LETTER CLXXII 271 



of Mr Dyer's family for a Month), I have been very ill, & am 

 barely recovered from a Shock given me by my younger Boy, 

 whose Mind is so fixt upon going to Sea, that he eloped several 

 Times from Cotton's to provoke me to give him that Life as a 

 Punishment which he had made his Choice. I received him 

 lately from Petersfield at Ten o' Clock at Night by ye Care of 

 a Mr Street & a Mr Fig : You can hardly conceive how I have 

 been hurt : but I hope I have taken ye prudent & ye best Course. 

 I have given up my Intention to his. I have settled him for ye 

 present wth Mr Evans, Successor to Gibson at Waltham ; & 

 there the principal Care will be to teach him Some Principles of 

 Navigation, 'till by the Advice of the Admirall we can send him 

 out properly. As He acquiesces now chearfully, my Mind is 

 got easier ; for it was not so much ye Choice that hurt me as 

 the Modes that he made Use of to force me into it. I have not 

 yet admitted him here ; but, as his Master speaks well of him, 

 I shall soon. I think, my dear Gil, that You can hardly con- 

 ceive how Such an Affair could take away my muscular and my 

 mental Strength; but so it was. The Parent's Heart is so 

 wound up, that the Strings break if You play false ; and Concord 

 is at an End. 



Your old Friend Mrs Mulso is pretty well & just setting out 

 to see Mrs Buller at Alresford who is very near her Time. 



Yesterday was Mrs M 's Birthday, & we eat a Haunch of 



Farnham Venison. The Bishop was 81 the day before, and he 

 seems now likely to hold out for some Time longer. We shall 

 be at Farnham before the Summer is over. My Sister Chapone 

 is there by this time, I beleive, and Mr & Mrs Fisher. I am 

 glad that Mrs Snooke holds out so well. 



I have been dipping into Eobertson's America : it is a plaguy 

 long Episode, and to say Truth, we may thank him more for 

 his Stile than his Informations. I don't beleive that You have 

 got one more Piece of Hystorical & natural Knowledge out of him 

 than You had before. 



Lord Dunhellin has visited me, & invited me as an Anti- 

 quarian to look into his Barn. I disclaimed the Title, as 

 undeserving of it ; and well I might, for I would not go two 

 Miles out of my way to see the finest Euins in England. Our 

 Neighbour Wyndham has got a Rage upon him, but he has been 

 bit, it is not natural. 



I wish You Joy of ye new Provost of Worcester* & his 

 additional Preferment. My Cosin Ekins has filled his Cup well 

 wth the Livings of Morpeth & Sedgefield ; one six, the other 

 Eleven hundred £. pr an. 



The disconsolate widower Mr Sturges is going to be married 



*Dr Sheffield, an old friend of Gilbert White's. 



