because my Sister has got you in her 

 House. Yet I am very glad my dear Sister has some Comfort 

 in you, for I find by a very kind Letter fm her, that she has 

 been very poorly of late. 



I wish ye exceeding affability <& Gondescention of a certain 

 great Person would express itself in some more substantial Form 

 than a Compliment to your face, & Complaints behind your 

 back. Dr Tarrant I see, by ye Papers, has got ye Deanery of 

 Carlisle in ye room of Dr Bolton. Was not he an acquaintance 

 of your's? & ye Gentleman who wonder'd his Horses shd be 

 unable to perform a Journey, when he had kept them six weeks 

 in the Stable without stirring, by way of Preparation ? 



Mr Bror mentions in his Lr that you propose to write to 

 me soon : you are very good, & I hope you will keep up ye spirit 

 of it, for we are greedy of news here of all kinds, public & private, 

 to enliven a Scene very dull & a Time very laborious. Yet this 

 is not to be attributed to any want of wit in Ourselves, for you 

 know it was ye very Turn of the Athenians, and they were as 

 witty as any body except Ld Chesterfield, Mr Townshend, George 

 Selwyn, Mr Nugent & Mr Wilky, who are all allowed to say 

 any thing so it is but new. 



We have had a vile Summer, & a vile Winter as yet. My 

 Barn however was never fuller, if ye Contents do but turn out 

 well. My family encreases apace, if my Income would keep 

 pace wth it : It will be a new Scene to you to see me so busy 

 in keeping my Brats in Order ; I make most Noise, but Mrs 

 Mulso speaks more to ye purpose ; Jack is a wild boy, & I think 

 he will make a horseman, the Genius of ye North is in him. 

 I shall encourage him in it, tho' I do not shine in it Myself, 

 I have a little Horse on Tryal, but have had ye misfortune to 

 have him lamed by a Kick from one of my own : so I have not 



* Basil Cane and Henry White. 



