STUDY X. 311 



Frequently have I been in the midft of vaft foli- 

 tudes, by day and by night, and in feafons of per- 

 fedi tranquiUity, and I have always heard fome 

 noife or another. Often, in truth, it was only the 

 found of a bird flying, or of an infeâ: ftirring a 

 leaf i but found always fuppofes motion. 



Motion is the expreflion of life. In this you 

 fee the reafon why Nature has multiplied the 

 çaufes of it in all her works. One of the great 

 charms of a landfcape is to fee objects in motion ; 

 and this is the very thing which the pictures of 

 moft of our great Matters frequently fail to ex- 

 prefs. If you except fuch of them as reprefent 

 tempefts, you will find, every where elfe, their fo- 

 refts and their meadows motionlefs, and the water 

 of their lakes congealed. Neverthelefs, the inver- 

 fion. of the leaves of trees prefenting a gray or 

 white under-fide ; the undulations of the grafs in 

 the vallies, and on the ridges of the mountains ; 

 thofe which ruffle the fmooth furface of the waters, 

 arid the foam which whitens the Ihores, recal, 

 with inexpreffible pleafure, in a burning fummer- 

 fcene, the breath fo gentle and fo cooling of the 

 zephyrs. To thefe might be added, with infinite 

 grace, and with powerful effeâ;, the movements pe- 

 culiar to the animals which inhabit them; for ex- 

 ample, the concentric circles which the diving- 

 bird forms on the furface of the water j the flight 



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