128 GILBERT WHITE OF SELBOENE 1763 



My uncle being better informed in this affair before the next 

 day at the House, went up to him and told him that you did 

 vote for him ; to which he answered to this purpose, ' that it 

 was in so lingering cold and disobliging a manner, that he 

 could not but believe you disinclined to any services of that 

 nature.' Now what my uncle thought faulty, was, that know- 

 ing his Pride and expectations, you did not enter with a more 

 sanguine shew into his intentions, if you entered into them 

 at all. I answered for you, that you had taken the journey 

 on Purpose, that you thought voting was all that my Lord 

 wanted from you, which you had done : and that if you did not 

 come in till late, he who was an Oxford man, could not but 

 know how exceedingly disagreeable it was to stand the Brunt 

 of a majority in your College of the opposite Party." 



In short, his late uncle's living was lost to the 

 applicant because he was not quite a good enough 

 courtier. 



In the summer of 1763 the Garden Kalendar 

 notes that — 



'*July 13 Mr. Tho« Mulso & Lady & Mr. EdW^ Mulso and 

 Miss Harriot Baker came to visit me." 



These were not the only visitors at Selborne at 

 this time, since three young ladies, the Misses Anna, 

 Catharine, and Philadelphia Battie, the handsome 

 daughters and co-heiresses of Dr. Battie, a very 

 eminent London physician,"^ who were cousins of 

 Mrs. Etty {nee Littleton), were at this time spend- 

 ing some weeks at the vicarage. 



• Dr. Battie was President of the Royal College of Physicians of London 

 in 1764. 



