THOUGHTS UPON HUNTING. 3^1 



fienced his truest felicity. With regard to th,e oiium cu?n 

 dignitate^ so much recom mended, no one, I beheve, un- 

 derstands the true meaning of it better, or pradises it 

 more successfully, than you do, 



A RURAL life, I think, is better suited to this kingdom 

 than to any other ; because the country in England affords 

 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 be found elsewhere. 

 If this, upon a nice investigation of the matter, should 

 appear to be stfidlly true, the conclusion that would ne- 

 cessarily result from it might prove more than I mean 

 it should ; therefore we will drop the subjeifl:. Should 

 you, however, differ from me in opinion of your town- 

 life, and disapprove what I have said concerning it, you 

 may excuse me, if you please, as you would a lawyer 

 who does the best he can for the party for whom he is re- 

 tained. I think you will also excuse any expressions that I 

 may have used, which may not be current kere ; if you find, 

 as I verily believe you may, that I have not made use of 

 a French word, but when I could not have expressed my 

 meaning so well by an English one. It is only an unne- 



