Greatness of their Creator in fuch an Earthly Paradise, which to All attentive Vifters must surely preach Sermons of inexpreffible Wisdom, and may be confidered as a few ftriking Pages of that large and grand Book of Creation, every Page of which is enriched with the most useful, inftructive and sacred Leffons; and which were certainly intended to remind the Beholder of those immortal Scenes in the heavenly World, that are adorned with infinitely more fplendid, and with unspeakably more beautiful Objects; where all, who are capable of enjoying the great Creator in fuch paradifiacal Scenes, will fpend, not a few fleeting Hours in fweet and amusing Retirement, but a bleffed and glorious Eternity in neverending Happiness, Tranquillity and Peace.

To defcribe minutely the amazing Scenes, and peculiar Beauties in and around HAWKSTONE PARK, as well artificial as natural, is what I do not pretend to, being far above my limited Capacity, Suffice it therefore to observe, in a general View, that Beauty, Grandeur, and Simplicity adorn the whole: the Rocks are most picsfingly romantic, and most delightfully covered with the fweeteft Shrubs and finest Trees, and some of Them deeply and beautifully tinged with variegated Copper; from fome of whofe Eminences, fuch diftant Profpects break in upon your View, that You are quite charmed with Aftonishment and Surprize- You behold, a vast Extent of fuch a beautiful Country, as cannot be fully described You see many of the Welch Mountains, with their afpiring Peaks and lofty Ridges rifing to fuch an amazing Height, that They appear, fome to penetrate into and others to over-look the Clouds; on one of which the Pillar erected in Honour of LORD RODNEY prefents itself to your View You also clearly behold that awfully-magnificent, and truly grand Salopian Mounsain, the WAEKYN, on the bummit of which I have

been informed there is a large Plain—and what further adds to these pleasingly-romantic Scenes, and makes Them doubly striking, is their being in the Midst of a fine, fruitful Country, bounded all round by different Ranges of diftant Hills; infomuch that on a clear Day You may fee, with the naked Eye, the following Twelve Counties, viz. Shropshire, Chefhire, Staffordshire, Der byshire, Lancashire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Flint shire, Denbighshire, Montgomeryfhire, Merionethshire, and Radnorfhire.

Besides, the Walks, within the Park, are peculiarly folemn and remarkably beautiful-they are also very extensive, being more than Ten Miles in length, from various Parts of which fresh Beauties are continually presenting Themselves to View, to the no fmall Surprize and great Delight of the curious Traveller The green Lawns alfo, the fertile Fields, the luxuriant Mea. dows, the beautiful Plantations, and the most delightful Water, on which are Veflels for the Pleasure and Amuse. ment of the Vifiters, all ferve to contrast the View, and give Life to the whole. Indeed (fince all allow innocent Variety to be most charming and delightful) the Contraft between the green Lawns (pread over with beau tiful Shrubs the ftupendous Rocks adorned with the moft venerable and lofty Oaks - the folemn Groves, those sweet Receffes, variously arrayed in the richest Ver. dure, rifing in noble and beauteous Profpect all around Us, and inviting Us into their reviving Shades - the blooming Walks, the fhady Woods, and deeply-fheltered Vales, all echoing with the melodious Mufic of the feather'd Songfters, their rural Inhabitants, and which charm our Ears with the most innocent Strains of native Harmony; infomuch that We Here literally experience what the royal Poet, in very beautiful Imagery.{describes in the following striking Language, The Winter is pafts

the

the Rain is over and gone. The Flowers appear on the Earth: the Time of the Singing of Birds is come; and the Voice of the Turtle is heard in our Land add to Thefe, the romantic Hills, on every Side, gently rifing and widely fpreading, whofe Summits are crowned with hanging Woods, array'd in various green, rifing one above another in the moft gradual Order; fome of which prefent You, as it were, with flowering Pyramids, whilst others feem to overlook the Lawns, and are adorned with Appearances of the finest Luftre the rich Paftures and luxuriant Meadows, difclofing their beautiful Bofoms; the former fill'd with their grazing Herds, the latter decorated and adorned with a Profufion of the gayeft Flowers; fome of a Silver and others of a golden Tinge and Lustre, all dreft, as it were, in the richeft Attire; which, without any vain Oftentation or extravagant Finery, outvic Each Other in all the Elegance of Dress-the Hawthorn, in every Hedge, adorned with Milk-white Bloom, and every Thicket wearing a rural Nofegay, which treats our Noftrils with a rich Profusion of various Odours. the folemn Dingles-the natural Caverns the most beautiful Waters, with Flocks of Sheep and playful Lambkins feeding on their luxuriant Banks, join'd with the numerous diverfified Profpects, too tedious to mention all thefe, I fay, varioufly contrafted, exhibit to the attentive Beholder, Landfcapes fo grand and par adifiacal, Wonders so great and glorious, that no earthly Language can do Juftice to fuch peculiar Beauties; which, the more You examine Them, as before observed, the more You will be ftruck with a Senfe of their Di. vine Creator-the more You will discover in Them an inexhaustible Source of Wisdom and Love, which are, as it were, the very Soul of Them and the more You will be delighted, as well as loft in Wonder, Adoration and Praife.

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Such

Such is the Variety, the endlefs Variety of pleafing Objects, beautiful Scenes, and extenfive Profpects ex hibited to the View of Those who vifit this most charm ing, romantic, and delightful Park; each soliciting their Attention, every One worthy of their Notice, all confpiring to touch their Hearts with lively Sentiments, and with fuch Tranfports of Wonder, of Gratitude, and of Joy; that, if not intirely dead to GOD and the Oper. ation of his handy-Works, They must always return from beholding these Scenes, with renewed Acceffions of fublime Improvement and solid Pleasure; with a deeper Veneration for their Almighty Creator; with a warmer Senfe of his unspeakable Mercies, and with Hearts more inflamed with pure Defres to know and to love Him in this Life, and to have the everlasting Fruition of his more glorious Godhead and Kingdom in the Life to come. For if the Works of GOD, more especially fuch fublime Works and Scenes as these warm our Hearts with Devotion, and raise our Affections to Heaven, whilft We dwell on this lower Earth, what may We not expect to see and enjoy in the Paradifes of Angels, and in the Palaces of Heaven?

And Here I cannot but again acknowledge the hap py Effect, thefe Scenes have been the Means of producing in my Mind-they have been inftrumental in fhewing Me a Multitude of Beauties in the Creation, which I never difcerned before they have pointed out to Me, in the most striking Manner, the infinite Power, the unfearchable Wisdom, and the ever-adorable Goodnefs of their great and glorious Creator thus they have been a School of Inftruction to Me, and have drawn forth and raised my best Affections to their immortal and ever-blessed Original; on which Account, I must be lost to all Senfe of true neighbourly Love, if I did not invite Others to partake of fuch peculiar Bleffings. Therefore

I beg leave to address my Readers in the following Words of the Holy Men of old, "O come hither, and behold the "Works of GOD; for He hath made his wonderful Works të

be remembered. He hath eftablished the World by his Wifdom "and hath Aretched out the Heavens by his Diferetion. Fear, "and worship Him that made Heaven and Earth, and who is "exalted as Head above All.”

Surely to vifit fuch retired, rural Scenes as Thefe, must be delightful to the contemplative Mind! Doubtlefs, at certain Seafons, it must be most profitable too, to retire from the bustling Croud, to enoble oun Minds with fublime Contemplation on the Works of our Creator, and to maintain a more unin terrupted Communion with Him; and this in Order to fit us for returning Seasons of Usefulness! Here, far from Distraction of Noife and Tumult, where all Things wear fuch a majestic and charming Afpet, We may without Interruption, if so inclined, liften to the inftructive Voice of GOD, converfe more freely with Him in our own Minds, and receive from Him fresh Tokens of his Love, and more abundant Communications of his Divine Nature.

I am not at all furprized at Those, who have it in their Power, now and then quitting the fmoky Town and noify Street, in Order to breathe purer Air, and to furvey the Wonders of Creation, in the more filent, ferene, and peaceful Scenes of the Country: not that I wish to convey any Idea, that We are to forfake the World, exclude Ourselves from Society, or neglect to perform the Ufes of our various Stations in Life, in Order to become more holy and devoted to the LORD. By no Means-I only wish to fuggeft, that particular Seafons of Relaxation from our worldly Concerns, and alfo occafional Excursions to behold the peculiar Beauties of Creation in fuch delightful Scenes as Thefe, may be inframent al in animating our feeble Minds to the Purfuit

of