OF SELBORNE. 217 



endless room for observation in the field of 

 nature, which is boundless, yet investiga- 

 tion (where a man endeavours to be sure of 

 his facts) can make but slow progress ; and 

 all that one could collect in many years 

 would go into a very narrow compass. 



Some extracts from your ingenious " In- 

 vestigations of the difference between the 

 present temperature of the air in Italy," &c. 

 have fallen in my way ; and gave me great 

 satisfaction ; they have removed the objec- 

 tions that always arose in my mind when- 

 ever I came to the passages which you 

 quote. Surely the judicious Virgil, when 

 writing a didactic poem for the region of 

 Italy, could never think of describing- 

 freezing rivers, unless such severity of 

 weather pretty frequently occurred ! 



P. S. Swallows appear amidst snows 

 and frost 



