OF SELBORNE. 277 



to any thing he had seen in the finest parts 

 of Europe. 



For my own part, I think there is some- 

 what peculiarly sweet and amusing in the 

 shapely-figured aspect of chalk-hills in 

 preference to those of stone, which are 

 rugged, broken, abrupt, and shapeless. 



Perhaps I may be singular in my opinion, 

 and not so happy as to convey to you the 

 same idea ; but I never contemplate these 

 mountains without thinking I perceive 

 somewhat analogous to growth in their 

 gentle swellings and smooth fungus-like 

 protuberances, their fluted sides, and regu- 

 lar hollo ws and slopes, that carry at once the 

 air of vegetative dilatation and expansion 



'Or was there ever a time when these 



immense masses of calcarious matter were 

 thrown into fermentation by some adven- 

 titious moisture ; were raised and leavened 

 into such shapes by some plastic power ; 

 and so made to swell and heave their broad 

 backs into the sky so much above the less 

 animated clay of the wild below ? 



By what I can guess from the admeasure- 



