We 're charm'd with distant views of happiness,
But near approaches make the prospect less.
Yalden: Against Enjoyment.
As distant prospects please us, but when near
We find but desert rocks and fleeting air.
Garth: The Dispensatory, canto iii. line 27.
'T is distance lends enchantment to the view,
And robes the mountain in its azure hue.
Campbell: Pleasures of Hope, part i. line 7.