OF A COUNTKY LIFE. 325 



heart of a man who is generally allowed to 

 have had a perfect knowledge of mankind, — 

 and this even at the time when he was the 

 favourite of the greatest emperor, and in the 

 midst of all the magnificence of the greatest 

 city in the world. 



The elegant Pliny also, in his epistle to 

 Minutius Fundanus, which is admirably trans- 

 lated by the Earl of Orrery, whilst he arraigns 

 the life he leads at Rome, speaks with a 

 kind of rapture of a country life: — "Wel- 

 come," says he, " thou life of integrity and 

 virtue ! Welcome, sweet and innocent amuse- 

 ment ! Thou art almost preferable to business 

 and employment of every kind !" And it was 

 herBi we are told, that the great Bacon expe- 

 rienced his truest felicity. With regard to 

 the otium cum dignitate, so much recommen- 

 ded, no one, I believe, understands the true 

 meaning of it better, or practises it more 

 successfully than you do. 



A rural life, I think, is better suited to 

 this country than to any other ; because the 

 country in England aifords pleasures and 

 amusements unknown in other countries ; and 

 because its rival, our English town (or ton) 

 life, perhaps is a less pleasant one than may 



