CORRESPONDENCE WITH HIS FAMILY. 157 



N.E. between one and three o'clock to-day, and perhaps I should see two 

 men riding in the air in a balloon ; " to which his neighbour replied, 

 " Then he must be pretty far gone indeed." Mr. Pink expressed great 

 sorrow, as he very much respected him. When they came to Alton 

 Butts, a small open common just as you enter Alton, a large concourse of 

 people were assembled together looking earnestly upwards. Mr. Pink 

 addressed the multitude, and asked them what they were about; to 

 which they replied that if he would look over the church he would see, 

 as well as themselves, two men riding in a balloon. After satisfying 

 themselves of the truth of this, Mr. Pink jogged his companion, saying, 

 " Neighbour, 1 think Mr. White is not so far gone as you and I thought 

 him ! "1 



LETTER XLI. 



MARY WHITE TO HER UNCLE GILBERT. 



South Lambeth, May 17, 1785. 

 Dear Sir, 



By the kind letter I received from you last Friday *, we were 

 very sorry to hear that you have been so much affected by the 

 late cold weather, which indeed has been unusually severe. 

 Within these few days it has been rather milder with us ; and 

 I hope you likewise may have found it better than it was ; 

 but till the wind changes to a warmer quarter, I fear we shall 

 not have any soft fine weather. 



Piers Plowman (printed in 1550) says, " by some who were 

 more acquainted with antiquity than myself, I have learned 

 that the autour was name Roberte Langelande, a Shropshire 

 man, born in Cleybirie, about eight myles from Malverne 

 Hilles." All that Mr. Warton says, in his observations on 

 the Faerie Queene of Spencer, which he refers to in his Hist. 

 of Poetry, is, " the author of Pierce Plowman is Robert Long- 

 lande, or Langelande, according to Bale, and Wood, who like- 

 wise calls him Malverne." It is probable neither Bale, Wood, 

 nor Warton had any other authority than that which I have 

 quoted above. From whence Mr. Warton calls him a Fellow 

 of Oriel my father cannot say. 



* [The letter here referred to I have not found. — T. B.] 



