LETTER CXXIII 205 



lostitution, Induction, & yesterday read in; an arduous Task 

 to me, which thank God, I went thro' much better than I could 

 expect. I am upon my Eeturn today as far as Oxford, Tomorrow 

 I go to Chelsea, & on ye Wednesday next Week I set out for 

 Yorkshire. 



I have a large & handsome House, & a middling good Garden 

 here : but I have ten thousand Cares upon me, & as many 

 Expences, so that I do not know which Way to turn me. 

 Neither does ye Place strike my Fancy or suit my Temper : But 

 I hope to reconcile myself by Degrees. My large House is in 

 a strange Plight at present, & when We shall be settled in it 

 God knows. Nor have I sufficient Ground about it for Cattle, 

 which is a sad Change to me. Mrs Mulso is wth me, & much 

 Your's ; I do not know what I should have done without her : 

 a Lady does more Business in a Hour, than a Man in a Day. 



Our Communication, my dear old friend, will now be more 

 easy, but I hate you for never having seen my Thornhill. I 

 shall have a thousand Eeasons to regret it ; but I shall love 

 Witney by Degrees as I have done every place where it has 

 pleased God to place me. 



I hope this will find you well. Dr Bentham did me the 

 favour to sup with me at ye blue Boar on Fryday. I was very 

 glad to see him look so well. He was in Spirits, & had an 

 Opportunity to divert himself at my Expence, & to help me out 

 wth advice, which was an old Method with him. 



I am surrounded wth People coming to me, but I was 

 resolved to keep my Purpose of writing to you from hence. 

 I am, Dear Gil, Afftely Your's (as ye Bishop calls me) 



Witney John. 



Letter 123. 



To the Reverend Mr. White, Witney. 



at Selborne near Alton, Hants. July 21, 1767. 



Dear Gil : 



Among the Friends whom I am glad to advertise of my 

 nearer Approach to them. You my old Friend, certainly claim 

 to be consider'd. We are at last, thank God, happily arrived, 

 & descended from the Heights of Yorkshire to ye Sink of Oxford- 

 shire ; for so Witney is called ; Willowy, as well as Blanket- 

 Making Town. It's Summer Face however is tolerable, & my 

 own little Domain very agreable. You are therefore hereby 

 summoned to make your personal appearance at Witney before 

 ye Time that contristat Aquarius Annum ; because I do not 

 chuse to be found by You as Phaeton in ye Suds. You are 

 therefore to take Us in your Way to your Alma Mater, rising by 

 a just Gradation from ye Child to ye Mother. Bring with you 



