I remember the latter of those I mentioned, gave himself up to a devout exercise of making his head giddy with various circumrotations, to imitate the motions of the celestial bodies. I don't think it at all impossible that Mr. L. may be far advanced in that exercise by frequent turns towards the several aspects of the heavens, to which you may have been pleased to direct him in search of prospects and new avenues. He will be tractable in time, as birds are tamed by being whirled about; and doubtless come not to despise the meanest shrubs or coppice-wood, though naturally he seems more inclined to admire God in his greater works, the tall timber: for, as Virgil has it, Non omnes arbusta juvant humilesque myrica. I wish myself with you both, whether you are in peace or at war, in violent argumentation or smooth consent, over Gazettes in the morning, or over Plans in the evening. In that last article, I am of opinion your Lordship has a loss of me; for generally after the debate of a whole day, we acquiesced at night, in the best conclusion of which human reason seems capable in all great matters, to fall fast asleep! And so we ended, unless immediate Revelation (which ever must overcome human reason) suggested some new lights to us, by a Vision in bed. But laying aside Theory, I am told, you are going directly to Practice. Alas, what Alas, what a fall will that be? A new Building is like a new Church; when once it is set up, you must maintain it in all the forms, and with all the inconveniences; then cease the pleasant luminous days of inspiration, and there is an end of miracles at once!

That this letter may be all of a piece, I'll fill the rest with an account of a consultation lately held in my neighbourhood about designing a princely garden. Several Critics were of several opinions: one declared he would not have too much Art in it; for my notion (said he) of gardening is, that it is only sweeping nature: another told them that Gravelwalks were not of a good taste, for all the finest abroad were of a loose sand: a third advised3 peremptorily there should not be one Lime-tree in the whole plantation: a fourth made the same exclusive clause extend to Horse-chesnuts, which he affirmed not to be Trees, but Weeds: Dutch Elms were condemned by a fifth; and thus about half the Trees were proscribed, contrary to the Paradise of God's own planting, which is expressly said to be planted with all trees. There were some who could not bear Evergreens, and called them Never-greens; some who were angry at them only when cut into shapes, and gave the modern Gardeners the name of Evergreen Taylors; some who had no dislike to Cones and Cubes, but would have them cut in Forest-trees; and some who were in a passion against any thing in shape, even against clipt-hedges, which they called green walls. These (my Lord) are our men of Taste, who pretend to prove it by tasting little or nothing. Sure such a taste is like such a stomach, not a good one, but a weak one. We have the same sort of

* An expression of Sir T. H. W.

Here are some curious observations on Gardening, and the art of laying out grounds, written before Kent's improvements in this art.

Critics in poetry; one is fond of nothing but Heroics, another cannot relish Tragedies, another hates Pastorals, all little wits delight in Epigrams. Will you give me leave to add, there are the same in Divinity; where many leading Critics are for rooting up more than they plant, and would leave the Lord's Vineyard either very thinly furnished, or very oddly trimmed.

I have lately been with my Lord*, who is a zealous, yet a charitable Planter, and has so bad a taste as to like all that is good. He has a disposition to wait on you in his way to the Bath, and if he can go and return to London in eight or ten days, I am not without a hope of seeing your Lordship with the delight I always see you. Every where I think of you, and every where I wish for you.

I am, etc.

LETTER XLII.

TO MR. C—.

September 2, 1732.

I ASSURE you I am glad of your letter, and have long wanted nothing but the permission you now give me, to be plain and unreserved upon this head. I wrote to you concerning it long since: but a friend of yours and mine was of opinion, it was taking too much upon me, and more than I could be entitled to by the mere merit of long acquaintance, and good will. I have not a thing in my heart relating to any friend, which I would not, in my own nature, declare

to all mankind. The truth is what you guess; I could not esteem your conduct, to an object of misery so near you as Mrs. and I have often hinted it to yourself: the truth is, I cannot yet esteem it for any reason I am able to see. But this I promise, I acquit you as far as your own mind acquits you. I have now no farther cause of complaint, for the unhappy Lady gives me now no further pain; she is no longer an object either of yours or my compassion; the hardships done her are lodged in the hands of God, nor has any man more to do in them, except the persons concerned in occasioning them.

As for the interruption of our correspondence, I am sorry you seem to put the Test of my friendship upon that, because it is what I am disqualified from toward my other acquaintance, with whom I cannot hold any frequent commerce. I'll name you the obstacles which I can't surmount: want of health, want of time, want of good eyes; and one yet stronger than them all, I write not upon the terms of other men. For however glad I might be, of expressing my respect, opening my mind, or venting my concerns, to my private friends; I hardly dare while there are Curls in the world. If you please to reflect either on the impertinence of weak admirers, the malice of low enemies, the avarice of mercenary Booksellers, or the silly curiosity of people in general; you'll confess I have small reason to indulge correspondences; in which too I want materials, as I live altogether out of town, and have abstracted my mind (I hope) to better things than common news. I wish my friends would send me back those forfeitures of

my discretion, commit to my justice what I trusted only to their indulgence, and return me at the year's end those trifling letters, which can be to them but a day's amusement, but to me may prove a discredit as lasting and extensive, as the foresaid weak admirers, mean enemies, mercenary scribblers, or curious simpletons, can make it.

I come now to a particular you complain of, my not answering your question about some Partypapers, and their authors'. This indeed I could not tell you, because I never was, or will be privy to such papers and if by accident, through my acquaintance with any of the writers, I had known a thing they concealed, I should certainly never be the reporter of it.

For my waiting on you at your country-house, I have often wished it; it was my compliance to a superior duty that hindered me, and one which you are too good a Christian to wish I should have broken, having never ventured to leave my mother (at her great age) for more than a week, which is too little for such a journey.

Upon the whole, I must acquit myself of any act or thought, in prejudice of the regard I owe you, as so long and obliging an acquaintance and corre

1

1 Considering certain topics that have very lately been so eagerly discussed by many political writers, it is to be wished they had attentively read and considered what Plato has said, in the sixth Book of his Laws, concerning excessive riches, or excessive poverty, in a well-ordered state; and also what Aristotle has observed, in the seventh Chapter of the seventh Book of his Politics, that perhaps all nations are not equally fit or qualified to enjoy Liberty.