( 472 ) 



I cannot fee much iife in men of large 

 fortune applying in a common manner to 

 farming. To ride through a country and 

 not be able to diftinguifh the gentleman's 

 land from the common farmer's, is difgud- 

 ing, and gives the fpedtatcr an idea of a 

 want of tafte and refinement in one who 

 can pradife an art fufceptible of the moft 

 pleafmg exertions of elegance, and yet 

 confine himfelf to the vulgar path of clowns 

 and hinds. 



The want of fpirit in this point is much 

 owing to an attention to profit. Gentle- 

 men even of very large fortune pradife 

 hufbandry with a mere eye to confolidate 

 the profit of the tenant with that of the 

 landlord, Every man has a right to adl as 

 he pieafcs with his ovvrn property; nothing, 

 therefore, upon the fcore of right can be 

 urged againft this praQice : — but w^e often 

 fmd fuch gentlemen boafling of their 

 hufbandry of this kind as a merit, and 

 retailing in converfation the fentiments of 

 celebrated authors upon the fpiritcd profef-* 

 fors of agriculture ; the race of improvers \ 

 and the ingenious devifcrs of experiments, 

 as if fuch fentiments VvTrc anyways appli- 

 cable 



