(Barbett 



arately, at different times, and at leisure, it may 

 be difficult to determine which to take away ; 

 yet still it must be acknowledged that their 

 frequency destroys all ideas of silence and re- 

 tirement. Magnificence and splendor are the 

 characteristics of Stowe ; it is like one of those 

 places celebrated in antiquity, which were de- 

 voted to the purposes of religion, and filled 

 with sacred groves, hallowed fountains, and 

 temples dedicated to several deities ; the resort 

 of distant nations, and the object of venera- 

 tion to half the heathen world. This pomp is 

 at Stowe blended with beauty, and the place is 

 equally distinguished by its amenity and its 

 grandeur. 



In the midst of so much embellishment as 

 may be introduced into this species of garden, 

 a plain field, or a sheep walk, is sometimes an 

 agreeable relief, and even wilder scenes may 

 occasionally be admitted. These indeed are not 

 properly parts of a garden, but they may be 

 comprehended within the verge of it, and their 

 proximity to the more ornamented scenes is at 

 least a convenience, that the transition from the 

 one to the other may be easy, and the change 

 always in our option : for though a spot in the 

 highest state of improvement be a necessary 

 r.ppendage to a seat, yet in a place which is 



