100 GILBEET WHITE OF SELBORNE 1758 



forget that Fellowships are a sort of Temporary Establish- 

 ments for men of good Learning and small Fortunes, till 

 their merits or some fortunate Turn* pushes them into 

 the world, and enables them to relinquish to men under the 

 same predicament. I am in no doubt about what you owe 

 to the present Society in this respect ; I speak only as to the 

 general intent of your Founders and Benefactors, and as to 

 what you owe to yourself; in which views I daresay you 

 would be cautious of appealing to a Visitor, unless the 

 affair was absolutely clear and creditable on your side. 

 For visitatorial Decrees being, though statutable, something 

 tyrannical, must make the Person appealing ill looked 

 upon by his brethren, unless the case turns out quite fair 

 and clear on his side. But what I now say is a caution, 

 which is unnecessary, because I have had a long experience 

 of the candour and honesty of your disposition, and can 

 make nothing against the reasons which you must have, and 

 which are quite unknown to me. I have a good deal of 

 curiosity to see your Letter to the Society. You certainly 

 at present owe them no Compliments to your own disad- 

 vantage. Can you not, now that one of your opposers is 

 gone, make a push for Harry at the next Election? 



That the writer s mind had been to some extent 

 disabused of his belief in his friend's wealth is shown 

 by this sentence in the same letter : — 



" The season is chilly and dull, the chearful leaf is gone, 

 and the poor ravage even the bough : — But alas why do 

 I speak of this only? with you, my dear Friend, the good 

 Tree is fallen that sheltered so many under his hospitable 

 arms. Non deficit alter indeed ; but if he was a little more I 

 aureus your poor neighbourhood would perhaps never misSi 

 their old Patron, so riveted is your natural partiality to 



* e.g. & college living, which Gilbert White never accepted. 



