Green fields and whispering woods; or, The recreations of an American "country gentleman"; embracing journeys over his farm and excursions into his library . yis well known to all who read the best poetry, and hencehave perused those exquisite agricultural poems, the Georgics,the product of his pen. In his famous Anatomy of Melancholy, old Burton ob-serves : The country has his recreations. * * The very beingin the country—^that life itself—is a sufficient recreation tosome men, to enjoy such pleasures as those old patriarchs,Diocletian, the emperor, was so much affected with it thathe gave ov
Green fields and whispering woods; or, The recreations of an American "country gentleman"; embracing journeys over his farm and excursions into his library . yis well known to all who read the best poetry, and hencehave perused those exquisite agricultural poems, the Georgics,the product of his pen. In his famous Anatomy of Melancholy, old Burton ob-serves : The country has his recreations. * * The very beingin the country—^that life itself—is a sufficient recreation tosome men, to enjoy such pleasures as those old patriarchs,Diocletian, the emperor, was so much affected with it thathe gave over his scepter and turned gardener. * ^ I couldsay so much of myself: No man ever took more delight insprings, woods, groves, gardens, walks, fish-ponds, rivers. Hail, old Namesake! congenial spirit, hail! Bravo, De-MOCRITUS Junior ! And after that if one shall be desirousof naming the author of this work Democritus The Least,the latter will neither resent the liberty taken, nor questionthe judgment of the new Adam. In another part of his work our learned author recurs tothis subject, and discourses as follows: *HpBACE; VI Satire. A PARAJJIHE. 141. 142 DEMOCRITUS AGAIN. I may not deny that there is some profitable meditation,•contemplation and solitariness to be embraced which thefathers so highly commended, Hierom, Chrysostom, Cyprian,Austin in whole tracts; which Petrarch, Erasmus, Stella andothers so much magnify in their books ; a paradise, a heavenon earth, if it be used aright, good for the body, and betterfor the soul, as many of those old monks used it, to divine-contemplation, * * or to the bettering of their knowledge,as Democritus, Cleanthus, and those excellent philosophershave ever done, to sequester themselves fiom the tumultu-ous world, as in Plinys villa, Laurentana, Tullys Tuscu-lum, Jovius study, that they might better serve God andfollow their studies. So much for my very entertaining, though melancholy?old namesake! The poet Yirgils ardent love for the
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