LETTER CXI 185 



of one Letter in an Evening : Now She may do a good deal 

 of this for You. But She must not talk ; for then You will 

 think of Nobody but her; & That must not be; for I expect 

 a Letter every now & then. I have but little Hope of your 

 thinking much of any particular absent Female, because when 

 You say — "while I, doing no good in my Generation, am still 

 single ! " — you did not insert the Lover-like word Alass ! after 

 I. There is a Sort of sentimental Sorrow in ye whole Sentence, 

 but there is not Feeling enough for a Man in Earnest without 

 the word alass. So that I find ye Miss B's are still Ladies that 

 You know hut little of. 



Mrs Woods & Mrs Etty have both my good wishes for their 

 affairs of next Month, & we expect a Eeturn of the same for 

 the same Month, & ye same Occasion, As to seeing ye South 

 after this, it is a Dream that has possessed our Fancy, but will 

 not, I apprehend, be really executed ; for not only ye Viaticum 

 will, as I imagine, be deficient, but there will be a Difficulty 

 in leaving two such young Babes as George if he lives, & the 

 new Comer will be, in the Care of Servants. Jenny would be 

 with Us, & Jack shd go to an occasional School. We look on 

 wth stronger Hope to the Coming of our friends hither. We 

 cannot be averse to any Scheme that will bring them, but if You 

 shd All come together, it would force You to Inconvenience in 

 your Lodging — In ye worst Inn's worst Bed would be your 

 Portion. Then I expected You should have brought a Horse 

 when You came, for I have only a Stud of Cart Horses, & Those 

 busy in Hay & Harvest & Coaling thro' ye Summer. To say 

 Truth, I have some Expectations of seeing You, but not the 

 Bathhonites ; The Party is too numerous ever to succeed in all 

 it's Personages : Yet I will hope ye best. I am in strong Contest 

 wth a Parishioner about ye Priviledges of Coursing : Could You 

 have ever thought of seeing your friend involved in a Contest 

 of this Nature ? Absurd — but necessary. 



I must conclude. I have Major Burton's family, & two of 

 my Predecessor's children now in my House, but I have stolen 

 away to write to you. Our sincere wishes of many happy Years 

 &c : from Myself & Mrs Mulso attend You. 



I am, Dear Gil, Ever affectionately Your's, 



John Mulso. 



Letter 111. 



Thornhill. 

 Dear Gil : Febry 9th, 1764. 



I beg'd my Friends in Town to inform You of the Loss 

 of my Son George. You will excuse me for not making it the 

 Subject of a Letter. The Situation of Mrs Mulso was at that 

 Time so alarming, it followed so hard upon a very dangerous 



