284 LETTERS TO GILBERT WHITE 



Man ?tiay msury his Grandmother, I should be apt to spread the 

 Doctrine, tho' Canon Law & Propriety are against it, and tho' 

 I should hardly suspect that Any One would take Advantage of 

 ye Position. What I wrote was in 62 when I was in Yorkshire. 

 It must have been You that gave such Force to ye Subject. 

 Never deny it : (re-enter Mulso with a confident Face.) Take 

 Care that You prove well what You say of Birds of Passage, of 

 Spiders, and flying webs, for I shall assert it pedibus manibusque 

 on your Authority. I am shocked at You for deferring that 

 Piece so long : for Heaven's sake do not take too much time in 

 ascertaining the Size, the Marketts, the Tolls, the Souls, the 

 Priories, & religious Houses of Selbourne; for these Circum- 

 stances, tho' curious in reality, are to the 6o(it of not five 

 Beaders in five Hundred. Be it therefore very clear, but very 

 short. The Novelty, & Elegance, the Tenderness, & ye Piety of 

 the natural Part will be the Fort of ye Performance. Yes, I will 

 venture to say That even in these degenerate Days, That last 

 Tendency will secure the Generality of ye admirers of your 

 Work. How was it wth Mrs Chapone? it was the genuine 

 Afifetuoso, the con amore of her Book that gave it it's Run : Had 

 She wrote to an imaginary Niece* the most animated Traits 

 would have escap'd her Pen. Pray come out while the Passion 

 rages. The World is getting off it's Eyes from Portsmouth & 

 ye Tryal : Poor Sr Hugh's Charge is pronounced Malitious & 

 ill-founded, & Keppell's Conduct irreproacheable. The Battle in 

 ye House of Commons upon it will have little Effect ; it will be 

 like the first, much noise & little done. But the world will begin 

 to be vacant to other Subjects : now's your Time. 



The Admiral has left Us Today ; he has Hopes of meeting 

 his Son, & he will then settle ye affair of my Billy. We are 

 invited to his house whenever we can come : it may possibly 

 be the latter End of next month : Certainly, if at all, by the 

 Beginning of Aprill. Shall You be then at S. Lambeth? 



I am sorry to hear so bad an Account of your family ; but I 

 hope you will find your Nephew Thomas Holt in a sure State 

 of Recovery. Pray make my best wishes known to his Father, 

 & my Services to Miss White. We are All here pretty well, 

 but heartily at your Service. 



I am, My dear Gil, ever Your affte friend, 



J. Mulso. 



The Bishop very well. Pray go & see him. Mrs Ogle is 

 there. 



* Mrs. Cbapone's " Letters on the Improvement of the Mind addressed 

 to a Lady " were conceived when on a visit to her brother, John Mulso, at 

 Thomhill Rectory, and the Lady was his eldest daughter. 



