178 THE NATURAL HISTORY 



science of ornamenting without despising the superintendence 

 of the kitchen quarters and fruit walls. 



A remark made by the excellent Mr. Ray in his Tour of 

 Europe at once surprises us, and corroborates what has been 

 advanced above ; for we find him observing, so late as his days, 

 that " the Italians use several herbs for sallets, which are not yet 

 " or have not been but lately used in England, viz. selleri (celery) 

 " which is nothing else but the sweet smallage ; the young shoots 

 " whereof, with a little of the head of the root cut off, they eat 

 "raw with oil and pepper". And farther he adds "curled endive 

 "blanched is much used beyond seas ; and, for a raw sallet, seemed 

 "to excel lettuce itself". Now this journey was undertaken no 

 longer ago than in the year 1663. 



I am, &c. 



LETTER XXXVIII. 



TO THE SAME. 



" Forte puer, comitum seductus ab agmine fido, 

 " Dixerat, ecquis adest? et, adest, responderat echo. 

 " Hie stupet ; utque aciem partes di visit in omnes ; 

 " Voce, veni, clamat magna. Vocat ilia vocantem." * 



Selborne, Feb. 12, 1778. 

 DEAR SIR, 



IN a district so diversified as this, so full of hollow vales and 

 hanging woods, it is no wonder that echoes should abound. 

 Many we have discovered that return the cry of a pack of dogs, 

 the notes of a hunting-horn, a tunable ring of bells, or the melody 

 of birds, very agreeably : but we were still at a loss for a poiy- 

 syllabical, articulate echo, till a young gentleman, who had parted 

 from his company in a summer evening walk, and was calling 

 after them, stumbled upon a very curious one in a spot where it 

 might least be expected. At first he was much surprised, and 

 could not be persuaded but that he was mocked by some boy ; 

 but, repeating his trials in several languages, and finding his 

 respondent to be a very adroit polyglot, he then discerned the 

 deception. 



This echo in an evening, before rural noises cease, would repeat 



^Ov., Met.,i\\. t 379-80.] 



