78 GILBERT WHITE OF SELBORNE 1781 



As the Saxons had invented significant names for eleven 

 of their months, I wonder that April should come off so 

 poorly; for certainly the Goddess Goster is as arlitrary an 

 appellative as June, July, August, &c. 



I agree with you in preferring the reading of Frumento 

 for Fermento ; if any MSS. would keep us in countenance ; 

 or 'perhdips fermento in its place might be read adjectively, pro 

 fermentatis. Virgil often expresses himself in that manner. 



The poets have many times taken notice of the various 

 shades and tints of autumnal leaves; but Chaucer, in your 

 quotation, is the only one that I have remarked that has 

 observed the different colours of leaves at their first coming 

 out in the spring. 



You are certainly right respecting Merise, a bitter cherry : 

 hence no doubt comes our provincial word Mery, or more 

 probably Meris, the S. being dropped. 



Thanks are due for our salt-fish which came last Saturday, 

 and looks finely ; pray write word what it cost. 



The girl has knit your father one pair of stockings, and 

 almost an other. I will procure more worsted. Her eldest 

 sister is hired as a nurse-maid to Mrs. Clement.* Poor 

 Dame Larby lies still in the same hopeless way. 



I have, in my time, seen two grey crows in Selborne parish. 

 My well, and others, particularly that most profound one at 

 Heards, continue very low. The stream at Gracious street 

 just runs, and Well-head is not much increased. Mrs. 

 White and Mr. and Mrs. Etty, who have been gossiping all 

 the morning with Mrs. Clement, bring some imperfect 

 accounts of good news both from India, and off Brest. God 

 grant that they may be true ! We often exceed you in rain. 

 In Dec. .79 we had 6*28 in., and in Nov. .81 6*18 in. In 

 this current month we have caught, as yet, only -100. I 

 have received from Shields the nursery man four peaches 



* His niece, Jane, daughter of Benjamin White, who now lived at Alton. 



