100 GILBERT WHITE OF SELBORNE 1733 



What owners there were between the Seymours and Pow- 

 letts, I have not yet learned. 



In my way to Oxford, having an hour to spare, I stopped 

 at Dorchester, and saw the church. This is a most venerable 

 pile of building, and of a vast length ! Some years ago the 

 church was new roofed and repaired by a benefactor, but 

 the large chancel, being in the hands of a half-ruined 

 Impropriator is miserably neglected. In this noble pile 

 I found a Knight Templar in ef^gj with his legs crossed : 

 so you see he was vowed to the holy land. In Saxon times 

 Dorchester was a Bishop's See : but in the reign of William 

 the Conqueror it was removed to Lincoln : since which this 

 town has been in constant decay, and is dwindled down 

 to a paltry village. I saw a gentleman lately, who says, 

 many of the Roman coins found at Dorchester were made 

 at Birmingham. For an account of Dorchester in Oxford- 

 shire, see Camden's ' Britannia.' 



We have felt many smart frosts lately, and on May 7th 

 had snow and hail-storms: but now the weather is very 

 summerlike. 



Not long since I bottled out some very fine raisin-wine. 

 The next morning before I was up Thomas came and told 

 me that he thought that the wine had fermented and broke 

 some of the bottles; for a stream of wine ran from under 

 the vault-door. To this I replyed like a philosopher, that 

 it was impossible that the fermentation could be come to 

 such a degree in so short a time. Thomas came up again, 

 and told me that the stream smelt also of brandy or rum. 

 This account confirmed my first suspicions. So I got up 

 and went into the cellar: when, woe is me, the shelf was 

 fallen down and — caetera desunt. We had no swifi 'til 

 May 4th, and then only a pair: but now this morning, 

 May 13th, we have five or six pairs. 



y loving Uncle, 



Gil. White. 



