OF SELBORNE 191 



rank that promoted the elegant science of ornamenting 

 without despising the superintendence of the kitchen 

 quarters and fruit walls. 



A remark made by the excellent Mr. Ray in his Tour 

 of Europe at once surprises us, and corroborates what has 

 been advanced above ; for we find him observing, so late 

 as his days, that " the Italians use several herbs for sallets, 

 which are not yet or have not been but lately used in 

 England, viz. selkri (celery), which is nothing else but the 

 sweet smallage ; the young shoots whereof, with a little of 

 the head of the root cut off, they eat raw with oil and 

 pepper." And further he adds " curled endive blanched is 

 much used beyond seas ; and, for a raw sallet, seemed to 

 excel lettuce itself." Now this journey was undertaken 

 no longer ago than in the year 1663. 



1 am, etc. 



LETTER XXXVIII 



TO THE HONOURABLE DAINES BARRINGTON 



"FortS puer, comitum seductus ab agmine fido, 

 Dixerat, ecquis adest f et, adest, responderat echo. 

 Hie stupet; utque aciem partes divisit in omnes; 

 Voce, veni, clamat magna. Vocat ilia vocantem." 



Selborne, Feb. 12, 1778. 



Dear Sir, 

 In a district so diversified as this, so full of hollow vales, 

 and hanging woods, it is no wonder that echoes should 

 abound. Many we have discovered that return the cry of 

 a pack of dogs, the notes of a hunting-horn, a tunable ring 

 of bells, or the melody of birds, very agreeably : but we 

 were still at a loss for a polysyllabical, articulate echo, till 

 a young gentleman, who had parted from his company in 

 a summer evening walk, and was calling after them, 

 stumbled upon a very curious one in a spot where it might 

 least be expected. At first he was much surprised, and 



