1758 DEATH OF JOHN WHITE, SEN. 99 



It may be mentioned that he directed by will that 

 he should be buried '' with as little show and expence 

 as may be and without any monument, not desiring 

 to have my name recorded save in the Book of Life." 

 This injunction was observed by his children, but in 

 tlie year 1811 his descendants put up a tablet to 

 his memory in the chancel of the Church. "^ 



The news of Gilbert White's father's death soon 

 reached Oxford. The Provost of Oriel's memorandum- 

 book contains the following entry : — 



"Nov. 1^* 1758. At a meeting I produced Dr. Blake's 

 resignation (his year of grace being out) and pronounced his 

 place to be vacant. At the same time hinted to Mr. White's 

 friends that I was ignorant what his circumstances really 

 were, but suppose his Estate incompatible, and begged he 

 might be informed that if a year of grace was not applied 

 for in the regular time, etc., it could not be granted." 



Evidently John Mulso's ideas upon this subject 

 were the same as Dr. Musgrave's, for at the end 

 of this month (November 28th) he writes : — 



Dear Gil, — Though I have talked with your brother 

 Benj" and M"" Cane, I can form at present no judgment upon 

 what Plea you can keep your Fellowship with your Estate, 

 so that I cannot give advice of any value to your present 

 purposes. I cannot but conclude from my knowledge of 

 you, that the reasons must appear very strong to you, and 

 that you could not be tempted by Interest to do anything 

 contrary to the Statutes of the University, or of your par- 

 ticular Society; and not only so, but that you can never 



* On this the year of his death is wrongly given as 1759. 



