LETTBB CXCV 301 



wth Difficulty bear any thing but a very old & easy Shoe. The 

 Fit was, however, very mercifuU, & did not touch my Head or 

 Stomach ; & to an old Stager would have been called a Flea-bite. 

 I have not been at Church since ye Day abovemention'd, & only 

 twice out of my House ; the great Severity of ye Weather has 

 defeated me : So I must let my Eesidence stand still, 'till a milder 

 Season comes on. 



But the latter Circumstance is of a more melancholy Kind : 

 it is the Death of my dear Brother Edward, who was taken off 

 on Thursday Sennight, Feb. 7th, by a sudden Stroke of Apoplexy, 

 as he was writing at his Bureau in his Eooms at Gray's Inn. 

 We have ye Comfort to think that his Death was easy ; & that 

 He, who was threat'ned by increasing Pains of Gravell or Stone, 

 or very sick'ning & wearisome Complaints, was spared them All 

 by a sudden Stroke ; the Vehemence of which, we hope, numbed 

 his Senses & took away ye Sensation of Pain. The chearfull, 

 the enlivening Companion, the charitable, ye generous, the 

 friendly Man, the tender & affectionate Brother, is gone. As 

 he had too much of some of ye above Qualities to give him Time 

 to distinguish Imposition from Distress, he reduced his Finances 

 to Nothing ; & defeated his designed posthumous Benefits to his 

 Belations. But his very Imperfections were meritorious, & he 

 has left Us to love & cherish his Memory. 



You will not think, my dear Gil, how much Trouble we have 

 undergone about my Son William, whom we have never yet seen. 

 He arrived at Cork in Novr ; He has been at Spithead since ; He 

 has been tossing in the Downs : and we have now to hope that 

 the Hind is paid off at Sheerness & that he is getting to London, 

 whence after new rigging (of which he stands in shocking Need) 

 we shall at last receive him safe & sound : the last is doubtfuU ; 

 his old Humours attacked his Leg on leaving America, & got 

 into his Head, & forced him to cut off his Hair ; this got better 

 on our Coasts, & he writes word he is well : but he scalded his 

 Leg, as his Captain informs Us, between Spithead & ye Downs, 

 & was bad of That, tho' He in his own Letter takes no Notice 

 of it. You may imagine how our Hearts yearn about him. Ld 



S has promised Capt. Young another & better Ship ; & I 



hope Billy will be ready to go out wth Him again ; but we shall 

 be glad of an intermediate Space to enjoy his Company & confirm 

 his Health. He tells Us he is not grown above an Inch ; but 

 I fancy this is a small Humbug ; as he went out two years & half 

 ago, & is now to be 17 in March : I hope Mr Etty will receive 

 his Son safe and not have the Tantalizing Work that we have 

 had. 



My Son John is well at Oxford, You was very obliging in 

 taking notice of him there ; for tho' You are his Cotemporary, 

 You are rather his Senior. I hope Mr Eveleigh will recover 



