LETTER CXII 187 



naturally returns too. I think myself therefore now bound 

 to give You some Account of (what I am but just enabled 

 to do,) ye Determinations of my Southern Friends upon a 

 Journey into Yorkshire. I remember in a Lr of your's, from 

 Eathbone Place, You made mention of your taking a Share in 

 ye Plans laid for this Purpose, & of your Intention of being one 

 of the Party ; if therefore You have not had Intimations of this 

 Kind from London, I shall be ye first to acquaint You with the 

 Scheme on foot, & leave it to you to act as You think proper 

 upon ye Eepresentation. My Brother & Sister Mulso, & ye 

 Two Miss Bakers will be wth Us about ye Middle or latter End 

 of this Month, & stay wth Us 'till ye Autumn. The precise Time 

 is not fixed for their Eeturn, & You may be sure that we shall 

 take Pains to lengthen their Stay as much as possible. Now 

 You are to know that my House, tho' it stands upon a pretty 

 large area, is very inconvenient in the Disposition of it's Eooms, 

 especially wth Eegard to Servants : And Many Circumstances 

 oblige Us to be very free wth our Visitors, in point of moving 

 them about ye House, & even out of it. Our own Eoom we can- 

 not well give up, because it is unhappily a thoro' Fare for ye 

 necessary Litter of ye Others. Besides our own & two decently 

 furnished Eooms, up Stairs, we have no more for ye Use of 

 Strangers ; The rest are a Nursery, & Servants Eooms, strange, 

 uncouth, & more promiscuous than in Propriety they ought to 

 be. We have one Eoom below Stairs where a Friend might lie, 

 but he must be a Friend indeed, (Do not You know such a One ? 

 I have him in my Eye :). It is in ye Midst of ye Noises of 

 Servants ; more noisy in this Country than in any Other. It is, 

 in short, every Thing disagreable. Here in tolerable weather, 

 a man might lie ; here he might breath, for it is not very small : 

 and to this, if Sr George Savile comes, the Ladies must be 

 removed for a night or two ; & ye Inhabitant must move to some 

 Neighbour's. 



Can You give up the Thoughts of seeing Yorkshire this 

 Summer for such Inconveniences ? If you retain your Purpose 

 of coming, it must be for these Eeasons only that I would seem 

 to make a Demurr : it referrs to Yourself. I cannot but be 

 impatient to see You, & indeed desire it may be for a considerable 

 Time. If You wintered wth Us after a Summer's Eesidence You 

 should be welcome. I do not know whether, turbulent as ye 

 winter Season is wth us, Thornhill does not beat Selbourne for 

 a winter Situation. 



You see then, what Inconveniences You may be subject to 

 by coming as a Friend ; but at ye same Time take wth You how 

 much I long to see You, how usefull a Priest will be in my 

 Church & House, how much You may add to the Pleasures of 

 my Friends, in Short, how many ways You may gratify Us, 



