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[com]pared it to the courting of a woman, saying, "Importune
her, and be earnest upon her, and she is always the shyer;
but let her alone, and she will come of herself."
Another time the † Dean Rural visited him in the
course of his peregrination, and entering into his house,
found great fault with every article of Mr Naughley's dress,
furniture, and all parts of his house. The Dean being about
to depart, he stopped him, telling him, "Dean, you have not
seen the most valuable part of my furniture." The Dean in
vain looked, but could not even see any thing decent. "Ah!"
says Mr Naughley, "there is Contentment peeping out of every
corner of my cot, and you cannot see her; I suppose you are
not acquainted with her. Upon the walls of your lordly
mansion, and in your bed-chamber, is wrote, Dean and
Chapter, after that Bishop. No thought of these here; nor
ladies, nor equipage: Contentment keeps them off." Then he
repeated to him the sixth Sat. of the second book of Horace,
"Hoc erat in votis modus agri non ita magnus." "A little
farm, and a pleasant clear spring; a garden and a grove were
the utmost of my wish. The gods have in their bounty
exceeded my hopes.- I am contented."
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Passing Thelkeld, when you come opposite the Riddings, from
a small declivity in the road, stop and take a view of the
beautiful vale of Wanthwaite, erroneously called by
all authors St John's Vale: this error hath I suppose arisen
from its being within the chapelry of St John's; whereas
these two vales are distinct, and are separated by the
mountain called Naddle-Fell. The view is picturesque,
though in a stile different from most I have seen; it is,
however, capable of affording a pretty landscape for the
painter, who may either take his station here in the road,
or at the house called Riddings, which is only a very
little way distant, and is the property of Mr Edward
Greenhow. The front ground in this landscape must be formed
almost entirely from the painter's fancy, but the other
objects are extremely picturesque and beautiful. The meeting
of the two brooks, one of which intersects the valley with
an uncommon profusion of silver meanders, is in the front of
the picture. A little farther is a cottage surrounded with
trees, which goes by the name of Ew Tree: Then we see
Hill-Top, an handsome, small, old building, belonging
to J. Gaskarth, Esq.; and the white house at
Lothwaite; the property of J. Williamson, Esq. Beyond
these is Fornside, a beautiful, smooth valley, over
which Fornside-Cragg hangs with awful grandeur, and
during a flood exhibits a noble cascade pouring down its
rugged face, and frequently re-echoes the shouts of the
hunter who pursue the foxes that kennel in its sides, or
take refuge there when pursued from other places. Beyond
this again is Green Cragg, which at this distance
exactly resembles an old castle, standing on the side of a
mountain, whilst the more distant mountains form a beautiful
back ground to the whole.
Having ascended the hill to BURNS, look back at the vale of
Threlkeld. Here you have an agreeable, tho' not picturesque
view, of the scattered cotes of High-row at the skirts of
Saddleback; the overhanging precipice above Hill-Top,
called the Heights; the meanders of the river for the
distance of six miles; and turning the other way, you see
Skiddow and its neighbouring mountains.
Now ascend the hill to Coose-well; the road is bad,
but the prospect is truly beautiful, and exhibits such a
mixture of the romantic, with plenty and cultivation, as
perhaps the whole island can hardly parallel. We have a
beautiful view of St John's Vale on the South, and all round
there is endless variety of objects: beautiful meadows
intersected with large, pellucid streams of water; cottages
built with the utmost neatness, every one being covered with
white slate, and the window and door-frames made of
red free-stone, and the walls limed over and white-washed;
which, though it may hurt the eye of a professed
connoisseur, always gives an idea of cleanliness.
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