344 
line of furrounding mountains, may 
furnifh more important !effons to the ob- 
_ fervant artift, than even the fineft pictures 
of Pouffin and Claud Loraine. With 
this laft refle€tion I was particularly im- 
prefled at the latter end of laft Autumn, 
during a nofturnal walk in the neigh- 
bourhood of Builth. The night was 
dark and comfortlefs—no moon, no ftar 
jn the firmament; and the atmofphere was 
‘fo thick with vapours “and defcending 
fhowers, that even the courfe of the river 
was fcarcely difcernible. In fhort, no- 
thing was vifible but a fky of - moft 
fullen grey, and one vait fable mafs of 
furrounding mountain, ikirting on either 
fide the finuous valley, and prefcribing in" 
every direction the bounds of vifior. 
Never before was I fo deeply imprefled 
with the power of mere outline. Here 
were no diverfities of tint, no varied 
gaffes of light and fhadows: the whole 
pi€ture confiftted of one bold, unbroken, 
but eternally diverfifying line, and two 
broad maffes ot modified fhade— 
“¢ No light, but rather darknefs vifible ;* 
and yet the eye was feafted, and the ima- 
gination was filled with mingled impref- 
fions of fublimity and beauty. gis 
Neither is it with a view to ftudy only, 
that thefe diverfities of nature fhould be 
contulted': the pidturefque of Winter has 
characteriftic charms of its own, with 
which the generality of artilts feem but 
jittle acquainted; but which, neverthe- 
leis, are as worthy of the imitation of 
the pencil, as the luxuriancy of Summer, 
or the mellow tints of Autumn. This 
3s. diftincuithingly the cafe in rocky and 
mountainous countries. Where the fce- 
nery,. indeed, is more level, and’ nature 
deals but little in the great of outline, the 
gaiety of Spring, the wanton drapery of 
Summer, or the rich colouring of Au- 
tumn, are neceflary to difguife the fame 
monotony of uninterefting flopes; and 
the eye fickens at the profpect of leaflefs 
plantations and level tra&is of fhow. 
But where the permanent parts of the 
landicape are well difpofed—where the 
features are bald and prominent, and 
marked with ‘decifive charatter—where 
the wildnefs of nature is unfubjugated iby 
art—and rocks and mountains, hanging 
féretts and fudden precipices, deep irri- 
guousvallies: and- precipitous rivers, 
dingles,’ cafcades and headlong torrents 
mingle in ‘rich: diverfity, the charm de- 
pends not upon the’ accédents of tint or 
decoration :, every: change of feafon’ has 
its correfpondent graces, and nakedneis 
Scenes on the Wye. 
itfelf is but beauty without a veil. Sce- 
nery of this defcription may be compared 
to thofe fuperior orders of fhape and fea- 
ture which conititute the perfeétion of the 
human form; in which tranfparent tints 
and the moft perfect fymmetry are graces 
‘of infericr magnitude, and beauty ittelf is 
the fimaller part of lovelinefs—where the 
whole. countenance beams<expreffion; 
every feature has its animation and cha- 
raéter, every line is: defcriptive of fome 
kind or elevated paflion, and every glance, 
every gefture, every motion is elogaent 
‘of fympathy and intelligence. ‘Such are 
the forms that owe not their attractions 
to the wardrobe—the charms that never 
cloy—that tade not even in the winter of 
old age—the fublime of human nature! 
Of the charaéter I. have  deferibed) is 
the general fcenery in the neighbourhood 
of the Wye. It abounds with:charatter 
—always picturefque or romantic, and 
frequentiy both together. Gardens and 
pleafure grounds have little to do in’the 
creation of its attrattions :. diverfities of 
foliage are but fecondary confiderations. 
Its rocks, its mountains, ats dingles, its 
precipices, conttitute a more permanent 
and a fuperior charm; and: ftill more the 
intricate meanders of the river, and the 
eternal diverfity of its bed and current— 
here deep,. majeftic, flow—there huddling 
and brawling over a wideexpanfe of peb- 
bles—and now again foaming over ragged 
ftrata of projecting rocks, or eddying 
round the huge iragments that have rolled 
from the neighbouring mountaims. In 
dry weather this interetting river fhrinks 
to a comparative rivulet, and the penfive 
wanderer who faunters by its fide, ad= 
miring, through its traniparent :ftream, 
the fuccefiive firata of fand, of gravel, 
and of reck, over which it flows, ‘has his: 
ear regaled in a few hundred paces with 
all the varieties ot plaintive:found, from 
the fainteft murmurings to the fullen roar. 
At other times it will fuddenly fwell'te 
a boifterous and overwhelming fea; rif> 
ing many feet, nay, many yards, in ’a- 
fingle night, {weeping every thing before 
it, overwhelming the valleys wherever it 
finds an opening between the hills, and 
exhibiting one continued {cene of terrible 
und tumultuous: grandeur. “Thefe scir- 
cumitances produce a charm fo independ- 
ent of thefe accidents and minuter beau- 
ties which conftitute the attrattion of lefs 
majeftic icenes, that you might even fell: 
every tree, and exterminate every fhrab;: 
without deftroying the fublimity, or evem 
the beauty of the {cene y for the river and 
the meuntains would ftill remain,’ the: 
