GENTLEMAN FARMING.-PARK SCENERY. 135 



plough had a wooden beam, bound round with hoop iron The 

 horses, one black and the other white, seemed to be worn-out 

 hacks ; the harness was mended with bits of rope - the fur 

 rows were crooked and badly turned. Altogether^ a more 

 iiRfarmer-like turn-out, and a worse piece of work I never saw 

 m our own backwoods. When we last saw the ploughman, 

 he had ta K en off his woollen cap and seemed about lighting a 

 pipe and the horses were beginning to nibble at the stubble 

 which stuck up in tufts all over the ploughed ground. In get 

 ting back to the road we crossed a low spot, sinkin. ankle 

 eep m mire, and noticed several trees not eight inches thick 

 which showed signs of decay. 



We tramped on for several miles through this tame 

 scenery and most ungentlemanly forming, until it became 

 really tiresome. At length the wood fell back, and the road 

 was lined for some way with a double row of fine elms. 

 U no deer. A little further, and we came to a cottage 

 most beautifully draped with ivy; passed through another 

 gate. Ah ! here is the real park at last. 



A gracefully, irregular, gently undulating surface of close- 

 cropped pasture land, reaching way off inimitably dark 

 green in colour; very old, but not very large trees scattered 

 singly and m groups-so far apart as to throw long unbroken 

 shadows across broad openings of light, and leave the view in 

 several directions unobstructed for a long distance. Herds 

 fallow-deer, fawns, cattle, sheep, and lambs quietly feedin^ 

 near us, and moving slowly in masses at a distance ; a warm 

 atmosphere, descending sun, and sublime shadows -from fleecy 

 cloudy transiently darkening in succession, sunny surface, cool 

 woodside, flocks and herds, and foliage. 



The road ran on winding through this. We drew a long 

 breath, and walked slowly for a little way, then turned aside 

 at the nearest tree, and. lay down to take it all in satisfac- 



