306 LETTERS TO QILBBBT WHITE 



differently on different GonBtitutions, & was an almost unavoid- 

 able Consequence of this changeable Season : So they called it 

 a Feaver or Ague & let it pctss. But now we have all a Dread of 

 ye Influenza. My Hester has got a bad Cough, & Cold ; & ye 

 Chancellor has a sore Throat ; we can give some Guess at the 

 Causes ; but it must be extraordinary, & go by ye new Name. 

 Dr. Balguy told me of ye Illness of Mr Yalden, which I was very 

 sorry to hear of first from You. 



I thank You much for what You say about ye Election. Let 

 it always be remember'd, my dear Friend, that I never will 

 presume upon that Title to put You upon any thing that is not 

 quite agreeable to yourself & consonant to ye Customs and the 

 Agreements of your Society, where ye first Object is to preserve 

 Harmony k Unanimity. Nor will I ever take a Refusal ill from 

 You, as I am sure it would be grounded on very just & necessary 

 Principles. But where ye Abilities and Merits are equal, ye 

 Ballance must be turned by some Partiality from Eecommenda- 

 tions of Friends to one of ye Parties. 



I expect to hear from my Son John tonight & to learn that 

 he is now the Bevd Mr Mulso, but I have not yet heard it. 



My Sailor got well of his Scorbutic Habit before he left Us, 

 & was called out to Service in about a Month, & is now wth 

 Gaptn Young in the Ambuscade of 32, or rather 38 Guns. But 

 they seem to be in no advantageous Service, for they are only 

 convoying between the Downs & Portsmouth. We have never 

 yet seen Captn Young since his Eeturn fm Quebec ; he is con- 

 fined to Portsmouth when he gets there, &> is of so uncertain a 

 Station, that it discourages Us to attempt to visit him from 

 hence. We shall see more about it when we get to Meonstoke, 

 to which Place we thought of going on TJiursday next, but have 

 been desired by our friends there to stay away 'till it is dryer. 



Another Winter is pass'd without your Essays. I have no 

 more to say than that You are a timorous, provoking Man : You 

 defraud Yourself of a great Credit in the World : as to your 

 laboring at your Antiquities, it is malapropos ; the World does 

 not care for such rough work now. Your Porch will be bigger 

 than your House ; and You will clap a Gothic Front upon a 

 Plan of Palladio, I mean this, if You labour too much at it. I 

 will give You Credit Myself that every thing that comes from 

 You shall be good. I shall not be quite sorry when You have 

 left Farringdon ; but I wish You a sinecure in it's Room, if such 

 a Thing would not vacate yr Fellowship. But perhaps You are 

 like an old Prisoner of ye Bastille, & would fear to catch Cold 

 in your Leg if it had not a Chain on. 



AU my family join in Love & best Respects wth, 



Dear Gil, Your old & affte Friend, 



J. Mulso. 



