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Eighteenth Century Post-Bag
invited here for these salutary purposes, it is past my judgement to conceive for what they are wheeled down here.
The place itself appears to me in some parts too much like Hampstead, to deserve the name of a country retreat, and in others (particularly what they call the walks) too much like a gentleman's pantry or dairy, to give rural satisfaction to any one fond of natural simplicity. This extravagant inland hole is surrounded but with waste land, without any thing to make it in the least agreeable but the company. Only picture to yourself how beautiful and enchanting those walks must be, which are paved with irregular broken flat tyles, with some few trees confined on one side, and a set of shops little better than shambles, without the least intercourse of free air, or even the sight of a field; and here it is that the company stroll, lounge, laugh, talk nonsense and loll, after supping the waters, which contrary to those of Lethe, bring care to many, by lowering their finances, and increasing the debts of many an honest tradesman, they afterwards fear to meet in town. If any thing invited me to these walks, it was a few pretty milliners, who came here to earn a * 225 |
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