Where glossy pebbles pave the varied floors,

And rough flint-walls are deck'd with shells and ores,
And silvery pearls, spread o'er the roofs on high,
Glimmer like faint stars in a twilight sky:

From moon's fierce glare, perhaps, he pleas'd retires,
Indulging musings which the place inspires.
Now where the airy octagon ascends,

And wide the prospect o'er the vale extends,
'Midst evening's calm, intent perhaps he stands,
And looks o'er all that length of sun-gilt lands,
Of bright green pastures, stretch'd by rivers clear,
And willow groves, or osier islands near!" *

Besides

*The following beautiful verses, by Mr. Park, were written by the side of the late Mr. Scott's grounds at Amwell End.

Thus moralis'd my pensive thought, And this lov'd grove which Theron

By painful retrospection warm'd. For he, whose utmost wish was

Besides being the residence of Mr. Scott, Amwell boasts of having had amongst its inhabitants Mr. Hoole, the translator of Tasso, and Mr. Walton, the angler; the scene of his "Angler's Dialogues," is the vale of Lea, between Tottenham and Ware: he particularly mentions Am-well Hill.

In the churchyard, is the following curious epitaph :

That which a Being was, what is it? show:

That Being which it was, it is not now.
To be what 'tis, is not to be, you see:
That which now is not, shall a Being be.

Here also lies buried William Warner, author of Albion's England, Argentile and Curan, &c.

"The delightful retreat in this neighbourhood, denominated LANGLEY BOTTOM, is adapted to contemplation; and possesses such capabilities of improvement, that the genius of a Shenstone might easily convert it into a second Leasowes. The transition from this solitude to Widbury Hill, is made in a walk of a few minutes, and the prospect from that hill, in a fine evening, is beautiful beyond description.

Mr. Scott describes the landscapes which Amwell afford», in the following beautiful lines:

How picturesque the view, where up the side
Of that steep bank, her roofs of russet thatch
Rise mix'd with trees, above whose swelling tops
Ascends the tall church tower, and loftier still
The hills ascended ridge! How picturesque,
Where, slow beneath that bank, the silver stream
Glides by the flowery isle, and willow groves
Wave on its northern verge, with trembling tufts
Of osier intermix'd!

A tribute of respect has been paid on the isle mentioned in the above verses, by Robert Mylne, Esq. architect of

We do not accord with the expressions exhibited in the three last stanzas. "The grotto is still kept in excellent order by Mr. Hooper; and though it does not accord with his system of retirement to admit of too frequent visits, yet he is not averse to gratify occasionally the curiosky of persons of taste and discernment."

Blackfriars Bridge, and surveyor to the New River Cornpany, to the memory of Sir HUGH MY DELTON, whose genius and perseverance supplied the metropolis with water, in despight of loss of fortune, and every difficulty. It is a votive urn on a pedestal, surrounded by a close thicket of evergreens, willows, &c. The inscription on the south side of the pedestal is as follows:

SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF

SIR HUGH MYDELTON, BARONET;
WHOSE SUCCESSFUL CARE,

ASSISTED BY THE PATRONAGE Of his King,
CONVEYED THIS STREAM TO LONDON.
AN IMMORTAL WORK:

SINCE MAN CANNOT MORE NEARLY
IMITATE THE Deity,

THAN IN BESTOWING HEALTH.

A Latin translation of the above is on the north side. The west notes the distance from Chadwell, at two miles; and the meanders of the river from Amwell to London. The east side contains the dedication of this "HUMBLE TRIBute TO THE GENIUS, TALENTS, AND ELEVATION OF MIND, WHICH CONCEIVED AND EXECUTED THIS IMPORTANT

AQUEDUCT;" by "ROBERT MYLNE, ARCHITECT, ENGI NEER, &c. IN THE YEAR M. D. CCC."

On the hill above the church are traces of an extensive fortification; and in the parish towards Hertford, are traces of an antient road, a large tumulus, &c.

STANSTED ABBOT, was a borough town at the time of the Conquest, and was governed by a portreeve and seven burgesses. Roger de Waney was lord here in the reigns of William Rufus and Henry I.; he gave the church to the priory of Merton. His son Michael, in the reign of Henry, gave a moiety of the vill to the abbey of Waltham; the other moiety he sold to the king, who afterwards bestowed it on the same abbey. Henry VIII. obtained it in exchange for the priory of Blakemore, in Essex. It had been permitted to cardinal Wolsey by pope Clement VII. to alienate this manor, for the purpose of augmenting the revenues of