Imatges de pàgina
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Our man

ner of liv

happy. As the inftincts and paffions were wifely and kindly given us, to fubferve many purposes of our present ftate, let them have their proper, fubaltern fhare of action; but let reason ever have the fovereignty, (the divine law of reafon and truth) and be, as it were, fail and wind to the veffel of life.

S. 4. Two years, almoft, this fine fcene ing at Or- lafted, and during that period, the bufinefs ton-Lodge. and diverfions of our lone retreat appeared for various and pleafing, that it was not poffible to think a hundred years fo fpent, in the leaft degree dull and tedious. Exclufive of books and gardening, and the improvement of the farm, we had, during the fine feafon, a thousand charming amusements on the mountains, and in the glens and vallies of that sweet filent place. Whole days we' would fpend in fishing, and dine in fome cool grot by the water-fide, or under an aged tree, on the margin of fome beautiful ftream. We generally used the fly and rod; but, if in hafte, had recourfe to one of the little water-falls, and, by fixing a net under one of them, would take a dozen or two of very large trouts, in a few minutes time.

By a little water-fall, I mean one of those that are formed by fome fmall river, which tumbles there in various places, from rock to rock, about four feet each fall, and makes a

moft

most beautiful view from top to bottom of a fall. There are many of thefe falling waters among the vaft mountains of Westmoreland. I have seen them likewife in the Highlands of Scotland.

water-falls.

At Glencrow, half way between Dumbar- Glencro ton and Inverary, there are fome very fine ones, and just by them one Campbell keeps a poor inn. There we were entertained with water and whisky, oat-cakės, milk, butter, and trouts he took by the net, at one of the little falls of a river that defcends a prodigious mountain near his lone house, and forms, like what we have at Orton-Lodge, a most beautiful scene. Several happy days I paffed at this place, with a dear creature, who is now a faint in heaven.

fenny wa

ter near Orton

Lodge.

At other times we had the diverfion of The great age and fize taking as much carp and tench as we pleased, of carp and in a large, ftanding, fenny water, that lies tench, in a about two miles from the lodge, in a glen, and always found the fish of this water of an enormous fize, three feet long, though the general length of fish of this fpecies is eleven inches in our ponds: this vaft bigness must be owing to the great age of these fish; I may suppose, at least, an hundred years; for it is certain, that in garden-ponds, which have, for experiment's fake, been left undif turbed for many years, the carp and tench

The ftate and

of carp tench put

by a gen

my ac

quaint

ance.

have been found alive, and grown to a furprizing bignefs.

A gentleman, my near relation, who lived to a very long age, put fome fish of these into a pond fpecies into a pond, the day that Colonel tleman of Ever, at the head of feven other officers, prefented to the Commons that fatal remonftrance, which in fact took off the head of Charles, that is, November 20, 1648; and in the year 1727, feventy-nine years after, on his return to that feat, he found them all alive, and near two feet and a half in length. This demonftrates that fish may live to a very great age. It likewife It likewife proves that they continue to grow till they are an hundred years old, and then are the finest eating.

Defcription

Another of our amufements, during the fummer's bright day, was the pointer and gun, for the black cock, the moor cock, and the cock of the wood, which are in great plenty

on those vaft hills. Charlotte was fond of this sport, and would walk with me for hours, to fee me knock down the game; till, late in the evening, we would wander over the fells, and then return to our clean, peaceful, little houfe, to fup as elegantly on our birds (1), as the great could

do,

(1) The black cock is as large as our game cocks, black cock, and flies very swift and ftrong. The head and eyes

of the

are

do, and with a harmony and unmixed joy they are for ever ftrangers to. After fupper, over fome little nectared-bowl, we fweetly chatted, till it was bed-time; or I played on my flute, and Charlotte divinely fung. It was a happy life; all the riches and honours of the world cannot produce fuch scenes of blifs as we experienced in a cottage, in the

are large, and round the eyes is a beautiful circle of red. The beak is strong, and black as the body; the legs robuft and red. It is very high eating; more fo than any native in England except the fen-ortolan; but in one particular it exceeds the fen birds, for it has two taftes; it being brown and white meat: under a lay of brown is a lay of white meat; both delicious: the brown is higher than the black moor cock, and the white much richer than the pheasant.

The moor cock is likewife very rare, but is to be had The moorfometimes in London, as the sportsmen meet with it cock. now and then on the hilly-heaths, not very far from town; particularly on Hindhead-heath, in the way to Portsmouth. It is as large as a good Darking fowl, and the colour is a deep iron-grey. Its eyes are large and fine as the black cock's; but, inftead of the red circle round them, it has bright and beautiful fcarlet eyebrows.

wood.

The cock of the wood, (as unknown in London as the The cock black cock) is almost as large as a turkey, but flies of the well. The back is a mixture of black, grey, and a reddish brown; the belly grey, and the breaft a pale brown, with tranfverfe lines of black, and a little white at the tips of the feathers. It has a large round head, of the pureft black, and over its fine hazle eyes, there is a naked space, that looks like an eye-brow of bright fcarlet. It is delicious eating, but far inferior to the black cock.

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Wilds of Westmoreland.

The death

of Char

lotte, my

Even the winter, which is ever boisterous and extreme cold in that part of the world, was no severity to us. As we had moft excellent provifions of every kind in abundance, and plenty of firing from the ancient woods, which cover many of thofe high hills; and two men fervants, and two maids, to do whatever tended to being and to well-being, to fupply our wants, and to complete our happiness. -This foftened the hard rough fcene, and the roaring waters, and the howling winds, appeared pleafing founds. In fhort, every feason, and all our hours, were quite charming, and full of delight. Good Tom Fleming, our friend, did likewife enhance our felicity, by coming once or twice a week to fee us, and staying fometimes two or three days. In the fummer time, we also went now and then to vifit him; and, if one was inclined to melancholy, yet it was impoffible to be dull while he was by. His humour, and his fongs, over a bowl of punch, were enough to charm the moft fplenetic, and make even rancour throw its face into fmiles.

§. 5. Two years, as I have faid, this fine scene lafted; and during that soft, tranffriend Tom porting period, I was the happiest man on and others. earth. But in came Death, when we leaft 177 expected him, fnatched my charming part

Fleming,

al. 24.

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