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proposed that an annual sermon should be preached, either 

 in praise of church music, the duty of decorating religious 

 houses, charity in general, or the wonders of the creation ; 

 and that a hospital should be founded for the relief of the 

 really distressed. All these extensive plans were frustrated. 

 Even when his first twenty thousand trees had just been 

 planted out, the cattle belonging to the tenants of Mrs. 

 Dorothy Pickering, and Frances Byrd, (who a few years after 

 died worth two hundred thousand pounds, and whose village 

 biography is curiously dispersed throughout the above his- 

 tory) were purposely turned amongst the young trees, and 

 in a little time destroyed them all. " Neither was this all; 

 I was served for a trespass with twenty-seven different copies 

 of writs in one day (by their attorney, Valentine Price, of 

 Leicester) ; to such a degree of rage and fury were these old 

 gentlewomen raised, at what one should have thought every 

 heart would have rejoiced, and kindly lent an assisting 

 hand." Mr. Hanbury gives many instances of the " venom- 

 ous rage and passion" of these two old women. They had, 

 says he, " the mortification to find themselves totally de- 

 spised. Not a gentleman or lady would go near them, two 

 neighbouring clergymen excepted, who were invited to dine 

 with them upon venison." They attempted making a tool 

 of the sow-gelder's son, to enable them to carry on their 

 mean plans, and sent him word, that nothing they could do 

 for him in the parish should be wanting. His answer was, 

 " that favours granted from such people, on such terms, 

 could never prosper, and he desired the other to tell them, 

 they were two old bitches.' 9 " This summer, (says Mr. Han- 

 bury,) was murdered, in the most barbarous manner, the 

 best spaniel that perhaps ever entered the field, and the best 

 greyhound that ever run. With these I had been often en- 

 tertained in my morning walks. To deprive me of these 

 pleasures, afforded me in my morning recreations, I had dis- 

 charges from Mrs. Pickering, and Mrs. Byrd, for taking 



