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ous lawn gently fweeps down into the vale, crouded on every fide by the towering wood, and fills the bottom with its fpreading arms; and over the plumes of its foliage appears another rifing lawn, on the verge of which is feen, Thomson's feat, finely fringed on each fide and behind by stately trees. The temple of Thefeus over thefe, on a more elevated brow, among rich plantations of firs, ftretching up the hill, and the graceful obelifk, on a lawn above that, clofed behind by the Witchberry wood, are the objects collected in this enchanting place. I apprehend every fpectator who treads the elyfian walks of Hagley park, cannot but be pleasingly ftruck at the rich view before him, and acknowledge it the most elegant picture that ever was drawn by the pencil of taste.

In advancing a few paces to another bench from this place, the face of every thing changes again. No buildings are

feen;

feen; all is fhut out by the clofing of the woods, except one opening over the branches of the trees, which looks immediately upon a clump of firs on the left of the Witchberry hill, and the ftupendious Wrekin at about thirty miles distant.

The fame fhady path leads along to the Doric portico, fupported by ruftic pillars, on the fummit of an exceeding steep lawn which runs into the oppofite grove, and is every way confined by the fame; in the valley beneath a small pond of water glistens through the trees, and round a sturdy old oak, covered with ivy, is a bench which affords feveral agreeable peeps; this portico is called

POPE'S BUILDING,

thus infcribed,

K

QUIETI

QUIETI ET MUSIS.

To Quiet and the Mufes.

The fituation of this lovely recefs is fuch as never fails infpiring a fecret pleafure. Thomfon's feat is again brought into the chearful picture, over the branches of luxuriant horfe-chefnuts and other trees; the obelisk and the Witchberry wood, and part of the fir-plantation, have a fine effect, but the Grecian Temple is excluded.

From hence, keeping to the left, the walk becomes if poffible more rural, takes a fhady turn among the noble furrounding trees, and precipitately falls to another extenfive opening, which af fords a pleafing variety; all is pastoral, plain and fimple. Clent hills again rife in the fcene, full in front, crowned with a fir clump in perspective beauty, and Pope's urn under the trees at fome distance on the fide of the lawn is catched

in peculiar grace: a little further it drops into a folitary glen-rude, irregular and gloomy; the bench in the midft of it looks up the hollow filled with trees, fome old, fome with expofed roots, others dead; but the most flriking part of this amufing fcene, is the feveral trickling rills which find their course down the fteep fhelving fides, fhaded by thin coppice wood and large afhes. The obfcurity and the foothing note of thefe dribbling currents, mark it for contempla, tion one knows not when to leave it the novelty pleafes, and pleafure flows from its retired and peaceful bowers.

On the back of this fhady feat appear the following verfes :

Libet jacere modo fub antiquæ ilice
Modo in tenaci gramine :
Labunter altis interim rivis aquæ

Quæruntur in fylvis aves;

Fontefque lymphis obftrepunt manantibus

Somnus quod invitet leves.

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That is,

Now on the verdant grafs beneath the fhade
Of antient oaks, our wearied limbs are laid:
While in full streams the waters glide along,
And birds in woods pour forth the plaintive fong;
Now by fome fountain, murm'ring as it flows,
Devoid of care indulge in foft repofe.

ANON.

Striking through this fequeftered glen, the path rifes up its oppofite fide, and winds among variety of noble trees, interspersed on the lawn, to

The ROTUNDA,

an exceeding handfome building, standing on a rifing fwell here the : eye faftens on the fame delicious vifta, back to the before-mentioned alcove, but totally dif fers from the appearance it has at that building. Inftead of the cafcades which gufh from the different refervoirs unseen in the vale, and give the scene there fuch

charms,

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