150 

 Mr. Mason thus speaks of Shenstone : 



" Nor thou 



Shalt pass without thy meed, thou son of peace, 

 Who knew'st perchance to harmonize thy shades 

 Still softer than thy song ; yet was that song 

 Nor rude nor unharmonious, when attuned 

 To pastoral plaint, or tales of slighted love." 



And Mr. Whateley pays his memory the following tribute, 

 previous to his masterly survey of his far-famed and enchant- 

 ing seat : " An allusion to the ideas of pastoral poetry evi- 

 dently enters into the design of the Leasowes, where they 

 appear so lovely as to endear the memory of their author, 

 and justify the reputation of Mr. Shenstone, who inhabited, 

 made and directed that celebrated place. It is a perfect 

 picture of his mind, simple, elegant, and amiable, and will 

 always suggest a doubt whether the spot inspired his verses, 

 or whether, in the scenes which he formed, he only realized 

 the pastoral images which abound in his songs."* George 

 Mason, in many pages, pays high compliments to Shenstone's 

 taste : " Paine's Hill has every mark of creative genius, and 

 Hagley of correctest fancy ; but the most intimate alliance 

 with nature was formed by Shenstone." Mr. Marshall, in 

 his " Planting and Rural Ornament," has some critical re- 

 marks on the Leasowes, the expences in perfecting which 

 threw Shenstone " on the rack of poverty, and probably 

 hastened the dissolution of an amiable and 1 valuable man." 

 He says that Envitte was originally designed by Shenstone, 



* The generous minded reader will be gratified by referring to the kind 

 tribute, paid to the memory of Shenstone, by Mr. Loudon, at p. 76 of his 

 Encyclopaedia. Of this Encyclopaedia, Mr. Johnson, in his History of Gar- 

 dening, thus speaks : " Taken as a whole, it is the most complete book of 

 gardening ever published;" and that, with the exception of chymistry, 

 " every art and science, at all illustrative of gardening, are made to contri- 

 bute their assistance." 



