Wales to Shrewsbury. I am a little afraid, if I fhould be particular in my description, you would think I am playing the traveller upon you; but indeed I will ftick religiously to truth; and because a little journal of my expedition may be fome minutes amusement, I will take the liberty to give it you. I remember, on my last year's picture of North Wales, you com plimented me with fomewhat of a poetical fancy that, I am confident, you will not now; for a man may as well expect poetical fire at Copenhagen, as amidst the dreary rocks of Merionethfhire *. You find, by this intimation, that my landscapes are like to be fomething different rrom what they were before, for I talk fomewhat in the style of Othello,

"Of antres vaft, and deserts idle, "Rough quarries, rocks, and hills, whofe heads "touch heaven."

To this his lord fhip's letter is one exception, and Ambrofe Philips's poem " from Copenhagen," published in the "Tatler," is another.

I set out upon this adventurous journey on a Monday morning, accompanied (as bishops usually are) by my chancellor, my chaplain, fecretary, two or three friends, and our fervants. The first part of our road lay cross the foot of a long ridge of rocks, and was over a dreary morafs, with here and there a small dark cottage, a few fheep, and more goats, in view, but not a bird to be seen, fave, now and then, a folitary hern watching for frogs. At the end of four of their miles we got to a fmall village, where the view of things mended a little, and the road and the time were beguiled by travelling for three miles. along the fide of a fine lake, full of fish, and tranfparent as glafs. That pleasure over, our work became very arduous, for we were to mount a rock, and, in many places of the road, over natural ftairs of ftonc. I fubmitted to this, which, they told me, was but a tafte of the country, and to prepare me for worfe things to come. However, worse things did not

come

come that morning, for we dined, foon after, out of our own wallet, and though our inn ftood in a place of moft frightful folitude, and the best formed for the habitation of monks (who once poffeffed it) in the world, yet we made a chearful meal. The novelty of the thing gave me fpirits, and the air gave me appetite much keener than the knife I ate with. We had our mufic too, for there came in a harper, who foon drew about us a groupe of figures that Hogarth would give any price for. The harper was in his true place and attitude; a man and woman ftood before him, finging to his inftrument wildly, but not disagreeably; a little dirty child was playing with the bottom of the harp; a woman, in a fick night-cap, hanging over the stairs; a boy with crutches, fixed în a staring attention; and a girl carding wool in the chimney, and rocking a cradle with her naked feet, interrupted in her business by the charms of the mufic; all ragged and dirty, and all filently attentive. These figures gave us a moft entertaining picture,

and

and would please you, or any man of ob fervation and one reflection gave me particular comfort, That the affembly before us demonftrated, that, even here, the influential fun warmed poor mortals, and inspired them with love and mufic. When we had dispatched our meal, and had taken a view of an old church, very large for that country, we remounted; and my guide pointed to a narrow pafs between two rocks, through which, he faid, our road lay. It did fo; and in a little time we came at it. The inhabitants call it, in their language, "The road of kindness." It was made by the Romans for their pasfage to Carnarvon. It is just broad enough for an horfe, paved with large flat ftones, and is not level, but rifes and falls with the rock, at whofe foot it lies. It is half a mile long. On the right hand, a vast rock hangs almoft over you; on the left, clofe to the path, is a precipice, at the bottom of which rolls an impetuous torrent, bounded, on the other fide, not by a hore, but by a rock, as bare, not fo

fmooth,

fimooth, as a whetstone, which rifes half a mile in perpendicular height. Here we all difmounted, not only from reasons to juft fear, but that I might be at leisure of contemplate in pleafure, mixed with horror, this ftupendous mark of the Creator's power. Having paffed over a noble bridge of ftone, we found ourselves upon a fine fand, then left by the fea, which here indents upon the country, and arrived in the evening, paffing over more rough country, at our destined inn. The accommodations there were better than expected, for we had good beds and a friendly hostess, and I flept well, though, by the number of beds in the room, I could have fancied myself in an hospital. The next morning I confirmed at the church, and after dinner fet out for the metropolis of the country, called Dolgelle. There I ftaid and did bufinefs the next day, and the scene was much mended. The country I had hitherto paffed through was like one not made by the FATHER of the creation, but in the wrath of power; but here were inhabitants, a town and church, a river, and fine meaVOL. II. T dows.