CHAPTER V. 



On September 9th, 1753, Gilbert White became 

 Curate of the small rural parish of Durley, near , 

 Bishop's Waltham, Hants. In the latter place he 

 had lodgings, paying Mr. Gibson, the Eector of 

 Bishop's Waltham, £20 for a year's board ; but his 

 curacy probably only involved Sunday duty, since 

 he appears to have constantly visited his family 

 at Selborne, riding backwards and forwards on 

 "Mouse." 



It is noted by Mr. Bell^ that, during the year 

 and a half his curacy of Durley continued, his 

 expenses exceeded the receipts from his curacy by 

 nearly £20, from which he infers that Gilbert 

 White was influenced by ''unselfishness and true 

 Christian liberality in accepting such a poor cure." 

 Perhaps, however, the fact that this curacy, though 

 a poorly paid one, did not involve a continuous 

 severance from his home at Selborne may have in- 

 fluenced him in accepting it. Certainly the Garden 



* Vide Bell's edition of ' The Natural History and Antiquities of Sel- 

 borne,* vol. i. pp. xxxiv., XXXV. 



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