80 GILBEET WHITE OF SELBORNE m<l 



As Uncle Will was coming down in great glee from 

 Newton to Selborne, he attempted to get down the slider 

 immediately below the hermitage. The slippery ground 

 hurried him on much faster than he was aware, so that 

 he fell with his head on a stump and cut his forehead sadly. 

 He was stunned with the fall, and lay senseless for some 

 time. I was shaving when he came in, and seeing at my 

 elbow a courier with his hand full of letters, and all over 

 dirt and blood, could not imagine at first who he was. 



Y'^ loving unkle, 



Gil. White. 



We are glad to hear that your father is so well. 



To Miss White. 



Selborne, Jan. 16, 1782. 



Dear Niece, — D"" Chandler and Mr. Churton went lately 

 to visit Binstead* church, where in a room to the N. of 

 the church, called the school-room, they found the following 

 inscription in Saxon characters: "Eichard: de: Westcote: 

 gist: ici: Deu: de: sa: Alme: eit: merci ! Amen." And 

 on the tomb the stone effigy of a Knight Templar in 

 his shirt of mail, with his legs across, and a little lion 

 between them ; with his shield on his arm, and his sword 

 by his side ; and all in pretty good preservation. A quarter 

 of a mile to the W. of the church stands an old mansion 

 called Westcote, perhaps once the residence of this Knight. 



Well-head runs now very strong, and sends out perhaps 

 30 gallons of water in a minute ; the stream nearly fills the 

 cart-way. 



The bostal, from much use, is dirty; while the zigzag, 

 from the contrary reason, is sound and clean. 



Dame Larby dyed yesterday morning. 



* A villaffe near Selborne, 



