William Gilpin - Three essays: on picturesque beauty; on picturesque travel; and on sketching landscape

With regard to the poem, annexed to these essays, something more should be said. As that small part of the public, who personally know me; and that still smaller part, whom I have the honour to call my friends, may think me guilty of presumption in attempting a work of this kind, I beg leave to give the following history of it.

Several years ago, I amused myself with writing a few lines in verse on landscapepainting; and afterwards sent them, as a fragment (for they were not finished) to amuse a friend.* I had no other purpose. My friend told me, he could not say much for my poetry; but as my rules, he thought, were good, he wished me to finish my fragment; and if I should not like it as a poem, I might turn it into an ejfay in prose.As this was only what I expected, I was not disappointed; tho not encouraged to proceed. So

* Edward Forster esq; of Walthamstow.

I trou I troubled my head no farther with my verses.

Some time after, another friend,* finding fault with my mode of describing the lakes, and mountains of Cumberland, and Westmoreland, as too poetical, I told him the fate of my fragment; lamenting the hardship of my

case when I wrote verse, one friend called

it prose; and when I wrote prose, another friend called it verse. In his next letter he desired to see my verses; and being pleased with the subject, he offered, if I would finish my poem (however carelessly as to metrical exactness) he would adjust the versification. But he found, he had engaged in a more arduous affair, than he expected. My rules, and tecnical terms were stubborn, and would not easily glide into verse; and I was as stubborn, as they, and would not relinquish the scientific part for the poetry. My friend's

* Rev. Mr. Mason.

good'

good-nature therefore generally gave way, and suffered many lines to stand, and many alterations to be made, which his own good taste could not approve.* I am afraid therefore I must appear to the world, as having spoiled a good poem; and must shelter myself, and it under those learned reasons, which have been given for putting Propria qua maribus, and As in prfentiy into verse. If the rules have injured the poetry; as rules at least, I

* Extract of a letter from Mr. Mason.

"I have inserted conscientiously every "word, and phrase, you have altered; except the awkward "word clump, which I have uniformly discarded, whenever it "offered itself to me in my English garden, which you may "imagine it did frequently: in it's stead I have always used tuft. I have ventured therefore to insert it adjectively; "and I hope, I shall be forgiven. Except in this single "instance, I know not that I have deviated in the least from "the alterations, you sent. I now quit all that relates to "the poem, not without some self-satisfaction in thinking it is "over: for, to own the truth, had I thought you would have "expected such almost mathematical exactitude of terms, as I "find you do; and in consequence turned lines tolerably "poetical, into prosaic, for the sake of precision, I should "never have ventured to give you my assistance."

hope hope, they will meet your approbation. I am, dear sir, with the greatest esteem, and regard,