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Page 96:-
amusement, and with their lines kill ten or twelve pound of
fish; which were perhaps a feast to a friend, of use to a
family, a refreshment from hard labour, and a Saturday
afternoon's diversion for a school-boy.
The Bailiff, like most others, wanting to make something
more of his place, or please his lord by encroachments, made
some of the freeholders, and others, (tenants at will under
the freeholders, who were to keep in repair their landlord's
boat and use it,) pay a little; as appeared by the evidence
of himself and others: some gave him a day-reaping for what
they called boat-gate, some half a day mowing, some a
cow-bulling, and one a pennyworth of candle-seeves*;
all which payments gave a handle for the counsel.
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The Lake contains 1747 acres at low water, and is shallow,
(as appears by the soundings) of a soft muddy bottom; where
very shallow, it has, like all the others, a grassy bottom.
Some of our writers, (West and Hutchinson) describing the
transparency of this and Derwent Lake, say they can see
small white pebble stones a great depth shining like
diamonds. This I deny; but they, in describing and extolling
those places, often overdo it, especially West in the last
edition. In this he tells us, that he thinks a work of this
kind will not do in plain language: I cannot, however, help
differing from him, as, in my opinion, plain facts are best
told in plain language. I shall here copy a part of his
notes on Mr Gray's journal, in the addenda to his (West's)
guide to the Lakes, page 197; here he says, that,"Dr
Wharton, who had intended to accompany Mr Gray to Keswick,
was seized at Brough ‡ with a violent fit of his
asthma, which obliged him to return home. This was the
reason that Mr Gray undertook to write the following journal
of his tour for his friend's amusement: He sent it under
different covers; I give it here in continuation. It may not
be amiss, however, to hint to the reader, that if he expects
to find elaborate and nicely turned periods in his
narration, he will be greatly disappointed. When Mr Gray
describes places, he aimed only to be exact, clear, and
intelligible, to peculiar, not general ideas; and to paint
by the eye, not the fancy."
When Mr Gray was exact, clear, and intelligible, I think he
would paint to the fancy, better than a pompous phraseology
and magnified bombastic account of a country that has not
the least need of it: the praises of these counties have,
indeed, been so highly spoken of before by the testimony of
very ancient authors, and the satisfaction that its
numberless visitors meet with, that exaggerations are
ridiculous: but to proceed with him a little further; "There
have been many accounts of the Westmorland and Cumberland
Lakes, both before and since this was written, and all of
them better calculated to please readers, who are fond of
what they call fine writing. Yet those who can content
themselves with an elegant simplicity of narrative, will, I
flatter myself, find this to their taste; they will perceive
it written with a view, rather to inform than surpize; and
if they make it their companion when they take the same
tour, it will enhance their opinion of its intrinsic
excellence: in this way I tried it myself before I resolved
to print it."
Surely never was there such an instance of modesty in
an author! Should we, however, annalize this gentleman's
book, we may perhaps find that periods are more attended to
than sense, and pomp of description than truth; that at
sometimes he has omitted the most remarkable objects, and at
other times described things and places that never existed,
unless in his own fancy.
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