304 LETTERS TO GILBERT WHITE 



You have changed your Quarters & are got to your Brother's. 

 But as I do not know his Address, I shall send this to old 

 Selbourne & faithfuU Thomas will put it forward. 



This is a Letter of Business on my own Account, & I hope 

 it will not be disagreeable to You, as I never desire to carry my 

 Requests to You on a Subject like this, farthur than You can 

 comply wth, with Ease to yourself ; and if You do not, I give 

 you Credit for having good Reasons to ye Contrary, & shall by 

 no means take a Refusal ill. 



There is a Mr Allen of Worcester Coll : who stands for a 

 Fellowship of Oriell at the next Election ; my Request is ye 

 Interest for him, if it is not otherwise engaged. I am not 

 acquainted with the young man, but his character stands very 

 high in his own College. The Provost is much his Friend, & will 

 very likely apply to You for Him, but as great Men should have 

 applications backed by others as deep as they can, I therefore 

 beg to second ye SoUicitations for this young Gentleman. And 

 now You will say, how is your Interest concerned in ye welfare 

 of this Youth whom You do not know ? It is thus ; My Son 

 depends on the good Offices of his Provost to make him a Fellow 

 of his Society as soon as Opportunity offers. Now the removing 

 of those who stand in his way, is serving him. You perfectly 

 conceive this Matter, as an Oxonian. And in this Light You 

 find that You are serving me. But I would not bear a hand to 

 such a Plan, if I did not think myself warranted to say that the 

 young Man will make a worthy Member of your Coll : if he 

 succeeds, and this I have from the best Judge, Dr Sheffield ; who 

 tho' he has not spoken in his own Name, has given his Recom- 

 mendation to me & proposed this Address to you. And upon this 

 Hint, I speak. 



If You are wth your Brothers & their families when This 

 reaches You, You will please to present my best Comps. to them. 



You have read in ye Papers of the Death of Mr Cutler, and 

 for ought that I can remember I may have written You word of 

 it myself. A Dr Chelsum has Droxford, & I fancy he is an 

 honest Fellow, for he bears a great Resemblance to your family. 



Mr F (who married ye Bp of Oxford's Niece) has Bishop's 



Waltham. He is, I am told, an agreeable lively young Man. 

 His Lady finds him so ; for tho' they have not been united 

 publickly, as I hear, much above five Months, sh6 has answer'd 

 his pious Endeavours by the Production of a very fine Boy. 

 This Circumstance I presume made ye Bp of Oxford so ready to 

 give up ye Arch Deaconry of Surry to Carver, to put ye Young 

 Folks on a good Lay at Waltham. But they will not inhabit 

 there soon, & poor Bale will keep his Curacy, at least some Time. 

 There will be ye less said of the Lady praegestientis & praeges- 

 titantis ; & as I only mention this to divert You, I do not desire 



