1579. A parsonage affords, in various points of view, the finest opportunities of displaying taste and enjoying happiness, provided the occupant, with Cowley, prefers a small style of living to a great one. 'A little convenient estate, a little cheerful house, a little company, and a very little feast,' are the desiderata of this amiable man. A parsonage, however, does not always necessarily imply a small house, as, of course, it should correspond in some degree with the size of the church, that of the parish, &c. The style of the house should bear some relation to that of the church to which it is an appendage, and the grounds should be laid out in somewhat of a solid and massive style, with large branching trees, mixed with arbor vitï¾µ, and other somewhat sombre-looking evergreens, to harmonise with the yews and cypresses of the churchyard. All fanciful prettinesses should be avoided; but there should be a large garden, and a few acres of grass land, to afford support for a horse or two and two or three cows.
