THE ENGLISH COUXTRY GENTLEMAN. 879 



give a relish to a country life, should by no means 

 be thought lightly of by a people who, like our- 

 selves, have ever been conspicuous for our excel- 

 lence in the one, and our fondness for the other ; 

 but which, in the opinion of some, appear to be on 

 the wane, as the natural consequence of our pre- 

 sent state of almost excessive refinement. This 

 would be a real cause for regret. The fondness for 

 rural life amongst the higher order of the English 

 has hitherto had a great and salutary efiect upon 

 the natural character of their country ; and there 

 cannot be found a finer race of men than the coun- 

 try gentlemen of Great Britain. Instead of the 

 softness and effeminacy which characterise the men 

 of rank of most other nations, they exhibit a union 

 of natural elegance and strength, a robustness of 

 frame and freshness of complexion, which are to be 

 attributed to their living so much in the open air, 

 and pursuing so eagerly the invigorating recrea- 

 tions of a country life. Their hard exercise pro- 

 duces a healthy tone of mind and spirits, as well as 

 of body, accompanied with a manliness and sim- 

 plicity of manners, which even the follies of a town 

 cannot easily pervert, and can never entirely de- 

 stroy. Let us, however, hope that the fears on this 

 head are groundless ; let us hope that what Horace 

 sighed for, what Cato, Plato, and Cicero recom- 

 mended, what Bion eulogised, what all the best 

 poets of antiquity sang the praises of (according to 

 the poets, the golden age was spent in the country,) 

 and for which kings and emperors quitted their 

 thrones, will never be ill suited to, or considered as 



