h^ 
 
 ')rA 
 
 s u 
 
 'f] 
 
 JUS 
 >7 W7 
 
 CORNELL 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 THE 
 WORDSWORTH COLLECTION 
 
 iiMifii^iai 
 
rc^; 
 
 '< 
 
 Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of this book is in 
 the Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924104002435 
 
.■M!^ 
 
 > ■<}/'■ Y'i: 
 
 
WINDE 
 
 A POEM. 
 
 m|H|Hgg^BiyBaB»a a ii«a» n i » 'i in i 
 
 [Price Ojste Shilling,] 
 
WINDERMERE, 
 
 A POEM. 
 
 By JOSEPH BUDIVORTH, Esc^. 
 
 AUTHOR OF 
 
 A FORTNIGHT'S RAMBLE to the LAKES. 
 
 s 
 
 L O N D O N: 
 
 fRINTED FOR T. CADELLj JUN. AND W. DAVIES^ 
 (<VCC£SSO&S TO MK> CADELL)) IN THE STKAHPt 
 
 1798. 
 
Vtwr" 
 
 
 tcr 
 
 :> 
 
 

 ^ 
 
 WINDERMERE : 
 
 I 
 
 A POEM. 
 
 FROM MOUNT BRATHWAITE. 
 Written ^^ in the gloomy month of November/* 
 
 Stranger I or friend ! — or whofoe'er thou art 
 If Nature in thy nature bear a part, 
 Together let us view the fcenes around*. 
 An azure lake, with matchlefs beauties crown'd. 
 Far to the North -}-, v/here rugged mountains rife^^ 
 With fnow-clad tops, oft buried in the Ikies-^ 
 To nearer hills, rich with autumnal leaf, 
 Where Hill fome lucklefs fields are feeii in llieaf t 
 Yet, as the farmers view the drooping wheat;, 
 They hear their iheep in healthful language bleat ; 
 
 ^ Another traveller is feen, appfoaching the lummit of the 
 mountain^ from whence the profpeft is taken f and it is natu-? 
 ral, under" lively emotions^ to prolong and heighten them by 
 the fympathy of others. 
 
 f The jutting of Slape Scarr (a flippery rock)^ near Belle 
 Grange, hinders a fight of the head of Windermere;, and the 
 high mountains : — even Low- Wood Inn, always an interefting 
 objeft, is juft cut out 5 but you, fee the hill above , and Sad- 
 dleback^ with fnow upon it^ w^luch fell in October, 
 
 B Their 
 
2 ^ WINDERMEKE. 
 
 Their fattened kine to other cattle low, 
 With all the grateful tenants of the brow : 
 Cheer'd by the founds infpiring Hope prevails^ 
 And well-earn'd profit turns Juftitia's fcales. 
 
 Let Man with humble thankfulnefs behold 
 The altered leaves ^ their fplendid charms unfold ; 
 Whilft the great Orb^ in majefty difplays^ 
 The potent focus of meridian rays ; 
 The God of Nature amplifies the fcene^ 
 And valleys fmile, with ev'ry fhade of green. 
 
 Let other climes their fouthern wonders boafi:^ 
 Their wide-extended lakes, midft varied coaft ; 
 The golden richnefs of the fetting Sun, 
 The mellow purple ^5 when his courfe is done ; 
 
 •^ Thofe leaves which had not enjoyed the warmth of a 
 Southern fun were rich. The birch kept its golden leaves 
 hanging on the twigs (like guineas), longer than any other 
 tree 3 but they were all bare by the clofe of this month. • 
 
 f Loiitherhourgy in his paintings, has not exceeded, in his 
 piu'ple glow of evening 3 although, it has been faid, by town- 
 critics, that the Heavens cannot wear fo crimfon an appear- 
 ance : but it is to Mr. Farrlngton, impreffed by profeflional tafte 
 and a long refidence^ we are indebted for the chafteft views of 
 this divine country. 
 
 . The 
 
WINDERMERE. 5 
 
 The foften'd fragrance of the evening air^ 
 That lulls the fad variety of care ; 
 The mighty mountains^ lefs'ning to the fight^ 
 Till lofl-^ in the deep awfulnefs of Night : 
 E'en fnows eternal, and extenlive plains^ 
 All ! — all ! — that vail magnificence ordains : — 
 Be 't yours^ advent'rous Britons^ to admire. 
 With that enthufiafm the fcenes require ; 
 Yet, ere we wifh, in fearch of fuch to roSlti, 
 View them in perfedl miniature — at home. 
 
 In TroutbecFs ftragghng dale, a manfion ftands. 
 That down the Lake a partial view commands : 
 Young Northern herds the fwelling paftures fill ; 
 Each Vv^ing is covered by a wooded hill ; 
 N^ar whofe gay fides the filver Troutbeck '^ flows, 
 Scarce having left the fpring whence fhe arofe, 
 
 ( 
 
 ^ It has its rife near the fummit of a high fall above Trout- 
 beck Park ; on the other fide of which^ and at a fmall dillancc, 
 ^ another fpring runs into Patterdale, taking in many others/ 
 and forming one of the largeft feeder^ of UUfwater Lake : — a 
 circumftance demanding remembrance'— that one mountain 
 yields a valuable fupply to the two largeft flieets of water in 
 England. But the Troutbeck hills are confiderably fuller of 
 fprings than any I have noticed. 
 
 B 2 ^ Fed 
 
 ■^ 
 
4 tVlNDERMEKE. 
 
 Fed by frefh ftreams, fhe boldly rolls along, 
 And^ fiercely rulhing her rough rocks among. 
 Within the Lake's deep bofom quits her fong ; 
 Pleas'd to partake in her extended fame. 
 She yields her tribute, and becomes the fame. 
 
 In Calgarth's ^ groves, in undifturhM retreat^ 
 Learning and Contemplation hold their feat ; 
 Science unfolds the treafure of the mind, 
 And the heart foftens what the head delign'd. 
 
 Oh ! Memory ! ^ — thou in telle (flual guide. 
 Scourge to the bad — the good rtian^s decent pride ; 
 That makes what was^ an everlafting Now^ 
 And lixes meditation on the brow ; 
 Twin to Refle6lion ! whatfoe'er thy name. 
 From a proud race of mental powers fhe came : 
 Thence grew thofe truths, in holy Candour dreft. 
 Which warm with comfort the believer's breaft; 
 Tear from the fcoffer's lling the deadly harm ; 
 Prove his untruths, and mildly found th' alarm : 
 
 * Bifliop Watfon's Anfwer to Paine is dated at Calgartk. 
 
 f If the apoftrophe to Memory hath been read before in the 
 European Magazine for 1791^ under the fignature of Miles^ 
 this is not to be thought plagiarifm. 
 
 Strengthen 
 
WINDERMERE. 5 
 
 Strengthen the weak againfl: the Deift's plan, 
 
 ^^ And juftify the ways of God to Man :" 
 
 Health to fuch truths, may they through climes 
 
 expand, 
 And like the '^ sacred manna'' feed the land ! 
 Religion is the only rule of life *, 
 To guard the public mind from lawlefs ftrife. 
 
 Oh ! for the powers to write the thoughts I feel. 
 What the breaft hath, but what it can't reveal ! 
 Such burfls of beauty break upon the light. 
 The roving eye's encompafs'd with delight ; 
 The heart is mellow'd, and the mind receives 
 The bold impreffion which the profpe6l gives. 
 There little mounts with moffy foftnefs fwell. 
 By cultur'd vales, where peaceful cotters dwell ; 
 Whofe whitewalVd homes no ftudy'd order boaft, 
 ^' Yet feem, though unadorn'd, adorn'd the moft/' 
 Another knoll a new complexion wears, 
 And higher flill, a tufted Hope appears. 
 
 * See the laft page in-the Blfhop of Landaff's '' Anfwer to 
 TJiomas Paine's Age of Reafon." This is not offered as a re- 
 ferepce only^ but recommends an attentive perufal of that in- 
 valuable book. 
 
 B 3 A haughty 
 
6 WINDEF.MERE. 
 
 A haughty crag prefents a mis-lhap'd head. 
 
 But where the daintieft flieep ^ are fweetly fed^ 
 
 Treading their narrow walks with fairy prefs, 
 
 ^^ Small by -degrees^ and beautifully lefs." 
 
 Where too-apparent barrennefs is feen, 
 
 The beauteous clefts are clad in herbag-e sreen ; 
 
 Wild thyme^ in cozie mofs. her tendrils rears^ 
 
 Whofe little all of leaf the nibbler cheers. 
 
 > < 
 
 Yon fine-limb'd beaft, fo ftatue-fix'd on high, 
 
 How blue between his iliapes, that patch of fky ! -^ 
 
 His 
 
 ■^ The Herdwick fheep are very fmall^ hardy, and lively ; 
 abd, like the red deer^ will, in b^oifterous weather, feed on the 
 iide of a mountain expofed to the florm. They are in 
 general healthy 5 thofe not fo, are, at the clofe of autumn, 
 driven into meadows : the reft weather the winter, beino- oc- 
 cafionally foddered, when they become familiar with the hand 
 that feeds them. — N. B. The flavour of this mutton is equal to 
 that of the Welfh. 
 
 f Cattle upon the fummit of hills, in fine weather, are An- 
 gularly beautiful. Often, at mid-day, have I m.ixed amongft 
 them, and Ihared in the pleafure a favourite pair take in harm- 
 lefsly butting 3 or in watching them while they clean each other 3 
 but particularly in the tranquil aftion of rumination. The 
 lids gradually drop in maftication, and rife as the food rifes by 
 the neck 3 the tail^ at the fame time, angrily whifldng away 
 all infeft intruders within its reach. I became acquainted 
 
 with 
 
WINDERMERE. . \ 
 
 His ufeful tail, with graceful motion guides. 
 And Iweeps the gad-fly from his brinded fides : 
 The droufy lids o'er half the eye -balls clofe, 
 ^ And prove the pleafure of the tranquil doze, 
 Whilft joyfully he ruminates his cud. 
 And turns the undigefted balls to food. 
 Whatever obje6l fattens on the view^ 
 We' re loth to quit^ but zealoufly purfue, 
 
 Juft o'er the illand's pointy fo fweetly {ttn^ 
 The water is the only bend between ; 
 In a large field (whence oft the lark awakes), 
 Rayrig appears, the Ferney of the lakes. 
 
 'Wind then your looks above that rugged rife. 
 Along whofe bafe a clufter'd village ^ lies ; 
 
 with many herds^, and frequently noticed particular beafts^, at 
 noon-day ;, in the fame ftate. The eye of Benevolence with 
 which they look upon all thofe who do not trouble them, muft 
 make the rural-minded man, as Burns fays of his '' Moufe," 
 almofl think them ^^ felloAv-mortals." If you can make old 
 people drop a tear, infants fmile, cottagers give a hearty wel- 
 come, their children pull you by the coat, dogs follow, cats 
 purr about you : if cattle allow you to approach Ihem, fheep 
 look bold, after fearfully paffing 5 and if the robin-red-breaft 
 wbiftle a duet with you^ then art thou a child of Nature. 
 
 ^ Bownefs» 
 
 B4 You 
 
5 WINDERMERE. 
 
 You fee enough, to make you wifh to fee 
 
 The hidden lodgements ^ of humility : 
 
 The ancient church, which but in part appearSy 
 
 Above the hill her turret fteeple rears : 
 
 Whofe fhort-drawn aile the richeft: glafs contains. 
 
 Of Furnefs Abbey's reverend remains ; 
 
 Savld by fome facred hands, in lucky hour. 
 
 From faithlefs Henry s defoUting power. 
 
 Beneath the umbrage of yon lofty trees. 
 Where cawing rooks have, long time, dwelt at 
 
 eafe, 
 A white-rob'd houfe-^ is more than half con- 
 
 ceal'd ; ' 
 
 The fair-fac'd reft, in modefty reveard. 
 The bulging fmoke :|:, a fine celeftial blue ! 
 Tardily mixes with th' etherial hije : 
 
 f Not military lodgements« 
 f The parfonage-houfe. 
 
 :J: Columns of fmoke burfting out^ frpm the procefs of char- 
 coal-making, hanging on tops of trees^ by the fides of hills, 
 has an enchanting effeft 3 and from a cottage-chimney, at 
 tned'hours^ you l^ave the fame, ftealing upwards, in mi* 
 piature. 
 
 A firiking 
 
WINDERMERE. 9 
 
 A ftrikipg contrail to the lights around. 
 
 Of cots^ of foliage, and the chequered ground-, 
 
 Then let your thoughts to other profpedis bend. 
 Where Storr's * Iharp beak, with lightlefs Naiads^ 
 blend ; \ 
 
 Toil now aloft, now mentally retire. 
 For new-feen features fan the poet's fire. "^ 
 Do, mark ^ ! refledled by the glorious fun, 
 Thofe oozing ftreams, o'er rockey fmoothnefs run. 
 Not all the blaze of luftrous diamonds rare 
 Can with thefe nat'ral brilliancies compare. 
 The heath's dun fhade, the lately-wither'd fern. 
 The woods, all fancy, and the mountains ftern, 
 Difplay the aquequs gems in fuch a light. 
 The orb which forms them only is more bright. 
 
 Now inward turn, far as the Lake extends, 
 Whofe l^lT^n'd breadth with quicker pace defcencjs, 
 
 * From the Storrs, and above Bownefs^ you {ee the whole 
 of the Lake. ^ * 
 
 ' I Thefe refle6Vions are of matchkfs brilliancy. 
 
 To 
 
\' 
 
 JO WINDERMERE. 
 
 To where tha^ rifmg ftru6lure "^ boldly Hands, 
 And all around a bird's-eye view commands 
 Of rugged mountains^ of ftupendous form, 
 Whofe favage foreheads frown amidfh a ftorm ; 
 Whence, to the Souths with penfivenefs furvey 
 The verdant furface of the boundlefs fea : 
 For Ocean is a magnet to the eye. 
 And makes the thought to diftant regions fly ; 
 The earlieft dawn of life with joy renews. 
 And all the intermediate tunts purfues. 
 
 Northward, again^ o'er noble mountains ftray 
 To yon projecting cape, which forms a bay ; 
 Stretching his foliag'd arm ^, ^embrace the fair, 
 Whofe conftant preffures he delights to bear ; 
 
 Yet, 
 
 •=^ Upon FInfthwaite-hill:, erefting in honour of the three new 
 naval viftorles gained by the Admirals Howe^ St. Vincent's, 
 and Duncan 3 and from its eminent command mull be much 
 reforted to in clear weather. 
 
 f Rawlinfon s promontory 3 not far from which^ the river 
 Cunfey^ formed from Efthwaite water^ empties itfelf into 
 Windermere : a wear^ near fome iron-work ruins^ by the river^ 
 liinders fifh from returning, and renders that part of the lake 
 
 famous 
 
WINDERMERE. - II 
 
 Yet, to his aged parent, fondly clings, 
 Wliilft Ciwfefs beck the double compadl fings ; 
 For ever flowing, and for ever join'd. 
 The lafting emblems of a grateful mind. 
 Here, too, in fpring, the angler takes his ftand. 
 And throvi^s the lilver line with fKilful hand ; 
 The eager trout to fure deilruftion flies. 
 Receives the barbed fate, and trembling dies* 
 JSIot fo the char '^, for they alike defy 
 The tortut'd worm, or artificial fly. 
 
 But 
 
 famaus for trout^ wliich^ in feafon, are by fome thought little 
 inferior to char. As the head of the lake was a Roman ftatlon^ 
 I hefitate not to think that we are indebted to the Romans for 
 introducing this fumptuous hfli. In Italy, char bears the name 
 of Alpine trout. When luxury and fuccefs brought on the decay 
 of the Romans, the nerve of ability was in force: and, with 
 fmall difficulty, could invent vehicles of carriage. The dif- 
 tances of the lakes was not far from Italian or Britiih ports 3 and 
 the epicurean taile of thofe days was to be fatiated^ at any 
 expence. 
 
 ■^' It is a remarkable circumftance, that char are n^ver taken 
 by bait 3 nor, by examination, can it be conceived on what they 
 feed. In fammer, they would be equally in feafon, could they 
 be found j but they are then fuppofed to fpawn, in the deepeffe 
 parts. On the lotli of Oftober la ft the firft were caught, and 
 in this very part of the lake. They may be fent frefh to Lon* 
 
 don : 
 
12 WINDERMERE. 
 
 But humble boards muft not expe6l to fee 
 
 Thefe dainty morfels of monopoly. 
 
 Without her venal hand-maid — Bribery. 
 
 Now do the clofe-mefh'd nets the deeps explore, 
 
 And drag the ftruggling vi61ims to the ihore : 
 
 Now view the Lake, whofe placid bofom ^ fhows 
 
 The fmalleft twig that on her margin grows ; 
 
 Th'inverted hills and mountains far and near. 
 
 From their own bafe all cryftalliz'd appear. 
 
 But the refle6lion of the arch divine 
 
 No graphic powers could faithfully define. 
 
 No ! not a fan of air the mirror moves. 
 But v;hen a ruftling leaf falls from the groves : 
 
 don 3 and are in fuch demand, that they are with dliSiculty 
 procured : — but, char apart, the fiiliermen are civil, and give 
 away large quantities of perch, taken in drawing for them, 
 
 * The eifeft is, by many, thought impoffible : but you have 
 them from their very bafe : diiferent-coloured clouds float 
 above, even on a calm day, whofe tranfparent refledion cannot 
 be equalled 3 — and all the hills, and all the mountains, and all 
 upon the face of them, are more diftinftly feen than the ob- 
 jefts which caufe them. Trees on plains, by the fides of hills, 
 on which cattle are grazing, when nibbling on, have the pe- 
 culiar appearance of inverted walking, over the tops of 
 branches* , ' 
 
 Or 
 
WINDERMERE. I3 
 
 Or wanton wild-ducks =^ on the furface fldm^ 
 Shewing, by their long trains^ how fall they fwim; 
 Or finny tribe their fportivenefs difplay. 
 And circles caufe, till circles melt away. 
 
 Hark ! ere the horfe-boat "f- opens to the eye. 
 How gaily true the iturdy rowers ply; 
 Whim on her little ftage fhe glides along, 
 Tugg'd to the charm of many a vacant fong : 
 The magic tones of undulating found, 
 Through the calm air, from hiil to hill rebound. 
 
 * In a fevere winter^ I underftand;, flights of wild fwaiis 
 refort to Windermere. In 06lober it was much enlivened by 
 ducks, teal, and other water-game. 
 
 f The Ferry-houfe, juft hid in trees 3 amongfl: them, the 
 wild cherry, of amazing magnitude. Old George Robinfon, 
 who owns it, loft an eye from a potatoe, wantonly thrown at 
 him, when young : and in working at his bufinefs of a turner, 
 three or four years ago, accident deprived him of the other. 
 Through the humane perfeverance of the Rev. Mr. Erathwaite, 
 of Belmount, in February, he procured for him the ten-pound 
 peniion ; and, I remember^ on a ftormy day, rode to inform 
 him of it. After crofling the ferry, on my progrefs to relide at 
 Paw^kfhead^ blind George was walking up Mount Brathwaite, 
 with a little grand-daughter in each hand : this pleaiing fight 
 filled my thoughts with the idea of a patriarch, led by two 
 cherubs into Heaven. George calls himfelf overlooker of what is 
 going on, and gives daily attendance. 
 
 What, 
 
14 WINDERMERE. 
 
 What^ though fo ftill? when ftrong weft currents 
 blow. 
 The whiftling winds fpend all their force below ; 
 By whofe rough powers the fpiral eddies '^ fly, 
 And wheel about in agitated joy. 
 Perhaps, at fuch a time, a thoughtlefs crew ^f-. 
 Who felt no forrow, and no danger knew. 
 
 Hurried '^ 
 
 * I have purpofely vilitecl the marghi hi a South-Weft ftorm : 
 from tlie formation of the obftrufting hills, the fpray is raifed 
 trp, and wheeled about in all direftions. Thofe who have been 
 at Gibraltar maft have remarked, in a ftrong Eafterly wind, 
 this effeft; but not to fuch a degree as on this lake, owing to the 
 various fliapes of the Weftern hills. 
 
 f It is handed down, that a marriage, about the year 1635, 
 was celebrated at Hawkftiead, between a wealthy yeoman from 
 the neighbourhood of Bownefs and a Sawrey of Sav/rey ^ and, 
 as is ftill cuftomary in this country, attended with numerous 
 friends : probably fome of them were more than chearful 3 and, 
 in crolftng the ferry in the horfe-boat, to take the bride home- 
 wards, whether occafioned by an eddy wind, or from gaiety^ 
 by ruihing on one fide, the boat funk, and upwards of forty 
 people, befides the bride and groom, periftied. The reader's 
 imagination can fill up what forrow this cataftrophe muft have 
 occafioned among a virtuous people, where almoft every family 
 had a relation, or, what is equal amongft fuch, a friend to 
 lament. As ferry-boats never ufe fails, there cannot be danger 
 in any weather, if not through fear or folly. I lodged at 
 Hawklhead with a relation of the Sawreys, from whom I give 
 
 this 
 
WINDERMERE, I5 
 
 .Hurried 'mldft tumults of the angry deep^ 
 
 Left agonized friends to mourn/ and weep : 
 
 The eye of Fate the finking boat efpied. 
 
 And cruel Death the aid of man denied. 
 
 Torn from their kin^ from the world'^s pleafures 
 
 torn^ 
 Thus perifh'd numbers on a bridal morn. 
 
 In former days^ when civil difcord reign'd^. 
 And puritanic cant the realm enchain'd ; 
 On yonder holme^ fo pidlurefque^ fo gay, 
 Which^ in luxuriance, meets the folar ray. 
 
 this report^ and here feize the opportunity of acknowledging the 
 attention received : — Two children^ a little hand-maid and her 
 brother^ anticipated my requefts. If my hat was in an upper, 
 room^ they would fly 5 and^ with a hand apiece^ prefent it 
 me J and often have I defigriedly given trouble^ to fee the glitter 
 of eye with whi9h it was executed, 
 > 
 
 ^ The great holme (or ifland) belonged^, during the civil 
 wars^ to the Philipfons^ and was nine days beiieged by a party 
 of Republicans under Colonel Briggs : but, on the liege of Car- 
 lifle being raifed, was relieved by a brother of the defender of 
 it, who, from fome remarkable exploits, was called Robert thg. 
 Dev'dy and loft his life during the civil wars in Ireland, See 
 Burn's ^^ Weftmorland. 
 
 The 
 
t6, V/lNDERMERE* 
 
 The loyal Thilipfon a fiege defy'd ; 
 Sound to his King, he fcorn'd the conqu'ring fide^ 
 And, for the caufe he fought, the hero died. 
 So may each Briton, to his country true, 
 Oppofe what lawlefs Anarchy would do. 
 Now 'tis bedeck'd in rich, pacific charms % 
 And, like the dotted reft, the fancy warms : 
 In fome, the Lilies of the Valley \ grow. 
 And, midft a wild of fweets, in feafon blow. 
 What parts are over-fine may pleafe us lefs ; 
 Do not the Fair hide charms by over-drefs ? 
 Whatever is too extravagant, or trim. 
 Are not the gifts of Nature, but of whim i 
 For why fhould prudifh clumps detain the eye 
 From golden fcenes, alas ! too foon to die : | 
 
 Such fhould on barren mounts defy the wind. 
 To fcreen the faplings of too tender rind ; 
 
 * Would to God all tlie world were fo. 
 
 f Two fmall iflands are named Lilies of the Valley ; whefe^ 
 and on Little Holme, they are in abundance. Ramp or Berk- 
 Jhive Ifland is immediately oppolite me^ and alone 3 the others 
 may have originally join'd the large one. Ramp Holme^ ftill 
 woody, was a few years ago more fo, from the fpreading oaka 
 which grew upon it : their lofs a paltry flirubbery can never re- 
 compence. 
 
 Or, 
 
WINDERMERE. 7 
 
 Or ufefully prote<a an infant wood. 
 And murmur at the joy of doing good. 
 
 Yet, when I think of the retreating year. 
 The heart could almoffc give the eye a tear. 
 To fee the iflands, and the trees below, 
 Whofe beauties foon muft be replac'd by fnow ; 
 AV'hcn but perennial verdure will be feen. 
 With all the melancholy tribes of green ; 
 NarciJJiis like, our annuals rue the day. 
 And fade to fee their brethren drop away. 
 
 Hard is .the foil, and rough the mountain's brow % 
 But fee yon fpreading trees, how full they grow ; 
 Nor fcions * ftrong, nor fwelling acorns fail. 
 To clothe a hill^ or fatten in a dale : 
 "Whilft the glad earth opes every pore, to be 
 The parent of a verdant colony ; 
 
 ■^ Since the commencement of this^ upwards of 40^000 dif- 
 ferent plants^ beiides acorns^, have been planted* The Rev. 
 Mr. Brathwaite^ of Satterhow^ the liberal owner^ fpares no ex- 
 pence. The features of the hill;, the conftant verdure^ the ap- 
 parent falling of (mall rocks, unite in a grand efFeft 5 and, I 
 do not helitate to fay, are unequalled by any objeft of the 
 Lake 5 and as a fcene in winter is unrivalled, — What a pana- 
 rarna might be taken ' 
 
 C ~ Revives 
 
58 T^INDERBTERfi- 
 
 Revives the old, dnd maturates the youflg^i 
 Fofters the low, and makes the fickly ftf ong : 
 Such is the recompence of ufeful deeds. 
 Whence, foon or late, a fare reward fucceeds. 
 
 Tear from its roots yon folitary yew *, 
 Whofe flunted branches difcompofe the view ; 
 And, in its gloomy ftead, put down a feat. 
 
 To fcreen the noon-tide wanderers from heat. 
 
 ■ 
 
 Let the ftout afh, yon reverend hollies bold^ 
 Still in the fifTures their fnake-roots infold ; 
 Whilft berries bloom, in lightly clufters red. 
 And from th'extraneous boughs the Iheep are fed -I-* 
 
 * Probably the yew alluded to is, ere this, cvrt off. Clofe- 
 on the right, whence I give thefe thoughts, is an ancient and 
 invaluable yew. In winding up the new walk, you fee the 
 holly growing out of its centre, and over-topping the branches t 
 the roots clinging, in twilled direftions, round barren rocks, 
 forcing themfelves into the fmalleft crevices, in fearch of nou- 
 rifhment, and, finding it, throw thefap upwards -, which forms, 
 as it were, a door of protuberance, to protcft the fibres in their 
 retreat. 
 
 f The tops of branches of holly, the afli, and the leaves of 
 ivy, are greedily eat by Iheep and cattle. Cows yield an 
 abundance after a treat of them. 
 
 Kj 
 
 til! 
 
fetiil let thofe ivys to theit rocks abide ; 
 Still fpread their many arms both far and wide ; 
 Still to their fhapelefs partners fondly cling. 
 And grace their features with perpetual fpring;/ 
 
 Plant moft tlie oak (Old England's native tree) 
 That makes lis what we are — we ought to be^ 
 Juftly conliderate for poftcrity. 
 Saint VirjcENT, Duncan, and the veteran Howe, 
 Tars, that have brought the hoftile navies low — " 
 Such fhould be guardians o'er the fterling oak, 
 To leatn if faplings met the axe's ftroke, 
 Or what new-planted for our wooden rock. 
 
 Let elnl, the fycamore, and poplar tall^ 
 Promifcuous flourifh, not untimely fall. 
 The hazel, alderg and the weeping bircli^ 
 Are fhaded contrails to the fpjral larch. 
 Hawthorn, in fpring, preferves the callow brood t 
 In winter is their granary of food. 
 
 The pendent willow, trembling to the fpray, 
 Muft, to our minds, this partial thought convey j 
 
 C a As 
 
20 WINDERMERE^ 
 
 As nurturing waters hurry to the deep, ' 
 'Tis not through grief, hut Joy, that willows weep 5 
 Laft in the fpring, her opening branches bud. 
 And laft whofe leaves forfake the faplefs wood. 
 
 If lilacs thrive^ laburn^ums fhould be near. 
 The lifter beauties of the vernal year. 
 
 Red-ftreaks remind us of our country toaft. 
 Of whom Lancaftrians enraptured boaft : 
 Than their own witches^ none more red and fair ; 
 Or, than her numerous fons more loyal are. 
 But plant not apples in an open grove ; 
 Or any fruit, that little plunderers love ; 
 For, like the feather'd throng, they think all fair. 
 And fteal what ought to be the landlord's fharc. 
 Birds have a natural right to all they take : 
 Man often kills a tree for the fruit's fake* 
 
 Small rocks fhould fometimes rear a barren head. 
 Wind round a front, but fpare the native bed. 
 Let Laurifthenes fhew his hardy form. 
 Spread the full cheft that blooms amidft a ftorm : 
 He fears not wintry blafts, but, as they blow. 
 Shakes from his laurel-head the drifted fnow. 
 
 The 
 
"WINDERMERE. 21 
 
 The bonny broom^ fo yellow late^ ftill gay ^^5' 
 Midft coppice ruflet has the life of May : 
 Her flexile twigs to gentle zephyrs bend^ 
 Yet 'gainft the mightieft hurricanes contend. 
 But, be ye cautious how this fhrub is rear'd ; 
 The feed afloat^ your ground is never clear'd. 
 
 A wooded bank the periwinkle loves^ 
 For fuch entwine round EJher^s peaceful groves ^ : 
 Her taper leaves embrace a cheerful foil. 
 And through the year in myrtle polifh fmile : 
 When chilling flakes in gloominefs defcend. 
 The tuberous flowers with fallen whitenefs blende 
 
 Oft^ in broad clefts of venerable trees. 
 The leat of fragrance and the food of bees. 
 The chance-fown rofe and honeyfuckle fpring, 
 And round the boughs in feftoon wildnefs cling : 
 
 * lu cpnftant verdure for feven years^ and then perilhes, 
 
 f Methinks I fee EJIitr'^s peaceful grove ^ 
 
 ** WTiere Kent and Nature vie J or Pelharns love'' 
 
 I vifited Eflier In the winter of 1796: the hill is covered 
 with this beauteous plant | and I brought home a ftripping 
 with twg fioweiii upoa it^ which afterwards floitfifhed. 
 
 C3 The 
 
42 WINDERMERE. 
 
 The ftrawberry * too, fo grateful to the tafte, 
 Low midft their roots upholds a humble breaft | 
 Nods her fmall head to every pafling wind, 
 And leaves its little pathoi in the mind : 
 'Mongft which, with lib'ral hand, ftrew migniq5 
 
 nette, 
 Whofe fleetins: life is one continual fweet. 
 
 The bird which chirps, the darling robin's note; 
 What do they mean ? but gratitude afloat. 
 The buz of fly ; — the hum of bufy bee : — 
 The very worm — fhall always intereft me : 
 For thofe c;an never look too high^ or low^ 
 That much of Nature's works would wifh to 
 know. 
 
 * The la ft ftrawberry I faw, grew in the Ihelf of a tree, in a 
 natural bed, that mxift have been fruitful in due feafon. It is 
 not uncommon to fee one tree grow out of the trunk of another, 
 conveyed by birds^ or the wind. At the top of the hill oppofite to 
 the ftirubbery leading to Belle Grange, is a healthful lofty afti^ 
 rifmg from the bowels of an old large holly : the trunk is 
 twifted by the oppolition it has met with, until it has un- 
 gratefully burft open the belly of the parent which fed it ^ 
 and ftands a living lefTon of ingratitude to thofe who choofe 
 to employ their thoughts on that monfter of a fubjed} and. 
 like many an ingrate too, is beautifi^l to behold* 
 
 Methinks 
 
WINDERMERE. fij 
 
 Methinks I fee a new-born catara6l* roam^ 
 And down yon crag in virgin whitenefs foam: 
 The powers of Art a local ftream beguiles^ 
 Nature repays the gift, and verdure fmiles; 
 Echo conveys the found from vale to vale^ 
 And W'ndermere re vibrates at the tale. 
 But this (at prefent) only is a dream ; 
 The Queen of Lakes receives no mountain flrcam. 
 
 But I have {^t\\^ in Bifcay's troubled bay, 
 A brave ihip labour through a dangerous fea ; 
 The rattiings break, the fails in ihivers i^y. 
 And roaring billows heave her towards the flvy. 
 Deep dives her head, the awe-llruck crew difcem 
 A monftrous mountain prowling o'er the ftern : 
 But He, who can whate'er he v/ill perform^ 
 ?^ Rides in the whirlwind, and direfts the florm; 
 Arrefts the cralh, and throws it to the main ; 
 True to the helm the vefTel rights again : 
 Yet, when the raging of the ftorm is o'er. 
 The ficken'd waves fwell haughtier than before. 
 
 9f 
 
 ^ By taVing a level^ a waterfall is found pra6ticable, and 
 is foon tp be put in effeft., 
 
 From 
 
24 WINDERMERE. 
 
 From lofty Skiddaw, and Helvellyn proi d. 
 The hills, like waves, irregularly crowd ; 
 From favage Langdale, whence no tree is ieen ^, 
 To cheer the longing eye with healthful green : 
 
 The 
 
 * Upon the crown of Langdale F'ke, ^h? circumference 
 of which is about twenty yards in the centre^, is a natural 
 ftcne feat, and around it mofs and fmall rock. Far as 
 the eye can ftretch Northward, you fee P^affenthwaite water^ 
 in triangular fhape ) and a white houfe, under Skiddaw% is con- 
 fpicuous. The eye^, returning North and by Weilj looks over the 
 rugged mountains around Borrodaile ; and beyond them Waftel 
 Head is grandly prominent : due Weft^, an imraenfe fcallop- 
 ihaped mountain feparates Oxendale from Miiifield-place, form- 
 ing an irregular crefcent: to the Souths barren hills; you may 
 count eight, feeming to follow like waves ; whilft the Eeeks 
 gufliing.down have the found of them. In the. "fortnight's 
 Ramble^, I noticed both on Helvellyn and Skiddaa luc refem- 
 blance 5 but from ''thofe eminences much chearfui landfcape 
 intervenes. Here, all is.terriiicaily grand ; anc^i, wheeling around> 
 not one folitary tree is to be difiinguillred. ]'! :y Tarn., ir.C'ii 
 a mountain below, relieves the formidab" : :w ; but how 
 Superior, to the Eaft, have we Etter Water, taking the eye 
 from Low- wood to the extrem.ity .of Windermere; except 
 what the High Ray hills, and oth:- , .: , ; :. ; ;\ 
 
 if it A^as not Ibr haze (in that part -.r.;,;^ U;c ii:^. i-nnmatcs 
 the view. ^ ■ 
 
 'Nothing can exceed the delight wiih which'I look upon 
 Windermere. Not a breath of air : my dhl^'colnpal's noiflt-s id 
 h^lf pan meridian 3 and Harrifun's pike, ana .' .V^ StiJkGh are 
 
 belov/ 
 
WINDERMERE. 2^ 
 
 The fox and wild marts from their caverns fteal^ 
 And helplefs fowls their pamper'd tafte regale : 
 There jetty ravens undiflurb'd abound, 
 Whofe croaking notes the croaking rocks refound. 
 The eagle wing'd from thence his lofty flighty 
 And proudly built in danger's tracklefs height ; 
 With eye of lightning circled round his prey. 
 Then bore them to his craving young away. 
 For many a lamb, but juft as it is born. 
 From the pain'd dam is inftantaneous torn ; 
 And many a Iheep by feeblenefs oppreft. 
 That lays it down, poor thing ! but not to reft ; 
 For hawks, and magpies, and the waddling crow. 
 Deal to the quiv'ring heart the fatal blow; 
 Yet fight, incefTant, for the vital prize^ 
 And din the air with fanguinary cries. 
 
 Such are the tyrants on the mountains high : 
 But ftill doth tyrant Man their arts defy; 
 
 below me. From a memorandum taken on the fpot^ Nov. 8,, 
 1797, on which day Skiddaw was covered with fnow. The hills 
 paffed over to Langdale pike, abounds in foxes^ /lueet martens, 
 and fulimai'ts (noted for their offenfive fmell), and give name 
 to Mart Crag. There are plenty of groufc and partridges. 
 
 Watch 
 
±6 WINDERMERls« 
 
 Watch them re-ftealing to their fteep retreat^ 
 By rifk fiirprize them^ and by traps defeat : 
 So^ as of old, when wolves the w^oods o'er-rain^^ 
 The rav'nous monfters were deftroy'd by man. 
 Though aliens now, in other Alpine climes. 
 They denudate the fheep-folds by their crimes. 
 Soon muft the eagle ^ quit his native ifle. 
 Since daring man overpowers their flrength by Wilt. 
 
 ^ About three years agd*^ the laft eagle that inhabited one of 
 the Langdale heights was deilroyed. I have met with the man 
 who took it. Let down by ropes with a fteel-trap^ and a pike^,* 
 to pulh himfelf from the rock until he f vung into the hole 
 which contained the neft j though a quariT'-man, and ufed to 
 eminences, he was fome time before he fecured himfelf in the 
 cavity, which would have been in any other way inacceffiblc^ 
 Bufhels of moor-game, and other feathers, were near the neftji 
 and great quantities of bones. The day following, he found 
 him caught by the leg. He was fafely drawn up, fold, and 
 exhibited alive at Hutton's Mufeum, at Kefwick, where it is 
 now to be feen, Ifefted. By enquiries, I could not learn that 
 one has been feen in the North of England fince the above. In the 
 yeaning-feafon an eagle is fuppofed to deftroy a lamb a dav at 
 leaft, and confequently muft be objefts of deftru6tion to the 
 farmer. When a poor fheep is too fickly to help itfelf, ravens, , 
 hawks, crows, magpies, affemble about him 3 and, without 
 flrength to refift, they pick out his eyes^ and eat him to the 
 bones : or, if a lamb happens to lofe its parent, the fame ene- 
 mies deftroy him. In the illands> highlands, and other parts 
 of Scotland, there is ftill plenty of them ^ and they commit o-reat 
 depredations 5 feizing and carrying off kids^ lambs;, and fome- 
 times poultry. 
 
 Methinks 
 
MetHltiks 1 ponder — if to wifh-^br no— 
 The juft extin^ion of this noble foe : 
 As Shepherds, 'tis our intereft to agree 5 
 As Men, why Ihould not they, like Man, be free ? 
 
 Above the bufy haunts of human kind^ 
 1 feel the love of Nature^ 'unconfin'd. 
 A thoufand kindred beings melt my foul. 
 Related to the Parent of the whole ! 
 Heaven's breathy the elements, in confi:ant round^ 
 Fluid, or folid, form the foodful ground ^ : 
 All creatures live together at one board. 
 Spread by the bounty of their common Laxd. 
 
 A father taught me, in my earlieft youth. 
 To bow with revVence at the fhrine of truth ; 
 • The humble paths of humblell life approve. 
 And fed our hearts with univerfal love. 
 Still do I feel him grafp my hand, and fay, 
 Juft as he fmil'd life's waning lamp away, 
 ^' The verieft fpeck which vegetates on earth, 
 ^^ To mighty mountains of convullive birth, 
 
 * VqJ(^^ ^^liG^yet^ny* Homer; 
 
 ^' Have 
 
28 WINDE&MERE. 
 
 <« Have the proteftion of th' immortal whole ; 
 " His word their fiat, and his will the foul. 
 " Th' Almighty He — is the great caufe of all, 
 *' Who lets not, unobferv'd, the fparrow faliy 
 He could no more — to Heaven's high realm allied. 
 Feebly he grafp'd my hand, alas ! and died *. 
 
 * I had his laft grafp— his laft bleflings :— and, juft before he 
 loft his fpeech — I fee him now — he told me, in the words of 
 Addifon to Lord Warwick— '" My fon^ fee how a Chriftiais 
 can di« !'* 
 
 FINIS. 
 
 .i^~'«MMtB«k 
 
 ^p** 
 
 Lately publijhedy Price ^s. in Boards^ 
 THE SECOND EDITION 
 
 OF 
 
 A FORTNIGHT'S RAMBLE ' 
 
 TO THE LAKES IN WESTMORELAND, 
 LANCASHIRE, AND CUMBERLAND. , 
 
■m..