"See, with what alacrity the old gentleman is moving off yonder,
making as many wry faces as if he had swallowed an ounce of corrosive
sublimate--and the ladies too, bless me, how their angelic smiles
evaporate, and the roseate bloom of their cheeks is changed to the
delicate tint of the lily, as they partake of these waters. What an
admirable school for study is this! here we can observe every transition
the human countenance is capable of expressing, from a ruddy state of
health and happiness, to one of extreme torture, without charging our
feelings with violence, and knowing that the pains are those of the
patient's own seeking, and the penalties not of any long duration." In
short, my friend Bob furnished, instanter, the subject of "Spasmodic
Affections from, ~245~~Spa Waters," (see plate); certainly one of his
most spirited efforts.
[Illustration: page245]
But we must not pass by the elegant structure of Montpelier Spa, the
property of Pearson Thompson, esquire, whose gentlemanly manners,
superior talents, and kind conduct, have much endeared him to all
who know him as an acquaintance, and more to those who call him their
friend. Passing on the left-hand side of the upper well-walk, we found
ourselves before this tasteful structure, and were much delighted
with the arrangement of the extensive walks and grounds by which it is
surrounded:--a health-inspiring spot, and as we are told,
"Where Thompson's supreme and immaculate taste
Has a paradise form'd from a wilderness waste;
With his walks rectilineous, all shelter'd with trees,
That shut out the sunshine and baffle the breeze,
And a field, where the daughters of Erin{12}may roam
In a fence of sweet-brier, and think they're at home.
Pages:
786
787
788
789
790
791
792
793
794
795
796
797
798
799
800
801
802
803
804
805
806
807
808
809
810