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OBSERVATIONS
O N
MODERN GARDENING,
ILL U S T RATED BY
N
DESCRIPTIONS.
Where Wealth, enthronM in Nature's pri4e.
With Tafte and Bounty by her fide,
And holding Plenty's horn.
Sends Labour to purfue the toil^
Art to improve the happy foil.
And Beauty to adorn. F#
o . c^
h
THE SECOND EDITION.
LONDON, .
Printed for T. Payne, at the Mews-gatc.
MDCCLXX.
T A B L E
6 F T HE ,
C O N T E N *! S,
INTRODUCTION.
#
1. /^ F the fubjeds, and materials of the zH
^^ of gardening. I
Of G R O U N Di
tL Of a leiel. 4
Defcription of a lawn at Rloor Parkj 4
III. Of convex, arid concave fliapes of ground. 6
IV. Of tfie connexion between the parts in
ground. . ^
V. Of the relation of the parts to the whole, id
VI. I Of the charafter of ground. ij
VII. Of variety. t^
VIII. Of the lines traced by the feveral i)art$ in
ground; ijr
IX. Of contraft. jg
X. Of extraordinary effefts. 7.0
Defcription of a hill at Ham. 22
^I. Of the efFe£is of wood, on the fc^rm of
ground. 23
7
C O N T £ K T S*
Of WOOD.
XII. Of the chara£beriftic difforences is 4ree$^
and ihrubs. 24
XIII. Of the variety ariflng from the differences
in trees and flirubs. 28
XIV. Of the mixtiy-e of greens. 30
XV. Of the effefts arifing from the difpofition
of the greens. * 34
XVI. Of the feveral fpecies of wood. * 35
XVII. Of the fiir&ice of a lyood diftiogsifhed by
its greatnefs. . 36
XVin. Of the furface of a romantic^ and of ^
thin wood. 40
XIX. Of the outline of a wood, < 42
XX. Of the furface and outline of a grove« 46
XXL Of the iaA§rior of a grove. 47
Defcription of a grove at Claremont. 4S
'^ Defcription of a grove atEfher Place. 50
XXII. Of the forms of clumps. 53-
XXIII. Of the ufes and fituations of independalit
clumpa. 56
XXIV. Of clumps which have a relation to each
other. 57
XXV. Of fingle trees. 58
XXVI.
XXVII.
Of WATER*
Of the effefts and fpecies of water-
6f
Of the differences between a Jake and a
river. 63
XXVIIL Of
COKTEKtS.
35XVIII.
XXX.
XXXL
XXXIL
XXXIII.
XXXIV.
XXXV.
Of ft lake. 66
Of the courfe of a river. ^i
Pf bridges. jt
Of die acconipaniaientB on the banks*
77
Defcription of the tirater at Blenheim*
78
Of a tiver flowing through a wood* 8f
Defcription of the water at Wotton. 84
Of a rill and a rirulet. , 88
Of cafcades, 91
Of R O C K S.
XXXVI.
ibid^
99
103
lofr
Of the accompaniments of rocks*
Defcription of MiddletoA dale.
Of rocks chara£brifed by dignity.
Defcription of Matlock Bath.
XXXVII. Of rocks charafierifed by terror.
Defcription of a fcene at the New Weir
on the Wye. 108
XXX VIII. Of rocks charaaerifed by fancy. 1 1 1
Defcription of Dove dale. ibid^
Of B UI LD I N G S.
XXXIX. Of the ufes of bdldings^ 116
XL. Of buildings intended for obje^ls. 118
XLI. Of buildings expreffive of characters.
123
XLII. Of the fpecies and fituations of build*
ings. 127
Dcfcrip-
N T E N^ T Si
Defcription of the temple of Part at thtf
fouth lodge on Enfield Chace. 129
^LIII. Of ruii^s. 1^0
Defcription of Tintern Abbeys 13 j
.Of ART.
!^LIV. Of the appearance of art near the
houfe. i^^
XLV. Of the approach. 138
Defcription of the approach at Caver-
iham. 14^
XLVI. Of regularity in the feveral parts of 4
gardeA. 144
Of PICrURESQ^tE BEAUTt.
XLVII. Of the different efFeds from the fame ^b-
• jcSts in a fcene and a pi£lure. 146
Of G H A R A C T E R.
XLVIII. Of emblematical chara6i:ers. 150
XLIX. Of imitative charadlers. i^i
L* Of original characters* 153
Of the GENERAL SUBJECT.
LL Of the differences between a farm, a gaf^
den^ a park, and a riding. 156
Of a F A R M.
ill. Of a paftoral farm. i6i
Defcription of the Leaf<?wes, 162
LiiL or
r
^
CONTENTS.
LIII. Of an ancient farm. ij^i
I»IV. Of a fimplc farm. 174
LV.' Of an ornamented farm. 177
Defcription of Woburn farm* ibid.
Of a P A R K.
LVL Of a park bordered by a garden* , 182
Defcription of PainfliilL 184
XrVII. Qf the chara(Ster of a park bleaded with
that of a garden. ^ 192
Defcription of Hagley. 194
Of a G A R D E N.
LVIII. Of a garden fitrrounding an enclofure. 206
J!<.IX. Of a garden which occupie3 the whole en<-
clofure. , 210
Defcription of Stowe. 213
Of a R I D I N G.
LX. Of the decorations of a ridings 227
LXI. Of a village. 230
LXII. Of the buildings defigned for obje£ts in a
riding. 232
IiXIII. Of a garden fimilar in character to a
riding. 234
Defcription of Pcrsficld, 236
Of
^
CONTENT S^
Of the S E A S O N S.
tXIV. Of occafio^l tffs&s. %ix
Defcription of the temple ^ eoocord and
vi£lory at Stowe, at fun-fet. 243
LXV. Of the diffccent parta of the day. 245
LXV|. Of the feafons of the yean 248
CONCLUSION.
LXVII, Of the extent and ftudy of the ^ of gar-.^
dening. 25$
r
INTRODUCTION.
h g^ ARDENING, in the perfcftion to
1 "W' which it has been lately brought in
England^ is entitled to a place of
confiderable rank among the liberal arts. It la
as fuperioi: to landikip painting, as a reality
to a' reprefentation : it is an exertion of fancy ;
a fubjedt for tafte ; and being releafed now from
the reftraints of regularity, and enlarged be*
yond the purpofes of domeftic convenience, the
moil beautiful, the moft jQmple, the moil noble
fcenes of nature are all within its province : for
it is no longer confined to the fpots from which
it borrows its name, but regulates alfo the dif-
pofition and embellifhments of a park, a farm,
or a riding ; and the bufinefs of a gardener is to
fcled and to apply whatever is great, elegant^
or charadteriilic hi any of them ; to difcovcr
and to ihew all the advantages of the place upon
which he is employed ; to fupply its defeds, to
correA its faults, . and to improve its beauties.
B For
[ 2 ] '
For all thefe operations, the objects of nature
are (till his only materials. His firfl: enquiry,
therefore, mud be into the means by which
thofe effefts are attained in nature, which he is
to produce; and into thofe properties in the
objedts of nature, which fliould determine hitn
in the choice and arrangement 6f thenu
Nature, always fimple, employs but four
materials in the compofition of her fcenes,|T^«/^i
woffdj water ^ and roch. The cultivation of nfrr
cure has introduced a fifth Ipecies, the iuildings
requilite for the accommodation of men. Each
of thefe again admits of varieties in figure^
dimenfions, colour, and fituadon* Every Iand>
fkrp is compofed of thefe parts only $ every
beauty in a landfkip depends on the application
of their feverat varieties^.
Of G R O U N D.
H. The ihape of ground muft be either a
^$nvex9 a ciincave^ or tL plane ; m terms le& tecl>
oical called a JiveU^ a bfllow^ and a ieveh By
combinations of thefe are formed all the irregu^
laritiesi of which ground is capable ; and the
beauty of it depends on the degrees and the
proportions iif which they are bktided*
Both the convex and the concave are fbriht
in thcmfclves of more variety,, and nmy there*
. fore
t 3 ]
fofe be 4dn>ittcd to a greater ei^tent tkrt A
plane ^ but levels are not totally inadmiflible*
The preference unjuftly (hewn to them in the
old gardens, where they prevailed almoft in
eiclufioR of every other form, has raifed a pre-
judice agaihft them* It is frequently reckoned
af! tecellence in a piece of made ground, thac
every the leaft part df it is uneven -, but then it
wants one of the three great varieties of ground,
^Whidh may fometimes be intermixed with the
Other two. A gentle concave declivity falls and
ipreads eafily on a flat ; the channels between
feveral fwells degenerate into mere gutters, if
fome breadth be not given to the bottoms by
flattening them' ; and in many other inftances^
fmall portioits of an inclined or horizontal plane
riiay be introduced into an irregular compoQ-
tion* Care only muft be taken to keep them
down as fubordinate parts, and n.ot to fufier
them to become principal.
There are, however, occafions on which a
plane may be principal : a hanging level oftca
produces effefts not otherwife attainable. A
large dead flat, indeed, raifes no other idea than
offaticty: the eye 'finds no amufement, no re-
pofc, on fuch a level : it is fatigued, unleft
timely relieved by an adequate termination j and
the ftrength of that termination will compen-
B 2 fd(€
[43
fate for its diftancc. . A very wide plain, at the
foot of a mountain, is Icfs tedious than one of
much lefs compafs, furrounded only by hil-
locks. A flat therefore of confiderable extent
may be hazarded in a garden, provided the
boundaries alfo be confiderable in proportion ;
and if» in addition to their iipportance, they
become ftill more interefting by their beauty^
then the facility and diftindnefs with which they
are feen over a flat, make the whole an agre^^
able compofition. The greatnefs and the beauty
of the boundary are not, however, alone fuffi-
cient ; the form of it is of ftill more confc*
c^uence, A continued range of the nobleft
wood, or the fineft hill, would not cure the in-
fipidity of a flat : a lefs important, a leis pleat
ing boundary, would be more effeftual, if it
traced a more varied outline;- if it advanced
fomctimes boldly forward, fometimes retired
into deep recefles ; broke all the fides into parts,
and marked even the plain itfelf with irregu-
larity.
At Moor Park f, on the back front of the
houfe, is a lawn of about thirty acres, ablb-
lutely flat ; with falls below it on one hand, and
heights above it on the other. The rifing
t The feat of Sir Laurence Dundafs," near Rickinanfworth
in Hertfonlihire.
ground
[ 5 ]
ground k divided into three great parts, each
fo diftinft and fa diUfercnt, as to have the ef-
fe£t of fcvcral hills. That neareft to the houfe
(helves gently under an open grove of noble
trees, which hang on the declivity, and ad-
\ . Vance beyond it on the plain. The next is a
large hill, preflSng forward, and covered with
\/. ' wood from the top to the bottom. The third
V is a bold ftcep, with a thicket falling down
;\ tlie fteepeft part, which makes it appear fUU
v^"*' more precipitate : but the reft of the flope is
..i; . barejjjjnly the brow is crowned with wood,
.;i ; and Upwards the bottom is a little groupe of
• :' trees; Thefe heights, thus finely charaiSberifed
- - in themfelves, are further diftinguifhed by their
''^:-- appendages. The fmall, compaft groupe near
/.[:. the foot, but ftill on the dcfcent, of the further
?^. : hill, is contrafted by a large ftraggling clump,
V; fomt way out upon the lawn, before the mid-
V; die eminence. Between this and the firft hill,
under two dr three trees which crofs the opcn^
■■ f : ing, is feen to great advantage a winding glade,
/ ;-; which rifes beyond them, and marks the fepa«.
% ration. This deep recefs, the different dif-
tances to which the hills advance, the contraft
in their forms, and their accompaniments, c^.
;the plain on this fide into a moft beautiful fi-
gure. The other fide and the end were origi-
nally the flat edge of a defcent, a harfli,">offcn-
B 3 five
' live termination 5 but it is now bfpken by &^ ^ •;•
vcral hillocks, ijot diminutive in fjze, sm4 conr • • v
flderabje by the fine clumps which diftinguifli f .. ,;.
them- They recede one beyond another, and | :\
the outline waves agreably amongft theau % . :^
' They do more than conceal the (hsurpnefs of th^ :f -,; . %
edge 5 they convert a deformity into a beauty,. )'-|^ >
and greatly contribute to. th|c embel|i(hraent ^' ;w'^r,
V '^is moft lovely fcene; a {ccne^ hOiye^rf.r* U| . >*^>:,; '
yrhich the flat is principal ; and yet a ,fi[t|*!p y^^
' fied, a more beautiful }andikip>- caci-lii^^j^ ^WA-^f^f-i^
4?fired in a prd<;n, i rJi^'J^ - ;• ^^^t^^
III. A plain is not,, hqwever, in itfelfijlitc^ >i^'t.
refting 5 and the leafl: deviation from the \HtJt^::M^l:^J^.
fbrmity of its furfacc^ changes its natDre; 'mijS'^'['.
long as the flat remains, it depends on the <>b*^ v^'S^^
jcfts around for all its variety, and all its bgftntyi ^j"^;}
but convex and concave forms arc gffnefiilly ^-^^
plcafing ; and the number of degrees and coin-. ^^;
binations into which they may be caft is infi* ;^*^ 1
nite : thofe forms only in each which arc, pcr-^/.^tfl
fedly regular muft be avoided j a fe|nicirete;j^^ j
can never be tolerable : fmall portions of large^^^^";
circles blended together ; or lines gently curved,' r J' i;
which are not parts of any circle ; a hollow fink-»;^U ;^
|ng but little bejow a level 5 a fwcll very nfiucl^-^ -^^
flattenM at the topj ^e cpmrnonly the moi| fv^:
agreabl? figures,
• ik ••■•
C 7 1
Ib ground which lies beautifuUf, die con-
cave will generally prevail; within the fame
a>mpai3 it (hews more furface than a fwell ; all
the fides of the latter are not vifible at the fame
tin^) except in a few particular (ituations ; but
it is only in a few particular (ituations, that any
part of a hollow is concealed ; earth feems to have
been accumulated to raife the one, and takeii
away to fink the other. The concave, there*
fore, a|)^pears the lighter, and for the moft
part it is the more elegant flxape; even the
(lopes of a fwell can hardly be brought down,
unlefs broken now and then into hollows, to
take off from the heavinefs of the mafs. There
are, however, (ituations where the convex form
ihould be preferred: a hollow juft bfclow the
brow of a hill reduces it to a narrow ridge,
which has a poor meagre appearance ; and an
abrupt fall will never feem to join with a con«-
cave form immediately above it ; a (harp edge
divides them ; and to connedt them, that edge ^"
muH be rounded; or at lead: flattened ; which
is, in fad, to intcrpofe ^ convex or a level.
IV, Iw made ground, the connexion is, per-
haps, the principal confideration* A (well
which wants it is but a heap ; a hollow but a
hole; and both appear artificial : the one feems
placed upon a furface to which it does not be<-
B4 longi
C 8 3
long J the other dug into it. On tjic great fcafc
of nature indeed, either may be fo confiderable
in itfelf, as to make its relation to any other al*
rooft a matter of indifference ; but on the *
fmaller fcale of a garden, if the parts are dis«
jointed, the effeA of a whole is loft; and the
union of all is not more than fufEcient to pre-
ferve an idea of greatnefs and importance, to
fpots which muft be varied, and cannot be fpa*
cious. Little inequalities are befides in nature
ufually well blended together ; all lines of fepa-
ration have, in a courfe of time, been filled up ;
and therefore, when in made ground they are
left open, that ground appears artificial.
Even where artifice is avowed, a breach in
the conite£lion offends the eye. The ufe of a
fofle is merely to provide a fence, without ob-
ftrufting the view. To blend the garden with
the country is no part of the idea : the cattle,
the objeds, the culture, without the funk fence>
are difcordant to all within, and keep up the
divifion. A fofle may open the moft polilhed
lawn to a corn field, ^ road, or a common,
though they mark the very point of feparation.
It may be made on purpofe to fhew objeds
which cannot, or ought not to be in the gar-
den ; as a church, or a mill, a neighbouring
gentleman's feat, a town, or a village; and yet
no confcioufnefs of the exiftence can reconcile
us
l9\
•lis to the fight of t^is diviiion/ The mod ob«
vious dilguifc is to keep the hither above the
further bank all the way -, fo that the latter may
not be feen at a competent diftante : but this
alone is not alway$ fufficient; for a divifion ap«
|>ears, if an uniformly continued line, however
faint, be difccmible 5 that Hne, therefore, muft
be broken; low but extended hillocks may
fometimes interrupt it ; or the fhape on' one
fide may be continued, acrofs the funk fence,
oh the other ; as when the ground finks in the
fieldi' by beginning the declivity in the garden.
Trees too without, connected with thofc within^
khd Teeming part of a clump or a grove there,
will frequently obliterate every trace of an in-
terruption. Byfuchi or other means, the line
may be, ahd flioiild be, hid or difgiaifed ; not
for the purpofe of deception, (when all is done
we are feldbm deceived) but to preferve the
continued furface entire.
If, where no union is intended, a line of fe-
paration is difagreeable, it niuft bc'^ difgufting,
when it breaks the connection between the fevc-
ral parts of thefamc piece of ground. That con-
neftion depends on (be junHhn of each part fo
tbofe about itj and on the relation of every fart to
the whole. ,To complete the former, fuch Ihapes
fiiould be contiguous as moft readily unite; and
the aftual divifion between them fliould be anxi-
oufly
f l^ 1
Ottflyconqealed. If a fwell defeemk upon a 18;
yeU if a hoUow finks from it, the kvel is^ao ab«
rupt terminatioi), and a little rim marks it dif*
tiodly* To CQYer that rim, a (hort fweep at
the foot of the fvell, a fmall rotucidity at (he en*
trance of the hollow, myft beJnterpofcd. I^
every inftaace, when ground changes its diredi^
Qt» there is a.poiot where fine ch^MPgc is eflfe4l:edj
and that point (hould never iippear^i foqie o^^
ibapes, uniting eafily with both extremes, inuft
be thrown iif to conceal it. Pm( there tm|(( ))«
no uniforouty even in thefe conneftiops } if t^o
fame fweep be c^ried all round the bottom .qf
a fwell, the fame rotundity all round tho j^
of a hollow, though the jun£Uon be perfe^, ^y^t
the art by which it is made is apparent, afi^
art muft never appear. The manner of con-
cealing the Reparation fliould icfelf be difguiied }
and different degrees of cavity or rotundity }
different fhapes and dimenfions tq the little part^
thus diffifiguiihed by degrees >; and thofe parts»
breaking in one place more, ia another l^is,
into the principal forms which are to be united^
produce that variety with which all natuipe ai*
bounds, and without which ground cannot be
natural.
V. The relation of all the parts to the whole,
when clearly marked, facilitates their jun^ion
wttb
t li 3
With «aeh ethei': for the common bond of mioa
18 th«n perceived, before there has been time to
eicamine the fiibordinate conoe&ioas ; and sf
th6& Ihould be deficknt in fome niceties, the
defc& is loft in the general impreffion. But
an^part which is at variance inridi die reft, is
not barely a blenufli in itfelf : it fpreads di(br«
der as far as ^ts infiaence extends } a»d the con*
fufion is in proportion ^% the other parts are
more or leis adapted^ to point out any parUm^
lar iireSlionj or to mark any pecuUar ^iaraSer
in the ground* .
if in grotmd all defending one way, a piece
is twifted another, the general fall is obftrufted
b)F it ; but if all the parts incline in the fame
dil^Aion^ it is hardly credible how fmali a de^
clivitjr will feem to be confiderable. An ap«-
pesu'Ance even of fteepneis may be given to a
very gentle defcent, by raifing' hillocks upon it^
which fhall lean to. the point,, whidier all the reft
^e tendings ibr tJkeeye meaf^res from the top
of the higheft, to the bottom of the loweft
ground ; and when the relation of the parts is
well preferved^ fuch an oflEbA from oqe it
transfufed over the whole.
Sut they fhould not, therefore, all lie Qxa£Uy
in the fame diredion : fome tpay feem to point
to. it direftly, othets to iacUne very much*
o^qrs but Uttk, fotne partially, &me entu-ely.
If
* . t « 3
If the diroftibfi be ftrongly tn^rked on a fei/T
priitcipal parts, "great liberties may be t^keti
wicfa the:ocherst provided noi^ of them are
•tiorned the. contrary way. The ^ general idea
jiiii(l:> however, be prelervtd, dear even oT* a
doubt. .A hillock which only intercepts ^he
^ghl« if it does not contributte.td the printip^f
e(fe£t» is,; at the befi:^ an unne<!:eir^ excrefcence'^
-jmd .even an interruption in the- general ten-
^0€y, though it hide nothing, is a: bleooHh.
On ^ defcent, any hollow, any fall, which hai
not an outlet to lower ground, is a hole: the
fyeikips over it, tnftead of being continued
along it ; it is a gap in the compofitionl
There may indeed be occafions, when* we
ihould rather .wilh to cheeky than to promote,
the general tendency. - Ground may ptpceed
too haftily towards its point ; and we have:ec{tiat
power to retard, or to accelerate, the* fall; We
can flacken^the precipitancy of a fteep, by break-
ing it into parts, fome of ^kh (hall indine
lefs, than the whole before inclined, to theprin*-
dpal diredioh^ and by turning them quite a^*
way, we may even change the courfe of the de-
fcent* Thcfc powers are of ufe in the larger
(cenes, where the jfevefal great parts often lie in
feveral direftioiis ; and if they are thereby too
ftrongly^rontrafted, or led towards points too
widely afond^,« every art fiiould be exerted to
bring
r
r • •
• t Hi
briilig them nearer together, to kSianl^t ^nii
to comied them. As fcenes eocre^e ia extent^
they become ipore impatient of controul : they
are. not only lefs ^minageable, but. ought to be
kfs reftrained i they require more variety and
contrail. But ftill the fame principles are ap^
plicable to ,the leaft> and to the greateft» tho^
not ^ith equal feverity : neither ought to be
tent to pieces ; acid though a fmali negled^
which would diftraft the one, may not difturb
the other, yet a total difregard of all the prin«
ciples of union, isalike produdtive of confu*
lion in both.
VL The Jlyle alfo of every part muft be
accommodated to the charafler of the whole ;
for every piece of ground h diftinguilhed by
certain properties : it is either tame or bold ;
gentle or rude ; continued or broken ; and if
any variety, inconfiftcnt with thbfe properties,
be obtruded, it has no other efFcdi: than to
weaken one idea, without railing another. The
infipidity of a flat is not taken away by a few
fcattered hillocks; a continuation of uneven
ground can alone give the idea of inequality.
A large, deep, abrupt break, among eafy fwells
and falls, fccms at the beft but a piece left un*
finlfhcd, and which otight to have been foft-
ened : k is not more natural, becaufe it is more
rude;
i M J
tudei nature forms both the one wd tbn odMsri
bucfeldotn mixes them together. On the other
hand, a fmall fine poliihed form^ m the midil
of rough, mifliapen ground, though more ete^
gantthan all about k^ it generally no betcef
than a patch, |tfelf difgra^ed, a^ dislguiiilg
tht fcene. A thoufand kiftances might be Bd^
duced €0 fliew^ that the prevailimg idea tfugbt
to pervade every part, fo far at leaft indifpeiiA
ahif as to exclude whatever diilrads it % and as
much further as poffible to accommodate the
duira&er of the ground to that of the fcene k
belongs to.
On the fame principle, the proportion of the
parts may often be adjuiled ^ for though theiz'
fize mud be very much governed by the extent
of the places and a feature which would fill
up a fmall fpot^ may be \o&. in a large one :
though there are forms of a particular caft^
which appear to advantage only within certain
did!knfions, and ought not therefore to be sqi*
plied, where they have not room enoi^, or
where they mult occupy more fpace than be«
comes them ; yet independant of thefe confide^
rations, a charader of greatnefs belongs {o fome
fcenes, which is not me;^ured by their extend
but raifed by other properties, fonietimes only
by the proportional largenefs of their parts. On
the contrary, where elegance charafterifes thf
fpot,
r
t t5 3
l^ot» die parti iSiould Mit oeif be fnatt, faoc
ilhrerfified befides with fubordioatfe iiicqiialicffi%
^and iieile delicate touches ewrf ivkere fcattarcrd
«bout tliem* Striking eficAs, ibnsibfe imprd^
fions, whatever ie^ms to reqtiire eSbrc^ difl^irbp
the enjoyment of a fcene inien^ed td anuafe md
to pleaife.
In other iiiftance!)^ finnl^r codfideratioiis^will
dfetermifte rather the nimkr than the propor tio«
of die parts, A place may be diftingui&ed by
its fimpBcity, which many divifiodi would d^
ilroy; another ipot, without any prctenfions
to efcgahce, may be remarkable for an appear-
ance of richrtcfs : a mukiplrcity of obje6h w8l
give that appearance, and a number of part9
in the ground will'con tribute to the profufiom
A fcene of gaiety is improved by the fame
means ; the objefts and the parts may diflfer in
ftyle, but they muft be numerous in both*
fiamenefs is dull; the pureft fimplicity can aC
the moft render a place compofcd of large parts
placid ; the fublimeft ideas only make it ftrifc-
ing ; it is always grave 5 to enliven it, number^:
are wanting.
'' ' 1^1, Birr ground is feldom beautiful or na-
tural -without variety^ or even without contraft jr
and the precautions which have been given, ex-
tend no further than \o prevent variety from
'^ ' I dc-
degenennlng inta inconfiftency, and contrail
into contradidion. Withia the extremes, tkH^
turefuppltes an inachauftible fund; and va-
riety thus. limited, fa far from deftrpying, im«;
proves the general efied. Each diftinguilhed
part makes a fcparate imprefilon ; and all bear^
ing the fame damp, all concurring to the fam^
end, every one is an additional fupport to the
prevailing idea: that is multiplied; it .is ex*
tended ; it appears in different fhapes ; it is
ihewn in feveral lights ; and the variety illuf*
trates the relation.
But variety wants not this recommendation ^
it is always defireable where it can be properly
introduced ; and an accurate obfetver will fee
in tv try form fcvcral circuniftances by which it
is diftinguifhed from every other. If the fcene
be mild and quiet, he will place together thofe
which do not differ widely ; and he will gradu-
ally depart from the fimilitude. In ruder fcenes,
the fucceflion will be lefs regular, and the tran-
fitions more fudden. The charader of the place
muft determine the degree of difference between
forms which are contiguous. Befides diftinc*
tions in the fliap^s of ground, differences in
Uticwjituations. and their dimenfions are fource^ of
variety. THe pofition will alter the effcd, tho*
the figure be the fame ; and for particular ef-
fe£b, a change only in the diftance may be ftrik*
ing.
In 1
ing. If that be confiderable, a fucceffion of fi-
milar fkapes fometimes occafions a fine perfpec-
tive ; but the diminution will be lefs" marked, .
tha:t is, the effeft will be lefs fcnfible, if the
forms arc not nearly alike : we take more no-
tice of one difference, when there is no other.
Sometimes a very difagreeable efFeft, produced
by too clofe a refemblance of (hapes, may be
remedied only by an alteration in the fize. If a
fteep defcends in ^ fucceflibn of abrupt falls,
nearly equal, they have the appearance of fteps,
and arc neither pleafing nor wild; but if they
are made to differ in height and length, the ob-
jedion is removed : and at all times a differ-
ence in the dimenfions will be found to have a
greater efied, than in fpeculation we fhould be
inclined to afcribe to it, and will often difguife
a fimilarity of figure.
VIIL It alfo contributes, perhaps more than
any other circumftance, to the perfcftion of
thofe limsj which th^ eye traces along the parts
of a piece of ground, when it glances over fe--
veral together. No variety of form compen-
^tes for the want of it. An lyadulating lini^'
^ompofedof parts all elegant in theaifefves, ali-
judicioufly contrafted and happily united, but
ec[ual one to another^, i^- far. from the- line of
beauty^ , A long ftrait line has no variety at'
C alii
I
E ?8 ]
all ; and a little deviation into a curve, jf thcrp
be dill a continued uniformity, is but a trifling
amendment. Though ground all falling tJt^p
faqie way requires every attention to its general
tendency, yet the eye muft not dart down the
whole length immediately in one direction, buf
Ihoqld be infenfibly conduced tpwar4s the prin-
cipal point with fomc circuity and delay. The
channels between hillocks ought nevcr^ to ruif
in ftraight, nor even re^Iarly cprve4 HnPUl
but winding gpntly among them, and cpp^Bntly
varying in form ancl in dimenifon3, fliould gra?
dually find their way. The beauty pf a hvgfi
hill, efpecially when fepn from below, is fter.
guently ifnpaired by the even continuation of
its brpvy. An attempt to break it by litd^
knolcs i^ feldojTO fuccef^ful ; they feem feparate
independent hillocks, artificially put on. The
intended effcdt may indeed be produced by a
larg^ knole defcenfling in fome places lower than
ifl Qth^rs, anfi rooted at fevcral points into the
bill The fame end may be attained by carry-
It^ fome channel or hollow on the fide up-
'9m^^9 till it cut the continued line ; or by
l^ngifig the l^ow forwand in one place, and
thro^^Uig it back in another; or by forming a
lecon^ary ridge ^ little way down the fide, and
cafting the ground above it into a difl^ercnt,
though: tiat oppofiCe direfttoh to the general dc^
fcent.
F
t 19 ]
icent. Any of chefe expediejnta neill at leaft
dmfT die aiteiittoA off from the defed; bac
if the break were to divide the line into /
equal parts, aaother uniformity would be add-* /
ed, without removing the former; for regu-
larity always fuggefts a fufpicion of artifice;
and artifice detefted, no longer deceives* Our
imaginations would induftrioufly join the bro-
ken parts, and the idea of the continued line
would be reftorcd.
IX. Whatever break be chofcn, the poll**
tion of it muft be oblique to the line which is to
be broken, A reftangular divifion produces
femenefe ; there is no cmtraji between the forms
it divides ; but if it be oblique, while it di^ni-
niflies the part on one fide, it enlarges that on
the other. Parallel lines are liable to the fame
objeftion as thofe at right angles : though each
by itfelf be the perfedt line of beauty, yet if
they correfporid, they form a fliape bec^fcen
them, whofe fides want contraft. Oh the fanri'e
^principle, forms will fometimes be introduced,
Icfi for their intrinfic than their occafional me-
rit, in contrafting happily with thofe about
them : each fets off the other ; and together
they are a more agreeable compoiition than \i
they had been more beautiful, but at the fanrie
tkne more flmilan •
C 2 One
One reafon vjfh^ tame fccnes »rc feWom/mttJ-
retting is, that though they often admit of mafiy
.varieties, they allow of few, and thofe'oniy
^aint contrafts. We may be pleafcd by the
number of the former, but we can be ftruck
only by the force of the, latter. Thefc oughf
to abound in the larger and bolder fcenes of a
garden, efpecially in fuch as arc formed by an
affemblagc of many diftindt and confidcrabte
parts thrown together ; as when fcvcral rifiiig
grounds appear one beyond another, a fine
fwell feen above a flaming fweejp which runs be-
fore it, has a beautiful cfFeft, which a nearer
refemblance would deftroy : and (except in par-
ticular inftances) a clofe fimilatity between lines
which either crofs, or face, or rife behind one
another, makes a poor, uniform, difagreeabjc
compofition. . . :
. ^. The application of any of the foregoing
.observations to the ftill greater fcenes of na-
ture, would carry me at prefent too far j uof
could it well be made, before the other cootti-'
tuent parts of thofe fcenes, wood, water,, rocks,
and buildings, have been taken into confidera-
tion. The rules which have been given, if fuch
' hints deferve the name of rules, are chiefly ap-
plicable to ground which tpay .be managed by^
a fpade ^ and even there they are only genar^lt
not
r
notumVerial: few of them ard without cxccp-
tiOfli'Very few which, on pafticvlar occafions,
may not bedifpenfed with. Mkny of the above
remarks arc,-ht>We^fer, fo ftr of ufe in fcenes the
fuptheft from our reach, as they may aflift in
direfting our chgkJC'of thofe parts which are in
dUi» power tb &XW^ or to conceal, though not to
alter. But in converting them to this purpofe,
a caution, , which has more than once been al-
luded to, itiuft jJways be had in remembrance ;
never to fuffcr general confidcrations to inter-
fere with extfaordimry great effeSs^ which rife
• itiperior to all regulations, and perhaps owe
paft^f their force to their dci;^iac«Mi firom them.
Singularity caufesat. lead furprife, and furprife
is allied to aftonlfhmeiit. Thcfe effefts are not,
however^ -attached' merely to objedts of enor-
mous fi^v they frequently are produced by a
greatnefi of ftylc and charafter, within fuch an
extent as ordinary labour may modify, and the
compafs of a 'garden include. The caution
therefore majc^not: be ufelefs within thefe narrow^
bounds; but hitture proceeds.fiill further, be-
yond the utoaoft v^i^e to which:art cai^follow;
and ia leenes lieentioufly wild, not gonteiiit with
omtraft,; .iforcearleveo. eontradidions to unite.'
Tfe*J#*rt^6iMe difcordantthapes, which, arc of-
ten there confufedly tumbled together, might
fufficfently* juftifjr the remark.- But the caprice
C 3 does
t *^ 3 .
dM8 not ftop bcDe.: lo mix wdk fiidi ilbq^ern
form perfe£bl]r regfflUf is SiU n^re excrav;»«
ganti. adid yet tM effbft b fontetimes iaimn^
defful^ chac W€ c^msot wi& tiiCi.exiFavai^ne^
corre&€(L It is not unu&tal t<^ fee a conical hil|
flanding^out from a kmg^. irregjriar^ me<aiiiajtf«
Qus^ Fid^,. and greaijlf impro»vkig: nhe Mi«w : but
at Uam * iach a luU ia dtfow&i ifiit(^ tke midft <lf
the f udeft feeoe» and almoft filU up aa< abjrfsi
funk d^B^ORg huge, boFC^ mtfliipen billa^ whofis
ufiwieldly par i» aad micoutb f&tmif cut by iho
t$|)ering.line»of the eone, a|^^etr moveiavegft
from the oppofition ;; and the efie& iROuid cvi^
dendy be ftronger,. wene the figure move cMa««
plete : for it does not rife quite ta a pot8t» aiut
the want of perleft regubuity feems a bleiittb,
Whether fuch a muttiute of Gontrairieties wouUi
for a length of time be engaging^ can be knowo'
only to thofe who arc habituated to the fpot« It
certainly at firft fight rivets the attention; But
the conical hill is the moft ikikiiqg objed;;^ m
iuch afituation itappeanr moKeflrange^ wsovt
fatitaftac, than the rude (hapr»vdricb are heapsd
about ic^ and together they fuit dM charai&er
of the place, where natuic feeoM^ w b0,^m dew
lighted to bring diftanceii togediepf where tuor
riversv which ace ingidpiied many milaff afunckr^
* The feat of Mr. Porte,« near A&boamr iff Derbyibxie.
iffuc
r »3 ]
ifiue frdm their lubterraneouspafiages, die 6ne
often muddy when the other is clear, withm z
few paces bf each bthcr j but they ippear, only
to lofc themfelves ilgain, for <hey immediately
unite their ftreams, juft in time to fall together
into another currMt, which alfo runs through
the garden. Su^h whimfical wonders, however,
l6fe their effect, when reprefented in a prfture,'
or mimicked in ground artifkially laid, t'hey
thete want that vaftn^s M^hich conftituftts thei^
fblrce ;> that riedity v>hTeh afcertains thfe caprice.
As accidents they may forprife ; but they ar*
not objeds of choice.
XL Td'detefmiri^ the choici to hi prbpci*
bfcje^s k the purpofe of the foregorng obfefvaw ^
<ions. Some of the principles upon which' they
irefbtinded will be applicable alfo, and perhaps'
vi'it'hotrt: further expknarion,* to the other con-
ftituent parts^ of the fcches qf hature : they
WiH there be often lAore bbvibiis Asin irt groiind,
BW: tills is not a place for the comparrfon 5 tfhe'
fobjeift now is ground- only, ft is nbt, however,
foreign tMr tha?t fubjed to obferve, thlt the ef-
^6b Whi<ih have been i*ecommended, ma/
fomitiWes^ bti pi^otduced *liy wood atlone, without?
any alWratioii in the grtu'ntf itfelf: a' tedious^
eontSnued line niay by fuch me^iis be broken ;
it ik ufual for this^ purpofe t!o place feveral little
clumps along a brow; but if they are fmall
C 4 and
in]
and numerous, the artifice is weak and appa-
rent : an equal number of trees colleded into
one or two large mafles, and dividing the line
into very unequal parts,, is lefs fufpicious, and
obliterates the idea of famenefs with more cer*
tainty. Where feveral fimilar lines are feen to-
gether, if one be planted, and the other bare,
they become contrafts to each other. X hol«*
low in certain fituations has been mentioned a3
a difagreeable inttrrupcion in a continued fur-
face; but filled with wood, the heads of the
trees fupply the vacancy; the irregularity is
preferved ; even the inequalities of the depth
are in fome meafure (hewn ; and a continuation
of furface is provided. RiGng ground may,
on the other hand, be in appearance raifed ftill
higher, by covering it with wood, of humble
growth towards the bottom, and gradually taller
as it afcends. An additional mark of the incli-
nation of falling ground may alfo be obtained,
by placing a few trees in the fame diredion,
which will ftrongly point .out the way; whereas
plantations athwart a defcent, bolfter up the
ground, and check the fall; but obliquely
crofling it, they will often divert the general
tendency; the ground will in fome meafure
' afllimc their dire<3:ion, and they will mftkc a
variety, not a contradi(3:bn. Hedges, or con-
tinued plantations, carried over uneven ground,
. ^ render
[ 25 ]
render the irregularity more cofifpicuous, and
frequently mark little inequalities, which would
otherwile efcape obfervation t or if a line of
trees run clofe upon the edge of an abrupt fall,
they give it depth and importance. By fuch
means a view may be improved ; by iimilar
means, in more confined fpots, very material
purpofes may be anfwered.
. Of W O O D.
XII. In thefe inftances, the ground is the
principal confideration : but previous to ahy en«
qdiry into the greater eSc&s of wood when it
IS itielf an objed, an examination of the cba--
raSeriftic differences of trees and fhrubs is necef-
fary. I do not mean botanical diftindions^ I
mean apparent, not eflential varieties ; and
thefe muft be obvious and confiderable, to me-
rit regard in the difpofition of the objeAs they
diftinguifh.
Trees and Ihrubs are of different Jbafes^
greensy and growths.
The varieties in their fliapes may be reduced
to the following heads.
Some thick with branches and foliage have
almoft an appearance of Jolidiiy^ as the beech
and the elm, the lilac and feringa. Others thin
of boughs and of ^leaves fcem light and airy^ as
the
t a6 ]
ike aih and the arbele^ the common arlior vitxi
*nid the t^mariflci.
Thei-e tin mean heSwixi ilk two eOrenieSj vdry
diflinguiftteible from botH^ aS' in thb bladder-
nut^ and the «Ulien-leaved maple;
They may agam be divided* into tbofe irhofe
trM^s begin from the ground^ and thdfe which
0)eoi tip in a ftem befere tbeir bi^ambes begin*:
Trees which have fome, not much clear ftem,
as feveral of the fks, belong to the former
clafs ; but a very fliort ftem will rank a (hrub,
Aith sis the akhacr, in the fatter.
Of thoTe whofe im-anohes begif^ fibm thef
groundy feme rife in a e(fmcslfigtirer ad the lafcfiy
the cedar of Lebanon, and the holly: Somb
fweU 0ui in the middle of tbeir growth j and dim-^
mjb at boib ends4 es the Weymoucb pine, th^
mountain' dh, and the Klac : and fome afe if-^
regtdar aM bt^ frokn the to^ to the bottom,*
a&'Uhe evergredn oak, the Virgiiiian cedar, and
Guelder rofe.
There is a great difirrcnce' betwcfen one whofe
baje is vity large^ and another tubofr^/ffis very
finally' in ptoportbn to its height: the cedai^ of
Lebanon, and the cyprefs, are inft'anc^s of tfiisf
•^ ]|?^rhaps there are few, if any, which do not put forth
bflMcfhes froin the bottom ; butin' fome, the IbWer branches*
9re»' from various circumftatice^, generally dt&tdyM ; a\)<f
they appear, at a certain period of their growth, t0 have fiibt
lip infto a ftem befdre tHeir branches began.
dife
T-
t *7 ]
cUffiEicnee i jtt in both tihd branches begin ftom
tii€ ground.
. The heads of thdfe which ihoot tip inta a
Hem before (heir branches begif^ ibmetimes are
JkmUr ames^ a of many firs i fbmetimeii are
^iMk/^m^asof chehoi^chegiuc; AtMwetm
they are romdr aa of the ftone piao^ and nwft
§am of frujc twes ;- and fo«n6linN» iffegukri ^
ef the ekn. Of this Ikft kmd iberd are MMf
cdniiderable rarieiies.
The bnuichest of fimie groy iorkumtalfyi u
off dsBi oak.. In odiers di^ /Mi tif^mtdi^ ai
in;she atmcoid, anA i«^ fe^r^lorts of biM0fi
and of wilioias. In^ others they /j/i^ as in t\iA
lime, and the acacia ; and in fome of chefe laft they
iiKUnt aiRpifyi ai in mahy of the firs; m fotne
tSiey hdng dtrelf^^diHuif^ istist the'weepmg wifiovtr.
Thefe are the moft tihvi&aH great diftini$ionii
in the iha|>ei9 of j^ets and (hrubs. The cfiff^r*
ences* between Ibades ^^tn eannok be fo ttkt^
iiderablev bnt thefe ^fo ^iU be f<)und weft d&>
ferring of attention;
Scioote are of a datis^ grnni ^ die' horfe^eltef-r
init> and the yew; fooie of a Ught^etHi at thcr
lime^ and the taurel; foiAtf of a^af;i^ l^At/^i i»hh^
bnmHr as th&Virgtman tt^ti iiMtie of xgretti^
tinged mtkwbitBy as die arbde,- and the fage tr^ ^
andfoaaeof ^j^fwa ti^^d vriib yeUam^ as ^^
aflsei^leaved mapte^ and (be Chinefe arbor vi^
tSB.
[ 8« 2
tx. The vari^ated plants alfo arc geberaUy
entitled to be clafled with the white, or tifai
yellow, by the ftrbng tinZkuhe'of the oncwithe
other. of thofe colours oa their leaves., j . : .r:
Other confiderationsiconcfernmg colours wiU
foon be ftgg^jfted ; the. ppefcritoenquiry is only
into great fixed dillindions: tiioi^tn thefliapcis
and the greens of trce^ and/ ftriiJbj: have been
mentioned ; there are others las .great and asiim^
portant in their growths ;. but they are too ob-
vious tode&rve^entioning.l i Every gradation,
from the moft humble, to the mofit lofty, has^ fit
certain fituations;, .partiQular; efffifts r it is un*
neceffary.to divide them into Jtagcs.
XIII. On^ principal ufe in fettling thefe cha-
raderiftic diftinftions, is to point out the.ftore^
whence varieties may at all times be -ireddily
drawn, and the caufes by which fometime^ in*
confiftcncies may be accounted for. Trees
yrhich differ but in one of. thefe drcumftances,
whether of Ihape, of green, or of growth,
though they agree in evei^ other; arc fuffici-
cntly diftjnguiihed for the purpofe of variety ::
if they differ in two or three, they become cdjx-J
trafts ; if in 411, they are oppofites,- and f^om
groupe well together. But there are . interme-
diate degr^s, by which the/moft difiant may
be reconciled : the upright branches of the aU
mond
jw^d miK very ill vnih t\^ fytUiag houghs of
the weeping yHllo]!^ ; 4|U( ^n interval filled wii^
pth^r. trees, in figur€^ between the two extremes^
fgnd^rs them at leaftiKlt'Jioggbtly in the fam^
plantafion. . Thofej on" the cpr(trary> which arc
4>f!K)ne.charafter, and are diftixiguiih^ only af
Jth^JSbara&eriftic marfc, is^ftrQftgljf 9t faintly
iniiprefled uppn th^^ as a yoiUng beech and a
-birch, an acgc^ ^-la larqht/gU.pei^dantj.tho*
imdifierept degrees^ form a beautiful mais, in
wljiiph uni^ i$ prftl^ryed without famwefs ^ an'd
flill. finer grpupesMnaay. often be produped by
greater, deviations froffi uniforouty into con»
trafl:.. . ■ - " ' . ■
Occafions tq Ihi^w the efFeds of particular
ihapes in certain fituations will hereafter fo fre-
quently occur, that a further iljuftration of them
now wQuld be ne^dlefs. But there are befidcs^
fomctimes in trees,; and comrnqnly in fhrubs,
ftill mre minute ..vamties^ in the turn of the
branches., ii^ jyhe ioxm and ,tbe fize of the fo-
liage, which. generally catch, and often deferv?
attention. Eveii the texture of the leaves fre-
quently occaGons many difTcrent appearances ;
ibme have a (lifFnefs, ibme an agility, by which
;they arc more or lefe proper for feveral {JUr^*
pofe$ : QTi many i* a glofs, very ufeful at times
to enliven, at other times too glittering for the
ikue: of the ^plariWiQn. But a)Lth?fe. inferior
varieties
£ s« 3
varieties are below our notice in thcr confidenl-
«ioA of great effcfts t thejr tre of cpnfequencc
only vAkert the plantation is n^ar to tke fight ;
where it fklrt$ a home leehe, or borders the fide
e( a walk c and in a flirubbery, which in its
nature is tittle, both in ftyle and in extent, they
ihould be an^ioufly fought for. The hobleft
wood is not ^deed disfigured b)r them; and
when a wood, having ferved as a great objeft
to one (pot, becomes in another the edge of^a
walk, little cirCumftances, varying with ccafc-
kfs change along the outline, will thence at-
tended to; but wherever thefe minute varieties
are fitting, the groflcft tafl:e will feel the pro-
priety, and the mofl: curfory obfervation will
fuggeft the diftinftions ; a detail of all would
be endlefs; nor can they be reduced into
clafles. To range the fiirubs and fmall trees lb
that they may mutually fet ofi^ the beauties,
and conceal the blemifhes, of each other; to
aim at no eSef^s which depend on a nicety for
their fuccefs, and which the foil, the expofure,
or the feafon of the day may diftroy ; to attend
more to the groupes than to the individuals ^
and to confider the whole as a plantation, not
as d, colle<5tion of plants, are the brft general
rules which can be given concerning them.
XIV. The different tints of grcp n» may ftem
at
3^ $rft fight to be radier pwH]|t« yariei^ thM
j:hara|£fae|iftic diftinf^^ooj ; t)tj( iqp^n c^rperu^or
it \f ill bj9 fp^pdji that frp» fmill bl9giiii9U|gs thfsy
i^ to ff)»t|en^ conK^i^^^fe^; that tbcjr aif
fj^rb io^^portant op th^ bfQ^^ ^^Xpaoft, tfian
along ti^i narrow pujtline of 9, wood ; ai)4 thM:
by the^r union, qt t^eir CQqtrg^ th^y pKOdutt
i^fl^dt^ not to be difregarded in fceq^s of exttnt
?pdpfgraqficun '
A hangipg wopd in autunip 19 eprich|r4 Yflfh
fplours, whofe beapty cheers t}ip apprio»ches pf
the iocjcpigit fcafon they fprpbo^e : fept yhfo
the trees firft droop, while the vcrdHf? 9§ yfp
pply begins to fade, they ar^ po fppre fhan
itrppger tints of fhofe colours with which fhf
greens ip their vigour are fh»fle4 ; }^iid whtfrh
pow afe fpccepdfd by a p^ler «bi$P> a brig^tfyr
yellow, or a darker t)rown. The leffefts ajs
not different ^ they are oply piorc faintly mr
prefled at one time th^n apoth^r ; but when
they are ftrongci^, th?y ^rs moft obfervabtei
'I'he fall of the leaf, thf r^fpre, i$ the tipie t9
kfrn t|ic fpecics, phe prder, ac^d the proportiop
of tints,, which b|enjicd, wilji fgm^ he^tifulmaff
fes ; and, on the other handf to dilUnguifh tho&
whiph jire m$mpH^k near together.
The peculiar ht^ty of the tints of red can*
i^ot then efcapQ pbf^rvatipii, and the want of
fl^eqp thrpughoy; thp fymtxi%v mopths muft he
I re-
l^
C 3t 3
tegfetted ; but that want» though it cannot per-
feftly, may partially, be fupplied ; for plarttd
have a permanent and an accidental colour. The
pern^anent is always Ibme Ihade of green ; but
any other may be the accidental colour; and
there is none which fo many circumftances con-
cur to produce as a red. It is affumed in fuc-
cellion by the bud, the blofibm, the berry, the
bark, and the leaf. Sometimes it profufeyl
overfpreads ; at other times it dimly tinges the
plant; and a reddijh green is generally the hue of
thofe plants on which it lalls long, or frequent-
ly returns.
Admitting this, at leaf): for many months in
the year, among the charafteriftic diftinftions,
a large piece of red green, with a narrow edging
of dark green along the further fide of it, and
beyond that a piece of light green larger than
the firft, will be found to compofe a beautiful
mafs. Another, not lefs beautiful, is a yellow
green neartft to the eye, beyond that a light
green, then a brown green, and laftly adark
green. The dark green muft be the largeft,
the light green the next in extent, and the yel-
low green the leaflf of all.
From thefe combinations, the agreements
between particular tints may be known. A
light green may be next either to a yellow or a
brown green^ and a brown to a dark green ; all
in
[
t 53 1
Ih c&nOderable quantities ; and a little rim of
dark green may border on a red of a light
green. Further obfervations will fhew, that
the yellow and the white greens conneft eafily ;
but that a large quantity of the light, the yel-
low, or the white greens, does not mix well with
a large quantity alfo of the dark green ; and
that to form a pleafing mafs, either the dark
green muft be reduced to a mere edging, or a
brown, or an intermediate green, muft be in-
tcrpofed : that the red, the brown, and the in-^
tcrmediate greens, agree among themfelves ;
and that any of them may be joined to any
other tint ; but that the red green will bear a
larger quantity of the light than of the dark
green near it ; nor does it feem fo proper a
mixture with the white green as with the reft*
In mafling thefe tints, an attention muft be
conftantly kept up to thtir forms j that they do
oot lie in large ftripes one beyortd another j
but that either they be quite intermingled, or,
which is generally more plcafing, that cdnfider-
able pieces of different tints, each a beautiful
figure, be, in different proportions, placed near
together. Exadneft in the fhapcs muft not be
attempted, for it cannot be preferved j but if
the great outlines be well drawn, little variati-
ons, afterwards oCcafioned by the growth of the
plants, will not fpoil them.
D XV. A
n
I 34 ]
XV* A fmali thicket is generally morft agre**
able, when it is one fine mafs of well-mixed
greens : that mafs gives to the whole a unitj^
which can by no other means be fo perfectly
expreffed. When more than one is necefTary
for the extent of the planution, ftill if they
are not too much contrailed, if the gradations
from one to another are eafy, the unity is not
broken by the variety.
While the union of tints is produ^re of
pleafingefTeAs, (trong cfFeds may, on the other
hand, be fometimes produced by their Jifagree-^
ments. Oppofites, fuch, for inftance, as the
dark and light greens, in large quantities dofe
together, break to pieces the furface upon
which they meet ; and an outline which can-
not be fulBciently varied in form, may be ia
appearance, by the management of its ihades :
every oppofition of tints is a break in a conti«.
nued line : the depth of receffes may be deep*
cned by darkening the ^e^ns as they retire*
A tree which (lands Q^t^frQm a plantation may-
be feparated by its tisnt as nouch as by its pofi-
tion. The appearance of folidity or airinefs in
plants depends not folely pn:the thicknels or
tbinnefs^.but partly on $he cojour of the ieavcs.
Clumps at a diftance may be rendered more or
lefs diftind by their greens ; and the fine elFe&
4>fa dark green tree^or groupc of trees, with
, . nothing.
r
[ 25 ]
nothing behind it but the fplendor of n morn«
ing, or the glow of an evening fky, cannot be
unknown to any who was ever delighted with a
pidure of Claude, or with the more beautiful
originals in nature^
Another efie& attainable by the aid of the
idifFerent tints, is ^founded on the firft principles
t^i pirfpe&ive. Obje£h grow faint as they re-
tire from the eye^ a detached clutnp, or a fin*
gle tree of the lighter greens, will,* therefore,
leetn farther off than one equidiilant of a darker
hue ; and a regular gradation from one tint to
another will alter the apparent length of a con*^
tinued plantation, according as the dark or the
light greens begHn the gradation* In a ftrait
line this is obvious i in a broken one, the fal^
lacy in the appearance is feldom dctefted, only
becaufe the real Extent is generally unknown i
but experiments will fupport the principle, if
they are made on plantations not very fmall^
nor too clofe to the eye \ the feveral parts may
then be fihortened or lengthened, and the va-
riety of the outline improved, by a judicious
arrangement of greens*
XVI. OtHER cffefts arifing from mixtures of
greens will occafionally prefcnt thcmfelves in
the difpqfiUw of wood, which is the ncKt con-
fideration. Wood, as a general term^ compre-
D 2 hcnds
n
t 36 ]
hcnds all trees and fhrubs in what^cr difpofi^
tion i but it is fpccifically applied in a more li-
mited fenfe^ and in that fenfe I ihall now ufe it.
Every plantation muft be either a wood^ a
grovcy 2l clumpy or z Jingle tree.
A wood is compofcd both, of trees and un-
derwood, covering a confiderablc fpacc. A
grove confifts of trees without underwood *, a
clump differs from either only in extent; it
may be either clofc or open ; when clofe, it is
fometimes called a thicket \ when open, zgroupe
cf trees \ but both are equally clumps,, what-
ever be the ftiape or fituation.
XVII. One of the nobleft objedls in nature
is t\it furf ace of a large thick wood^ commanded
from an eminence, or feen from below hanging
on the fide of a hill. The latter is generally
the more interefting objeA : its afpiring fitua-
tion gives it an air of greatnefs ; its termination
is commonly the horizon ; and indeed if it is
deprived of that fplendid boundary, if the brow
appears above it, (unlefs fome very peculiar cf-
feft charaderifes that brow) ic loles much of
its magnificence -, it is inferior to a wood which
covers a Icfs hill from the top to the bottom ;
for a vsfhole fpace filled is feldom little : but a
wood commanded from an eminence is gene-
rally no more than a part of the - fccne below ;
and .
r
L 27 1
and its boundary is often inadequate to its grcat-
nefs. To continue it, therefore, till it winds
out of fight, or lofcs itfelf in the .horizorr, is
generally defircable; 'but then the varieties of
its furface grow, confufcd as it retires ; while
thofeof a hanging wood are all diftihft; the
furtheft parts are l^cid up to the eye ; and none
arc at a diftance,; though the whole be exten*
five.
The varieties of a furface. are effcntial to the
beauty of it ; a continued fmootb-lbaven level
of foliage is neither agreable n^r natural; the
different growths of trees commonly break it
in reality, and their flbadows ftilj inore in ap-
pearance. Thefe fhades are ,(o many tints^
which undulating about the furface, are it^
greateft embellifliment ; and /udi tints; may bp
produced with moreeffed, and ^ more cei tain ty,
by a judicious mixture of grcens;; at the fame
time an additional variety may h^ introduced,.
by grouping and contrafting trees very different
in (hape from each other ; and whether variety
in the greens or in the forms be the defagn, the
execution is often eafy, and feldom to a certain
degree impoffible. In raifing a young wood it
may be perfeft ; in old woods th?re are many
fpots which may be cither thinned or thickened ;
and there the charafteriftic diftindions fhould
determine what to plant, or which to leave ; at
P 3 the
r 38 3
the leaft will often point out thofe which, as
.blemifhesy ought to be t^ken ^way $ and the re-
moval of two or three trees will fometimes ac-
compliih the defign. The number of beauti<-
ful forms, and agreable nufies, which nn^y de-
corate the furface, is fo great, that where the
place will not admit of one, another is always
ready; and as no delicacy of finiibing is re-
quired, no minute exadnefs is worth regarding,
great eSeds will not be difconcerted by fmall
obftrudK>ns, and little difappointments.
The comrafts, however, of maffes and of
grovipes muft not be too ftrong, where greats
nefs is the character of the wood ; for unity is
cflential to greatncfs : and if dir eft oppofites be
placed clofe together, the wood is no longer one
objefk ; it is only a confufcd coUeftion of fcveral
feparate plantations •, but if the progrcfs be
gradual from the one to the other, fliapcs and
tints widely different may aflemble on the fame
furface ; and each fhould occupy a confiderable
ipace : a fingle tree, or a fmall clufter of trees,
in the midft of an extenfive wood, is in fize
but a fpeck, and in colour but a fpot ; the
groupes and the mafles muft be large to pro-
duce any fenfible variety.
Yet fingle trees in the midft of a wood, tho'
feldom of ufe to diverfify a furface, often de-
fcrve particular regard as individuals, and are
ijnport-
r
i 39 }
important to the greatnefs of the whole. The
fuperficies of a flirubby thicket^ bow extenfivQ
fytvcfj does not convey the fame ideas of mag-
niBcence, as that of a hanging wood ; and yet at
firft light, the difference is not always very difi
cernible : it often requires time to coUedk the fe-
veral circumflances in the latter, which fugged
the elevation to which that broad expanfe of for
liage is raifed, the vaftnefs of the trunks which
fupport it fo high, the extent of the branche*
which fpread it fo far : when thefe circumt
ftances, ^U of grandeur, croud together upon
the mind,^ they dignify ?h© fpace, *hich withT
out them might indifferently be, the fuper£cie$
of a thicket, or the furface of a wood : but a
few large trees, not eminent above all. about
them, but dillinguiflied by fome flight fepara*-
tion, and obvious at a glance, immediately re*
folve the doubt ; they are qoble objedj in them-
felves; become the fittiatipn, and ferve as a
meafure to the reft. On the fame principle,
trees which are thin of boughs and of leaves,
thofc whofe branches tend upwards, or whofe
heads rife in flepder codes, have an appearance
piore of airinefs than of importance, and are
blemilhcs in a wood where greatnefs is the 'pre-
vailing idea. Thofe, on (the contrary, whofe
branches hang dire£tly down, have a breadth of
D 4 head
n
[ 40 ]
head which fuits with fuch a Iltuation, though
their own peculiar beauty be loft m it,
Thcfe decorations are natural graces, which
never derogate from greatnefs ; and a number
of (hades playing on the furface, over a variety
of thofe beautiful forms into which it may be
caft, enliven that famencfs, which, while It pre-
vails, reduces the merit of one of the nobleft
objefts in nature to that of mcr€ fpace. To
fill chat fpace with objefts of beauty 5 to delight
the eye after it has been ftruck ; t6 fix the at-
tention where it has been caught ; and to pro-
long aftonilhment into admiration, arc purpofes
not unworthy of the greateft defigns j and in
the execution produftive of embellifliments,
which in ftyle are not unequal to fcenes of rich^*
nefs and magnificence.
XVIII. When in a romantic fituation, very
broken ground is overfprcad with wood, it may
be proper on the furface of the wood, to mark
the inequalities of the ground. Rudenefsj not
greatnefs, is the prevailing idea ; and a choice
direftly the reverfe of that which is produftive
of unity^ will produce it ; ftrong contrafts,
even oppofitions, may be eligible ; the aim is
rather to disjoint than to conneft ; a deep hol-
low* may fink into dark greens ; an abrupt bank
may
r
C 41 ]
maybe fliewn by a riling ftagc of alpiring trees j
a fharp ridge by a narrow line of conical fhapes:
firs are of great ufe upon fuch occafions 5' their
tint, their form, their fingularity, recommend
them.
A hanging wood thin of forefi irees^ and feen
from below, is feldompleafing: thofe few trees
are by the perfpeftive brought near together ; it
lofes the beauty of a thin wood, and is defec-
tive as a thick one-^ the moft obvious improve-
ment therefore is t6 thicken it. But when feen
from an eminence, a thin wood is often a lively
and elegant circumftiance in a view 5 it is full
of objefts ; and every feparate tree Ihews its
beauty. To increafe that vivacity, which is the
peculiar excellence of a thin wood, the trees
fhould be charafteriftically diftinguiflied both
in their tints and their (hapes; and fuch as for
their airinefs have been profcribed in a thick
wood, are frequently the mod eligible Jierc.
Differences alfo in their growths are a further
fource of variety -, each (hould be confidered as
a diftinft objeft, unlefs where a fmall number
are grouped together j and then all that com-
pofe the little clufter muft agree; but the
groupes themfelves, for the fame reafon as the
feparate trees, (hould be ftrongly contrafted j
the continued underwood is their only connec-
tion ; and that is not affefted by their variety. *
XIX,
C 42 3
. XIX/ Though the furfacc of a wood, when
cotntnanded, deferves all thefe atcentbos, jct
the euiSne more frequently. calls for our regard i
it is alfo more in our power ; it may fometimes
be great, and may always be beautiful. The
firft rcquifite is irregularity. That a mixture of
trees and underwood Ihould fbrni a long ftrait
line, can never be natural; ^nd a fucceffion of
cafy fweeps and gentle rounds, each a portion
of a greater or lefs circle, compofing all toge*
ther a line literally ferpentine, is, if pollible,
worfe. It is but a number of regularities put
tc^ether in a diforderly manner, and equally
diftant from the beautiful both of art and of
nature. The true beauty of an OMtline confide
more in breaks than in fweeps ; rather in an-
gles than in rounds ^ in variety, not in fuc**
ceflion.
The outline of a wood is a continued line,
and fmall variations do not fave it from the in-
£ptdity of famenefs : one deep recefs, one bold
prominence, has more cffcQ: than twenty little
irregularities. That one divides the line into
parts, but no breach is thereby made In its
ttnity ; a continuation of wood always remains;
the form of it only is altered, and the extent is
cncreafed. The eye, which hurries to the ex-
tremity of whatever is uniform, delights to trace
a varied ^ne through all its intricacies, to paufe
from
[ 43 ]
from ftage to ftage, and to lengthen the pro-
grefs. The parts muft not, however, on that
, account be multiplied, till they are too minute
to be interefting, and ib numerous as to create
confufion. A few large parts fhould be ftrong-
ly diftinguilhed in their forms, their diredions,
and their fituWiona; each of thefc may after-
wards be decorated with fubordinate varieties ;
and the mere growth of the plants will occafion
fome irregularity i on many occafions more will
not be reqinred.
Every variety in the outline of a wood muft
be a fr^minenctj or a rectfs, Preadth in either
is not io important as length to the one, and
depth to the pth^r. If the former ends in an an-r
gle, the latter diminifhes to a point, they have
more force thao a (hallow dent, or a dwarf ex-*
crefcence, how wide foever. They are greater
deviations from the continued line which they
are intended to break; and tlieir effcA is to en-»
large the wood itfelf, which feems to ftretch
from the moft advanced point, back beyond the
moft diftant to which it retires. The extent
of a large wood on a flat, not commanded,
can by no circumftance be fo manifcftly fhewn^
as by a deep recefs; efpecially if that recefs
wind fo as to conceal the extremity, and leave,
the imagination to purfue it. On the other
hand, thit poverty of a fliallow wood might
fome«*
t 44 ]
IbmetJmes be relieved by here and there a prd-^
minence, or clumps, which by their apparci«
jundUon fhould ftem to be prominences from
it* A deeper wood with a continued outline^
except when com manded^ would not appear fo
confiderable.
' An inlet into a wood feems to have been cut,
if thc'oppofitc points of the entrance tally ; and
that (hew of art depreciates its merit: but^
difference only in the fituation of tbofe points,
by bringing one more forward than the other,
prevents the appearance, though their forms be
iimilar* Other points, which diftiiiguifh the
great parts, fhould in general be ftrongly mark-
ed ; a fhort turn has more fpirit in it than a te-
dious circuity -, and a line broken by angles has
a precifion and firmncfs, which in an undulated
line arc wanting : the angles fhould indeed com-
monly be a little foftened ; the rotundity of the
plant which forms them is fometimes fuiBcient
for the purpofe; but if they are mellowed dowa
too much, they lofe all meaning. Three or
four large parts thus boldly diftinguifhed, will
break a very long outline ; more may be, and
often ought to be, thrown in, but feldom are
ncceffary : and when two woods arc oppofed on
the fides of a narrow glade, neither has fo much
occafion for variety in itfelf, as if it were fingle :
if they are very different from each other, the
con-
C 45 ]
C6htraft fupplics the deficiency to each,- and the
interval between them is full of variety* The
form of that interval is indeed of as much con-
fequence as their own : though the outlines of
both the woods befeparately beautiful,, yet if
together they do not caft the open fpacc into an
agreeable figure, the whole fcene is not pleaf-
ing ; and a figure is never agreeable, when the
fides too clofely correfpond •, whether they are
cxaftly the fame^ or exadly the reverfc of each
other, they equally appear artificial.
Every variety of outline hitherto nientioned,
may be traced by the underwood alone; but
frequently the fame effedts may be produced
with more eafe, and with much more beauty,
by z few trees ftanding out from the thicket, and
belonging, or feeming to belong to the wood,
fo as to make a part of its figure. Even where
they are not wanted for that purpofe, detached
trees are fuch agreeable objed:s, fo diftind, fo
light, when compared to the covert about them,
th^t Ikirting along it in fome parts^ and break*
ing it in others, they give an unaffeded grace,
which can no otherwife be given to the outline.
They have a ftill further eflTeft, when they
ftretch acrofs the whole breadth of an inlet, or
before part of a recefs into the wood : they are
themfelves fticwn to advantage by the fpace be-
hind them, . and that fpace, feen between their
ftems,
C 46 3
ftemS) they in return throw into an Agreeable
pcrfpccHve. An inferior grace of the fame
kind mftf be often introduced, only by diftin**
guifliing the boles of fome trees in the wood
itfelf^ and keeping down the thicket beneath
them* Where even this cannot be well e^e^
cuted, ftill the outline may be filled with fuch
trees and (hrubs as fwell out in the middle of
their growth, and diminifh at both ends i or
with fuch as rife in a (lender cone ^ with thofe
whofe branches tend upwards ; or whofe bafe id
rery fmall in proportion to their height ; or
which are very thin of boughs and of leaves^
In a confined garden fcene, which wants room
for the efFeft of detached trees, the outline will
be heavy, if thefe little attentions are difre-
garded.
XX, The prevailing character of a wood ii
generally grandeur; the principal attention
therefore which it requires, is to prevent the
exCefles of ^that charafter, to diverfify the uni-
formity of its extent, to lighten the unwieldi-
nefs of its bulk, and to blend graces with great-
nefs. But the charaAer of a grove is ieauty j
fine trees are lovely objefts ; a groVe is an aA
femblage *of them ; in which every individual
retains much of its own peculiar el^ance \ and
whatever it lofes, is transferred to the fuperior
beauty ,
r
t 47 r
beauty of the whole* To. a grove, thercfotie^
which adtnits of endlefs variety in the difpofi*
tion of the ti^ees, differences in their (hapes and
their greens are feldom very important, and
fometimes they are detrimental. Strong cotk*
trails fcatter trees which are thinly planted, and
which have not the connexion of unckrwood %
they no longer form one plantation; they are a
number of fingle trees. A thick grove is not
indeed expofed to this mifchief, and certain d*
tuations may recommend different ihapes and
different greens for their effects upon the fur--
face ; but in the ouiline they are feldom much
regarded. The eye attrafl:ed into the depth of
the grove, pafles by little circumftances at the
entrance ^ even varieties in the form of the line
do not always engage the attention : they are
not fo apparent as in a continued thrcket, and
are fcarcely feen, if they are not confiderable.
XXI. But the furface and the outline are
not the only circumftances to be attended to*
Though a grove be beautiful as an objeiS:, it is
befides delightful as a fpot to walk or to fit in ;
and the choice and the difpofition of the trees
for cSc&s wiibi/j, are therefore a principal COn-
fideration. Mere irregularity alone will not
pleafe ; flri£t order is there more agreeable than
abfolute confufion v and fome meaning better
than
[ 48 1
that none. A regular plantation h^s i degree
of beauty •, but it gives no fatisfadion, becaufe
we know that the fame number of trees niighc
be more beautifully arranged. A difpofition,
however, in which the lines' only are broken^
without varying the diftances, is lefs natural
than any, for though we cannot find ftrait
lines in a foreft, we are habituated to them in
the hedge*rows of fields ; but neither in wild
Dor in cultivated nature do we ever fee trees
cqui-diilant from each other: that regularity
belongs to art alone. The diftances therefore
ftiould be ftrikingly different : the trees ihould
gather into groupes, or ftand in various irregu-
lar lines, and defcribe feveral figures : the in-
tervals between them ftiould be contraftcd both
in ftiape and in dimenfions : a large fpace ftiould
in fome places be quite open; in others the
trees ftiould be fo clofe together, as hardly to
leave a paflage between them ; and in others as
far apart as the conneftion will allow. In the
forms and the varieties of thefe groupes, thefc
lines, and thefe openings, principally confifts
the interior beauty of a grove.
The force of them is. moft ftrongly illuftrated
atClaremont*; where the walk to the cottage,
though deftitute of many natural advantages,
and eminent for none ; though it commands no
• Near Eihcr in Surry.
pro*
[ 49 3
prol^a \ though the water beld«r it is a trifliilg^
pond ; though it has nothing, in ihort, but in,-*
equality of ground to recommend it| is yet th^
fincft part of the garden i for a grove is there '
planted^ in a gently curved diredion, all along
the fide of a hill, and on the edge of a wood^
which rifes above it. Large recefles break it
into fevera^ clumps, which hang down the de»
clivityj fome of them approaching, but none
reaching quite to the bottom. Thefe recefles
are fo deep, as to form great openings in the
midft of the grove j they penetrate almoft to
the covert 5 but the clumps being all equally
fufpended from the wood; and a line of open
plantation^ though fometimes narrow^ > running
conftantly along the top; a continuation b£
^grove is preferved, and the connexion between
the parts is never broken. Even a groupe^
which near one of the extremities (lands out
quite detachedy is ftill in ftile fo fimikr to. the
reft, as not to lofe all relation. . Each of thefe^^
clumps is compofed of feveral others ftill more
intimately united : each is full of groupes, fome-
times of no more than two trees ; fometimes of
four or five ; and now and then in larger cluf«
ters : an irregular waving line, iffuing from fome
little croud, lofes itfelf in the next ; or a few .
Scattered trees drop in a more diftant fuccefTion
from the one to the other. The intervals,
E wind-
t 50 1
winding here like a glade, and widenkig there
iflGo broader openings, difier in extent, in figure,
and diredion ^ but ail the groupes, the lines,
and the intervals are caUe£bed together, into
large general clumps, each of which is at the
fame time both compact and free, identical and
Tarious. The whole is a place wherein to uny
with fecurt delight, or fauatcr with perpetual
amufemeht.
The. grove at Eflier-Place * was planted by
the iame mafterly hand ; but the neceffity of
accommodating the young plantation to ixac
large trees which grew there before, has con*
fined its variety. The groupes are few and
fmall $ there was not room .for larger or £<jat
moie : thmr were no opportunities to form ooa*
linued. narrow glades between oppo&te knes |
the* vacant ipaces are therefore chiefly irregi^r
openings . fpreadang every way, and great dif-
ferencesof diftance between the trees are the
frincipri ' variety ; but the grove winds along
rhe bank of a large river, on the fide and at the
foot of a very fudden afcent, the upper part of
which is covered with wood. In one place it
prefles clofe to the covert; retires from it in
another j and ftrctches in a third acrofs a bold
recefs, which runs up high into the thicker*
* Contiguous to Claremont.
The
r 51 1
The trees fometimes overfprcad the flat below j
ibmetimes leave an open fpace to the river j at
other times crown the brow of a large knole^
ciimb up a ftcep, or hang on a gentle declivity.
Thefe varieties in the lituation more than com-
pcnfatc for the want of variety in. the ^ifpofii-
tion of the trees ; and the many happy circum-
ftances which concur
" ■ ' ■ . 1 ...i . -I ■ In Bflier^s peaceful grdve.
Where Kent and nature Vie for Pelham's love,
tender this little fpot more agreeable than any at
Claremont. But though it was right to pre*
Ifervfi the trees already ftanding, and not to fa-
criiSce great prefcnt beauties to ftill greater in
Biturity ; yet this attention has been a reftraint ;
and the grove at Claremont^ confidered merely
as a plantation^ is in delicacy c^tafte^ and fer-
tility of invention, fuperior Co that at Eflier.
Bath were early eflays in the modern art of
gardening t and, perhaps from an eagernefs to>
flicw the cfFeft, the trees in both were placed
too near together: though they are ftill far
fliort of their growth, they are run up into
poles, end the groves are already paft their
prime ; but the temptation to plant for fuch a
purpofe. no longer exifts, now that experience
has juftilied the experiment. If, however, we
ftill have not patience to wait, it is polfible to
fecurc both a jM-efcnt and a future efFed, by
< E 2 fixing
[ 5« ]
fixing firft on a difpofi^tion which will be beau*'
tiful when the trees are large, and then intcr-
iningling another which is agreeable while they
arc fmall. Thele occafional trees are hereafter
to be taken away^ and muft.be removed in
time, before they become prejudicial to the
others.
The gonfequence of variety in the difpofition,
is variety in the light and fhade of the grove ;
which may be improved by the choice of the
trees. Some are impenetrable to the fierceflr
fun-beam ; others let in here and there a ray be-
tweep the large mafTes of their foilage ; and
others, thin both of boughs and of leaves, only
chequer the ground. Every degree of light
and fhade, from a glare toobfcurity, may be
managed, partly by the number, and partly
by the texture of the trees. Diflferences only
in the* manner of their growths have alfb corre-
fponding efFeds; there is a clofenefs under
thofe whofe branches defcend low, and fpread
wide ; a fpace and liberty where the arch above
is high-, and frequent tranfitions from the one
to the other are very pleafing- 'Thefe flill are
not all the varieties of which the interior of a
grove is capable : trees indeed, whofe branches
nearly rea,ch the ground, being each a fort of
thicket, are inconfiflent with an open planta*
tion : but though fome of the charadteriftic dif-
tindions
I 52 1
tinAions are thereby excluded, other varieties
more minute fucceed in their place; for the.
freedom of paffage throughout brings every tree
in its turn near to the eye, and fubjefts even
differences in foliage to obfervation. Thefc,
flight as they may feem, are agreeable when
they occur: it is true they are not regretted
when wanting ; but a defeat of ornament is not
neceflarily a blemifh.
XXII. It has been already obfervod, that
clumpp differ only in extent from woods, if
they are clofe ; or from groves, if they are
open : they are fmall woods, and fmall groves,
governed by the fame principles as the larger,
after allowances made for their dimenfions. But
befides the properties they may have in common
with woods or with groves, they have others
peculiar to themfclves, which require exami»
nation.
They are either indefendant or relative -, when
independant, their beauty, as Angle obje£bs, is
folely to be attended to; when relative, the
beauty of the individuals mud be facrificed to
the effcit of the whole, which is the greater con-
fiderationv. ^
The leaft clqmp tHat can be, is of two trees ;
and the beft efiedt they can have is, that their
heads united fhould appear one large tree; two
E 3 there-
C 54' ]
therefore of different fpecies, Or feven Of eight
of fuch fhapes as do not eifily join, c^n hardly
be a beautiful groupe, efpecially if it have a
tendency to a circular form. Such clurtips of
firs, though very common, are feldom pleafing ;
they do not con^pofe one ihafs, but ar6 only a
confufed number of pinnacles, Thfe confulion
is however avoided, by placing them in fuccef-
fiori, not in clufters; and a clump of fuch trees
is therefore more agreablc when it is e^endpd
rathpr in length than in breadth.
Three trees togethci- muft form either a right
line, or a triangle : to difguife the regularity,!
the diftances fhould be very different. Diftinc*
tions in their (hapes contribute alfo to the fanio
end; and variety in their growths ftill more,f
When a ftraightline confifts of twO trees nearly
litnilaf, and of a third much lower than they
are, the even diredlion in which they Hand is
hardly difcernible.
If humbler growths at the extremity can dif-
cbmpofe the ftrifteft regularity, the ufe of them
is thereby recommended upon other occafions*
It is indeed the variety peculiarly proper for
dumps : every apparent artifice affe^ing the
objefts of nature, difgufts ; and clumps arc fuch
diftinguiflied objefts, fo liable to the fufpicion
of having been left or placed on purpofc to be
To diftinguifted, %hpX ^0 div^ft the attention
from
t 55 }
from thefe fymptoms of art, irregularity in the
compo&tion is mojee important to them than to
a wood or to a grove ; being alfo lefs. extenGve,
they do not admit fo much variety of outline :
but variety of growths is moft obfery^ble in a
fmall compafs ; and the feveral gradations may
often be caft into beautiful %ures.
The extent and the outline of a wood or a
grove engage the attention more than the extrew
mities ; but in clumps thefe laft are of the moft
confequence : they determine the form of the
whole ; and both of them are generally in fight :
great care (hould therefore be tak^n to make
then) agreable and different. The eafe with
which they may be compared, forbids all limi*
larity between them : for every appearance of
equality fuggefts an idea of art ; and therefore
a clump as broad as itvis long, feems lefs the
work 6f nature than one which ftretches into
length.
Another peculiarity of clumps, is the facility
with which they admit a mixture of trees and
of ihrubs, of wood and of grove j in fhort, of
every fpecies of plantation. None are more
beautiful than thofe which are fo compofed.
Such con)po(itions are, however, more proper
in compaf): than in ftraggling clumps : they are
moft agreable when they form one maf$ : if the
tranfitions from very lofty to very humble
E 4 growths.
r 56 1
growths, from thicket to open ph^tations, be
frequent and fnddcn, the difordcr is mqvt foited
to rude than to elegant fcencs. ^ /
XXIII. The occqfions on which independant
clumps may be applied, are many. They are
often d^fireable as beautiful objefts in them-
felvesj' they are fometimes neccffary to break
an extent of lawn, or a continued line, whether
of ground or of plantation ) but on all occafions
a jealoufy of art conftantly attends them, which
irregularity ir^ their figure will not always alone
remove. Though elevations ftew them to ad-
vantage, yet a hillock evidently thrown up on
purpofe to be crowned With a clump, is artifi-
cial to a degree of difguft : fome of the trees
Ihould therefore be planted jon the (ides, to take
ofi^ that appearance. The fame expedient may
be applied to clumps placed on the brow of a
hill, to interrupt its famenefs : they will have
lefs oftentation of defign, if they are in part car-
ried down either declivity. The objedbion al-
ready mad{^ to planting many along fuch a brow,
is on the fame principle : a fingle clump is lefs
fufpcfted of art ; if it be an open one, there
can be no finer fituation for it, than juft at the
point of an abrupt hill, or on a promontory into
a lake or a river. It is in either a beautiful tcr^
mination, diftinft by its pofitionj and enlivened
by
r
C 57 1
by an cxpanfcof iky or of water, about and be#
yond it. Such advantages may ballance little
defcfts in its form-, but they are loft if other
clumps are planted near it : art then intrudes,
and the whole is difpleafing.
XXIV. But though a multiplicity of clumps^
when each is an independant obje6t, leldom
feems natural ; yet a number of them may, with-
out any appearance of art, be admitted into
the fame fcene, if they bear a relation to each
other: if by their fucceOion they diverfify a
continued outline . of wood ; if between them
they form beautiful glades ; if all together they
caft an extenfive lawn into an agreable fliape^
the effeSl prevents any fcrutiny into the means
of producing it. But when the reliance on that
effeft is fo great, every other conGderation muft
give way to the beauty of the whole. The fi-
gure of the glade, of the lawn, or of the wood,
are principally to be attended to: the fineft
clumps, if they do not fall eafily into the great
lines, are blemilhes: tlieir connections, their
contrafts, are more important than their forms.
A line of clumps, if the intervals be clofed
by others beyond them, has the appearance of
a wood, or of a grove ; and in one refpeft the
femblance has an advantage over the reality.
In different ppbts of view^ the relations he^
twcen
t 5^ 1
tween the clumps are changed ; and a varietur
of fonns is pi;oduced, which no continued wood
or groTC, however broken, can furnilh. Thefe
forms cannot / all be equally agreable ; and too
anxious a follicitude to make them every where
plcafing, may, perhaps, prevent their being ever
beautiful The effed): muft often be left to
i:hance ; but it (hould be ftudioufly confulted
from a few principal points of view ; and it is
eafy to make any recefs, any prominence, any
figure in the outline, by clumps thus advancing
before, or retiring behind one anothen
But amidfl: all the advantages attendant on
this fpecies of plantation, it is often exception*
able when commanded from a neighbouring emi«
iience ; clumps below the eye lofe fome of their
principal beauties ; and a number of them be^
tray the art of which they are always liable to
be fufpefted; they compofe no furface of
wood } and all eSe£ts arifing from the relations
between ^them are entircily loft. A profpeft
fpotted with many clumps can hardly be great :
linlefs they are fo diftinft as to be objeds, or
lb dift^t as to unite ipto one mafs, they, are
Jeldgm an improvement of a view.
XX Y. The proper fituations for fingle trees
are frequently the fame as for clumps j the
phoice will often be determined, folely by the
conr
r
i'59 r
confideration oiF proportion, between the dbjeft,
and the fpot it Is intended i^ oceupy; and if
the defired effed c^n be attained by a fingld
tree, the filtnplicity of the means recommends
it. Sometimes it wiH be preferred merely for
variety ; and may be ufed to mark one point in
a fcene in which two or three points are already
diftinguifhed by clumps. It may occafionally
be applied to mod: of the purpofes for which
clumps are ufed ; may be an independant ob-
jeft ; may interrupt a continued line, or deco-
rate an extent of fpace : there is bqt one cfFedt
refulting from clumps which may not to a cer-
tain degree be produced by fingle trees j a num-
ber of them will never unite into one large
mafs; but more diftant relations may be ob-
ferved between them. Scattered about a lawn,
they may call it into an agreable fhape ^ and to
produce that Ihape, each muft be placed with
an attention to the reft j they may ftand ip,
particular direftions, and coUeftively form agre- ^
abje figures; or between feveral ftraggling
trees little glades may open, full of variety and
beauty. The lines they trace are fainter than
thofe which larger plantations defcribe; but:
then their forms are their own ; they are there-
fore abfolutely free from all appearance of art ;
any difpofition of them, if it b? but irregular, is
fqrc to bp i^atiir^l.
The
r 6o 3
The fituations of fingk trees is the firft con-,
fideration; and 4i^flrerence3 ii> the diftaaces
between them their greateft variety. In (hape,
they admit of no choice but that which: their
ipecies aflFords; greatncfs often, beauty often,
fonoetimes mere folidity, and now and then pe-
culiarity alone, recommends them. Their fitu-
ations will alfo frequently determine the fj^ecies :
jf they are placed before a continued line of
wood only to break it, they fhould commonly
be fimilar to the trees in that wood ; they will
elfe lofe their connexion, and not affe6t the
outline which they are intended to vary ; but
if they are defigned to be independaqt objedts,
ihey are as ftich more difcernible when diftin*
guifhed both in their ihapes and their greens
from any plantations about them. After all,
the choice, efpecially in large fcenes, is much
confined to the trees on the Ipot ; young clumps
from the firft have fome, and foon produce a
confiderable cSc& ; but a young fingle tree for
many years has none at all ; and it is often more
judicious to prcferve one already growing, tho*
not exadly fuch as might be wilhed, either in
itfelf, of in its fituation, than to plant in its
ftead another, which may be a finer objed, and
better placed, in a diftant futurity.
Of
Of W A T E R.
XXVI. In bonfidcring the fubjc<9:s of gar-
dening, ground and wood firft prcfent them-
fdvesj water is the next, which, though not
^bfolutely neceflary to a beautiful compofitiont
yet occuris fo often, and is fo capital afeature,
that it is always regretted when wanting; and
no large place can be fuppofed, a little fpot can
hardly be imagined, in which it nvay nojC be
agreable 5 it accommodates itfelf to every fitu-
ation; is the moft intetefting object in a land-
fcape, and the happieft Icircumftance in a re-
tired rcccfs J captivates the eye at a diftance^
invites approach, and is delightful when near ;
it refre&es an open expofure; it animates a
Ihade ; chears the drearinefs of a wafle, an4
enriches the moft crpudcd view : in form, in
ftyle, and in exteot, may be made equal to the
greateft compofitions, or adapted to the Ijcaft :,
]f: may fpread in a calm expanfe, to footh the
tranquility of a peaceful fcene ; or hurrying a-
}ong a devious courfe, add fplendor to a gay^
and extravagance to a romantic, fituation. So
various are the charafters which water can af-
fume^ that' there is fcarcely an idea in which it
may not concur, or an imprSfion which it can*
not enforce r a deep ftagnated pool, dank and
dark with fhadcs which it dimly reflefts, befits
the
t €2 1
the feat of mckncholy ; cveil a fivef. If it be
funk between two difmal banks, and dull both
in motion and colour, is like a hollow eye which
deadens the countenance ; and over a (luggard^
lilent ftream, creeping heavily along all toge«
ther, hangs a glootn, which no art can difllpate^
nor even the fun-(hihe difperfe. A gently muf^
muring rill, clear and fhallow, juft gurglli^^
juft dimpling, in^poies filence, fbics nfith'ibU***
ttide, and leads to meditation : a briflcer cufv
rent, which wantons in little eddies over n
bright fandy bottx>m, or babbles among peb*
bles^ fpreads chearfulnefs all around : a gceatef
rapidity, and more agitation, to a certain degree
are animating ; but in excefs, inftead pf waken-
ing, they alarm the fenfes ; the roar and the
rage of a torrent^ its force, its violence, ks im*
pctuofity, tend to infpirc terror j that terrw^
which, whether as caufcor eflfed, is fo nearly
ifUied to fublimity«
AUlrafted, however, from all thele Ideas,
from eyery fenfation, •either of deprelQon, (x>di-
pofpre, or exertion; and confidering watcf
merely as an object, oo (Kher is fo apt ibon to
catch, and long to fix the attention : but it
may want beauties of which we know it is cur
pable % or the alarks may be confufed by which
we diftingui& its fpecies; and thefe dofedts
difpleaje : to avoid them^ the properties of each
fpecies muft be determined.
r
«3 I
All wtfter is either tunning^ or ^agnduJi
iffhca ftagnated) it forms a i^it^ or a ^/, which
differ only in extent ; and a poid and a ^ni am
the liame. R^inning waters are either a rivukt^
k rivtr^ or a ri//-, and tbefe differ only in breadth ;
k rivukt and a^ ^a#il are fyaoaimous lernis ; a
firesm and a current are genei^l names for all. *
' la a garden,' the water is generally imita^
tif>et That which in the open country woidd
be called ^a great pond, ther^ aflumes the name^
and IboUld be Ibaped as if itiiad the extern: itf*
a lake ; for it is large in proporfcion to the othef
parts of the place. Though (bmetimes a real
ri^er pafles through a garden, yet ftiU but a
fmall portion of it is ifecn ; zndmote frequently
the Ambiance only of fuch a portion is fubfti^
tuted inftead of the reality. In either cafe, the
imitation is lofti if the charaftcriftic difKnc-
tions between a lake and a river be not fcrupu-
loufly prefcrvcd.
XXVIK This charafteriftic property of ruf^
tiing water is progrefi-^ of ftagnated, is circuity:
the one ftretches into length ; the other fpreads
over fpace : but it is not neceffary that the
whole circumference of a lake be fcen, or that
no bounds be fet to the profped of a river : on
the contrary, the latter is never more beautiful
than when it is loft in a wood, or retires behind a
hill
C «4 ]
li&i frotft the view : the fofmeif nerer appeafi
ib great as when its termination is concealed f
xSMjbape^ not the clofe^ denotes the chara&er; if
the oppofite (hores are both concave, they feem
intended to furround, and to meet ; if they are
nearly parallel, they fhew no tendency to come
together, but fuggeft the idea of continuation*
To make both the banks of a river in con-
cave forms is to fin againft this firft principle ^
and yet the fault is often committed, in order
to encreafe the expanfe; but when the bold
fweep of a river is thus converted into an infig*
nificant pool, more is loft to the imagination in
length, than is gained to the view in breadth \
andj-'paradoxical as the aflertion may feem, it is
certainly true, that the water would appear more
important, were it narrower. When one bank,
therefore, retires, the other, if it does not ad*
vance, (houid, at the leaft, continue its former
dircftion ; or if that (hould be convex, it may
be ftraitened ; but both muft not together de*
part from the appearance of progreifs.
Particular occafipns may, however, juftifya
feeming deviation from the rule, To make
room for an ifland, it may be proper to widen
the river every way ; for there the water is, in
fa£t, intended to furround and to meet ; while
the currents on each fide prcferve the principal
character. The fame liberty may alfo be al-
lowed
F
t fs 1
lowed on the tcflux of a collateral ftreatn ; and
the acceffion will account both for the breadth ^
and for the Ihape ; but the licence muft here be
ufed with moderation, left the wide place be-
come .principal, and divide the river into two
ftreams, the one falling into a pool, and the
other iiTuing from it. Both the fides of a lake
may at all times retire ; but on fuch an accef-
fion, the encreafe fliould be chiefly on the fhore
oppofite to the collateral ftream, that it may
appear to be a real enlargement of the lake,
and not merely the mouth of a river.
A collateral ftream (hould, in general, keep,^
or fcem to keep for fome way, to nearly the
fame breadth; if it'^diminiihes very faft, it
muft foon come to an end, and has more the
appearance of a creek than of a ftream. Whe-
ther it be the one or the other, may be matter
of indifference when it falls into a lake ; but a
creek is feldom agreable in a river ; it diverts
the current ; its waters feem ftagnatcd ; it
weakens the idea of progrefs.
All recefies in which the current is loft, are
blemiihes in a river •, a bay is as exceptionable
as a creek ; whatever be the form, if it be a
receptacle, not a paflTage, it is a fymptom that
the watrr rather fpreads than proceeds, and
hurts the chara&er of the river : but a head-
land which only turns or contrads the ftream,
F though
/
i ^ }
though it make a fort of bay, is not liable t(f
the lame objeAion, Such a bay has a vent i
fuch an obftrudbion only ftrengthens the curr
rent ; they do not fugged; the mod diftant ide^
of ftagnation. It is almoft needlefs to add»
that in a lake, ju(t the re^erfe of a river, creeks,
bays, receiTes of every kind, are always in char
rader, fometimes neceffary, and generally beau*
tiful : the objedtions to them in the one, dXi
recommendations of them to the other*
XXVIII. Besides the circumftances which
have been mentioned, and in which a river and
a lake elTcntially differ) befides thofe in which
they agree, and which are too obvious to re«
quire iUuftration} there are fome peculiar to
each charader, and which though common in
the one, can hardly occur in the other ; at leail:,
not fo often, nor to that degree, as to become
fubjeds of compariibn.
Space is eflential to a lake ; it may fpread to
any extent ; and the mind, always pleafed t9
expand itfelf on great ideas, delights even in
its vaflnefs. A lake cannot be too large as a
fubjedt of defcription, or of contemplations
but the eye receives little fatisfadion when it
has not a form on which to reft : the ocean it«-
felf hardly atones by all its grandeur for its in*
linity i and a profped of it is, therefore, al-
ways
r
r «7 1
"Ways matt agreable, when in fooie part, at no
great dtftance, a reach of fbore, a promontory,
or an ifland, reduces the immenfity into fhape.
If the moft cxtenfire view which can be the
objeA of vifion, muft be reftrained, in order
to be pleafing ; if the nobkft ideas which the
creation can fuggeft, muft be checked in their
career, before they can be reconciled to the
principles of beauty ; an ofience againft thofe
principles, a tranfgreflio;i of that reftraint, will
not eafily be forgiven on a fubjeft lefs than in*
finite : a lake whofe bounds are out of fight, is
circumfcribed in reality, not in appearance ; at
the fame time that it difappoints the eye, it
confines the imagination ; it is but a wafte of
waters, neither interefting nor agreablc.
A diftant flat coaft, dimly and doubtful-
ly fcen, does not obviate the objeftion, but
it may be the means of removing it 5 for ele-
vation and diftinftnefs give an appearance of
proximity, and contraft the ipace they limit.
This is the conftant efleft of a high (hore ; a
low one, covered with wood, is in reality raifcd >
and marked by buildings, becomes more con-
fpicuous ; it acquires an artificial elevation and
diftinftnefs.
Thefe obfervations, though immediately re-
lative to very large bodies of water, are ftill
applicable to imitative lakes in parks and gar-
F 2 dens.
1
i 6S }
dens. ;The principles upon which they are-
founded are equally true in both ; and though
an artificial lake cannot be fuppofed^ which >
fhall be abfblutely, yet comparatively it may
be extravagant : it may be fo out of propor-.
tion to its appendages, as to feem a wafte of
water i for all fize is in fome refpeds relative :
if this exceeds its due dimenfions, and if a
flatnefs of ftiorc beyond it adds ftill to the drca-
rinefs of the fcene, wood to raife the banks,
and objefts to diftinguifh them, will, from, the
fame caufe, produce the fame efftits as on a
larger fcale. If the length of a piece of wa-
ter be too great for its breadth, fo as to deftroy
all idea of circuity, the extremities (hould be
confidered as too far off, and made important,
to give them proximity : while at the .fame
time the breadth may be favoured, by keeping
down the banks on the fides. On the fame
principle, if the lake be too fmall, a low (hore
will, in appearance, encrcafe the extent.
But it is not nece^ary that the whole fcene
be bounded : if form be imprelTed on a con-
fiderable part, the eye can, without difguft,
permit a large reach to. ftretch beyond its ken ;
it can even be pleafed to obferve a treniulous
motion in the horizon, which (hews that the
water has not there yet attained its termination.
8cill (hort of this, the extent may be kept in
uncer-
r
[^9 3
uncertainty ; a hill or a wood may conceal one
of the extremities, and the country beyond it,
in fuch a manner, as to leave room for the fup-
pofed continuation of fo lai'ge a body of water.
Opportunities to choofe this fhape are frequent,
and it is the mod perfect: of any : the fcene i$
clofed, but the extent of the lake is undeter-
mined; a complete form is exhibited to the
eye, while a boundlefs range is left open to the
imagination.
But mere form will only give content, not
delight ; that depends upon the outline, which
is capable of exquifite beauty; and the bays
ZTid th^ creek^^ and the pronwniorieSj which are
ordinary parts of that outline, together with
the accidents of ifiands^ of inleis anjl of ouikts
to rivers, are in their ihapes and their combina^
tions an inexhauftible fund of variety.
A ilraight line of confiderable length may find
a place in that variety ; and it is fometimes of
Angular ufe to prevent the femblance of a ri-
ver in a channel formed between iflands and the
ihore. But no figure perfectly regular ought
ever to be admitted ; it always feems artificial,
unlefs its fize abfolutely forbid the fuppofition.
A fcmi-circular bay, though the fhape be beau-
tiful, is not natural ; and any re^ilinear figure
is abfolutely ugly ; but if one line be curved,
another may fometimes be almoft ftraight ; the
F 3 contrail
1
L 70 ]
contraft is agreable ; and to multiply die <icc4«
iions of (hewing pontrafts, may Qfcea be a rea*
Ton for giving feireral dire&ions to a creeks and
more than two fides to a promootoiy.
Bays, creeks, and promontories, though eic-
trcmeiy beautiful, fhouki iK>t, hoirever, be very
numerous ; for a ihore broken into little points
and hollows has no certainty of outline ; it is
only raggedy not diverfified ; and the diftin£l'-
neis and fimplicity of the great parts arc hurt
by the multiplicity of fMbdivifions : but iflands,
though the channels between them be narrow,
do not fo often derogate from greatnefs; they
intimate a fpace beyond them whofe boundaries
do not appear; and remove to a diitance the'
ihore which is feen in perfpeftive between them.
Such partial interruptions of the fight fuggeft
ideas of extent to the imagination.
The inlets and the outlets of rivers have li-
milar tSc&$ : fancy purfues the courfe of the
ftream far beyond the view; no limits are
fixed to its excurfions. The greaceft compofi*
don therefore of vater is that, which is in part
^ lake, and in part a river ; which has all the
expaofe of the one, and all the continuation of
the other, each being ftrongly charafierifed to
the very point of their junftion : if that junc-
tion bi^k into a fide of the lake, the diredion
of the river fhould be oWique to the line it
cyts )
C It ]
cuts; redangubi; bifedions are in thu, as in all
ocbet inftanccs, {otm%\ % but when the conflux
is at an angle, ib that the bank of the river co*
incides with one fhore c^ the lake, they (houkl
both continue for fome way in the fame direc*
tion ; a deviation from that line immediately at
the outlet detaches the lake from the river.
XXIX. Though the windings of a river are
proverbially dcfcriptive of its courfe, yet with*
Out being perpetually wreathed, it may be na-
DuraU nor is the charaftcr expreflcd only by
the turnings. On the contrary, if th<y ard>
too frequent and fudden, the current is reduced
fMx> a number of feparate pools, and the idea
of progrefs is obfcured by the difficulty of tra-
cing it. Length is the firongeft fymptom of
continuation ; long reaches are, thwefore, cha-»
fafteriftie of a river, and they conduce much
to its beauty; each is a confiderable piece of
water; and variety of beautiful forms may he
given to their outlines ; but a llraight one can
very feldom be admitted: it has the appear-
ance of a cut canal, unlefs great breadth, a
bridge acrofs it, and ftrong contrails between
the objefts on the banks, difguife the formality;
A very fmall curvature obliterate^ every idea of
art and ftagnation ; and a greater is often mif-«
chievousj for an excefs of deviation from «
F 4 ftraight
t 72 ]
ftraight towards a circular line, (bortens the view^
weakens the idea of continuation, and though
not chargeable with ftiffncfs, yet approaches to
regularity; whereas the line .of beauty keeps
at a diftance from every figure, which a rule
can determine, or a compafs defcribe.
A confiderable degree of roundnefs is, how-
ever, often becoming, where the ftream changes
its diredion; and if the turn be cfFefted by a
Iharp point of land on one fide, there is the
more, occafion for circuity on the other. The
river fhoqld alfo be widened under that other:
bank ; for it is the nature of water thus driven
out of its courfe, to dafli and encroach uponr
the oppofite (hore ; where this circumftance has
been attended to, the bend appears natural;
and the view ending in ipace» gives fcope tp^
the imagination : the turn, therefore, ought ge«
nerally to be larger than a right angle ; if it be
le(s, it clofes immediately, and checks the idea
ofprogrefe.
XXX. To further that idea is one ufe of
bridges I though they crofs, they do not clofe
the view: the water is feen to run through
chem, and is fuppofed to continue far beyond
them ; fuch a communication between the op*
pofite banks implies the want of any other, and
gives both length and depth to the ftream. The
form
r
[ 72 1
fotm of a lake* on the contraiy. Intimates,
that all die feveral (hores are, by making a cer-*
tain circuit, accefiible. Bridges, therefore, are
inconfi^ent with the nature^of a lake, but cha-
raderiftic of a river : they are on that accoiinc
ufed to difguife a termination; but the dccep*
tion has been ib often praftifed, that it no longer
deceives ; and a bolder aim at the fame effcSt
will now be more fuccefsful If the end can
be turned juft out of fight, a bridge at fome
diftance rsufes a belief, while the water beyond
it removes every doubt of the continuation of
the river ; the fuppofition immediately occurs,
that if a difguife had been intended, the bridge
would have been placed further back ; and the
difregard thus (hewn to one deception, gains
credit for the other.
To give to bridges their full effe6t, the con-
neiEtion between them and the river muft be at-
tended to : from the want of it, the fingle
wooden arch, now much in fafhion, feems to
me generally mifplaced. Elevated without oc«
cafion fo much above, it is totally detached from
the river ; it is often feen ftraddHng in the air,
without a glimpfe of the water to account for it ;
and the ofientation of it as an ornamental ob-
ject, diverts all that train of ideas which its ufe
as a communication might fuggeft. The vail-
nefs
t 74 ]
aeft of Walton bridge cannot without affbda^
tion be mimicked in a garden, where the mag-
nificent idea of including the Thames under one
arch, is wanting; arid where the ftrufture itfeU^
reduced to a narrow fcale, retains no pretenSoni
to greatncfs. Unlefs the fituation make fuch
a height necedary : or the point of view be
greatly above it; or wood oi^ rifing-ground,
mftead of iky, behind it, fill up the vacancy of
the arch ; it feems an ^ort without a calufe,
forced and prepofterous.
The vulgar foot-bridge, of planks onIy„
guarded pn one hand by a common rail, and
fupported by a few ordinary piles, is often more
proper. It is perfect as a communication, be^
caufe it pretends to nothing further ; it is the
utmoft fimplicity of cultivated nature : and if
the banks from which it darts be of a moderate
heightb, its elevation prefcrves it from mean-
nefs. No other fpecies fo elftftuaHy charac-
terifes a river; it feems too plain for an orna-
ment, too obfcure for a di%ui&; it muft be for
ufe ; it can be a paflTa^ only ; it is therefore
Spoiled, if adwned; it is disfigured, if only
painted of any other than a dufky colour.
But bein^thus incapable of all decoration and
importance, it is often too humble for a greats
and too fimple for an elegant fcene : a ftone
bridge is generally more fuitable to cither ; but
ia
r
[ 75 3
in this alfo, an extraordinaiy elevition is (eldom
becoming, uniefs the grandeur conlpenfate for
At diftance at which it leaves the water beiow.
A gentle rife, and eafy fweep, more clofcly pre-
'ferve the relation: a certain degree of union
fliould alfo be formed between the banks and
the bridge ; that it may feem to rife out of the
banks, not barely to be impofed upon them.
It ought not generally to fwell much above their
level ; the parapet wall fhould be brought down
near to the ground, or end againft fome fwell;
and the fize and the uniformity of the abut-
ments (hould be broken by hillocks or thickets
about them : every expedient ihould Be ufcd to
mark the conne6tion of the building both with
the ground from which it ftarts, and the water
which it croffes.
In wild and romantic fccnes may be intro*
duced a ruined ftone bridge, of which fome
arches may be ftill Handing, and the lofs of
thofe which are fallen may be fupplied by a
few planks, with a rail, thrown over the vacan-
cy. It is a piftiTrcfque obje6t : it fuits the fi-
tuation ; and the antiquity of the paflage, the
care taken to keep it flill open, though the ori-
ginal building is decayed, the apparent neccf-
•fity which thence refults for a communication,
give it an impofing air of reality.
Jn f verjr fcene of magnificence, in fome* where
cle-
1
elegance chiefly prevails, a bridge wjfh a co^
lonade, pr other ornamentnil (Irufbure upon it»
is chara^lerifticaliy proper ; and it has a pecu-
liarity which tecooimends it to many fituations.
I'he colbnade is alone a perfeA independent .
objed^, which may belong to feveral fpecies of
buildings ; it may therefore embellUh a fcene
where no water is vifible ; but the fight mud
not be let down below the baluftrade. If the
arches appear, this is like other bridges (hewn by,
themfelves ; they may now and then be^ of ufe
to mark a cqntinuation of water, which would
otherwife be doubtful •, but in general they
only remind us of what is wanting to the view.
In fome fituations, two or three bridges may
be admitted into one fcene ; a collateral ftream
^always, the turnings of the fame ftream often»
afford opportunities to place them in feyeral
dire&ions; and a greater diftindion between
obje&s is feldom required, than that between |
two bridges, in conftrufbion exadly alike, one
of which prefents the paflage over it, and the
other that under it, to the eye. Such a variety i
of beautiful forms have befides been invented |
for them, that in fimilar pofitions they may be
objefts in very different ftiles: and collateral i
circumftances occafion ftill further diftinftions.
A bridge, which by means of a bend in the ri- |
ver h backed with wood or rifing-grounds, has
in
r
I 77 J
in the cffcft little finfiilarity to one, (hrbugh
which nothing can be feen but the water and t^c
iky 9 and if the accident which diftinguiflies im*
mediately groupes with the bridge ; if, for in -
ftance^ a tree, or a little clufter of trees, ftand
fo that the ftems appear beneath, the heads
above the arches, the whole is but one pic-
turefqUe objed, which retains ao more than a
diftant refemblance to a bridge quite fimple and
unaccompanied. Amidft all this variety, two
or three may eafily be chofen, which in tbe^
fame landfcape, ib fat from affimilating, wilt
diverfify the parts ; and, if properly difpofed,
neither in a cobfufed croud,' nor in a formal
fucceilion, will not incumber the view.
XXXI. A river requires a number of aa:om^
famments^ the changes in its courfe fumilh a
variety of fituatiohs -, while the fertility, cotivc-
nience, and amenity which attend it, account
for all appearances of inhabitants and improve--
ment. Profufion of ornament on a fiftitious ri-
ver, is a jufl: imitation of cultivated nature;
every fpecics of building, every ftile of planta-
tion, may abound on the banks ; and whatever
be' their charaders, their proximity to the water
is commonly the happieft circumftance in their
fituation. A luftre is from thence difFufed on
all around i each derives an importance from
its
C 78 3
Itt rtbtton CO this capital feature ; thofe whicll
are near enough to be refleAed» immediatelf
belong to it ; thofe at a greater diftande, ftiU
fliare in the animation of the fcene i and objefts
totally detached from each other, being all at«^
tradol towards the fame interefting connexion^
are united into one compofition.
In the front x^ Blenheim was a deep broad
valley, which abruptly feparated the caftle from
die lawn, and the plantations before it : even a
direft approach could not be made, without
building a monftrous bridge over this vaft bol*
low : but the forced communication was only
afubjeft of raillery, and the fcene continued
broken into two parts, abfolutely diftinft from
each other. This valley has been lately flooded $
it is not filled ; the bottom only is covered with
water \ the fides are ftill very high, but they
are no longer the fteeps of a chafm ; they are
the bold ihores of a noble riven The fame
bridge is (landing without alteration; but no
extravagance remains i the water gives it pro*
pricty. Above it, the river firft appears, wind-
ing from behind a fmall thick wood in the val*
ley ; and foon taking a determined courfe, it is
then broad enough to admit an ifiand filled with
the fineft trees ; others correfponding to thetfl
in growth and difpofition, ftand in groupcs on
the, banks, intermixed with younger planta-
tions*
r
C 79 3
MNI9* Immediately below the bridge, the ri-
ver ipreads into a lai^e expanfe; the fides are
open lawn i on that f urtheft from the houle
formerly flood ^he palace of Henry the Second^
celd^rated in many an ancient ditty by the nanie
of fair Rofaoiond's Bower i aJitclc clear fpring
which rifes there is by the country people ftiU
called fair Rofamond's Well : the fpoc is now
marked by a fingle willow. Near it is a fine col*
lateral ftream^ of a beautiful form, retaining its
breadth as far as it is feen, and retiring at lafi: bo-
hind a hill from the view. The main river, ha^
ving received this acceOion, makes a gentle bend^
then continues for a confiderable length in onp
wide dired reach, and, jufl: as it difappearsy
thpows itfelf down a high cafcade, which is the
prefent termination* On one of the banks of
this reach is the garden ; the f^eeps are there
diversified t^ith thickets and with glades ; but
the covert prevails, and the top is crowned with
lofty trees. Qn the other fide Is a noble hang-
ing wood in the park ; it was depreciated when
it funk into a hollow, and was poorly loft in the
bottom ; but it is now a rich appendage to the
river, falling down an eafy (lope quite to the
water's edge, where, without ovcrfliadowing,
it is reflected on the furface. Another face of
the fame wood borders the collateral ftream,
with an outline more indented and various ^
while
t 80 ]
while a very large irregular clump adorns fh<
oppofite declivity. ThU clump is at a confider-J
able diftance from the principal river ; but the
« ftreim it belongs to brings it down to connect
with the reft ; and the other objects, which were
before: difperfed, are now, by the intereft of each
in a relation which is common to all, coUeAed
into one illuftrious fcene. The caftle is itfelf
a prodigious pile of builing, which, with all
the faults in its archite&ure, will never feem
lefs than a truly princely habitation i and the
confined fpot where it was placed, on the edge
of an abyfs, is converted into a proud fituation,
commanding a beautiful profped of water, and
open to an extenfive lawn, adequate to the man-
fion, and an emblem of its domain. In the
midft of this lawn ftands a column, a ftately
trophy, recording the exploits of the duke of
Marlboroughi and the gratitude of Britain. Be-
tween this pillar and the caftle is the bridge,
which now, applied to a fubjeft wwthy of it,
is eftablilhed in all the importance due to its
greatnefs. The middle arch is wider than the
Bialto, but not too wide for the occafion ; and
yet this is the narroweft part of the river : but
the length of the reaches is every where propor- .
tloned to their breadth •, each of them is alone
a noble piece of water -, and the laft, the fineft
of all, lofes itfelf gradually in a wood, which
on
r
on that fide is alfo the boundary of the latvn^^
and rifes into the horizon. All is great in the
front of Blenheim ; but in that vafl: fpace no
Toid appears, fo important are the parts, fo
magnificent the objects : the plain is extenfive $
the valley is broad ; the wood is deep ; though
the intervals between the buildings are large,
they are filled with the grandeur which build-
ings of fuch dimenfions, and fo much pomp,
diffufe all around them ; and the river in its
long varied courfe, approaching to every ob-
je&f and touching upon every part, fpreads its
influence over the whole. Notwithftanding
their difl:ances from each other, they all feem
to be aflembled about the water, which is every
where a fine expanfe, whofe extremities are un-
determined. In fize, in form, and in ftik, it is
equal to the majefty of the fcene i and is de-
figned in the fpirit, is executed with the libe-
rality of the original donation, when this refi-
dence of a mighty monarch was bellowed by a
great people, as a munificent reward on the hero
who had deferved bed of his country.
XXXII. In the compofition of this fcene, the
river, both as a part itfelf, and as uniting the
other parts, has a principal fliare j but water is
not loft, though it be in fo confined or fo con-
cealed a fpot, as to enter into no view s it may
G rcn-
E 84 ].
reodcr that fpoC delightful ; it is capable of the
moft exquifite beauty in its form ;. tad though
not in fpace, may yet in difpofitioh havepreten*
fions to greatnefs ; for it may be divided into
feveral branches, which, will form a duller of
iOands all conae^ed together, make the whole
place irriguous, and, in (he ftead of extent^
fiipply a quantity of water. Such a feqtieftered
' fcene ufually owes its retirement to the trees and
the thickets with which it abounds i but in the
difpofition of them, one diftin£tion ihould be
conftantly attended to ; a river flowing through
a wood, which overfpreads one continued fur^
face of ground, and a river between two woods^
arc in very diflferent circumftances. In the latter
cafe, the woods are leparate ; they may be con*
traded in their forms and their characters ^ and
the outline of each ihould be forcibly marked*
In the former, no outKne ought to be difcem*
ible; for the river paffes between trees, not be*
tween boundaries ; and though in the progreft
of its courfe, the ftile of the plantations may bd
often changed, yet on the oppofite banks a Si-
milarity (hould conftantly prevail, that the iden-
tity of the wood may never be doubtful.
A river between two woods may enter into a
*vicw; and then it muft be governed by the
principles which regulate the conduft and the
accompaniments of a river in an open exp<^ure :
but
t 83 1
but when iit nans through a wood, k it never
to be feen in profpeft; the place is naturally
full of obftru^ions i and a continued openings
large enough to feceire a long reach, would
fcem m artificial cut ; the river muft therefore
neceflarily wind more than in crofling a lawn,
where the pafiage is entirely free : but its in-
fluence will never extend fo far on the fides t
the buildings mud be near the banks ; and, if
Numerous, will feem crouded, being all in one
frack, and- in fituattons nearly alike^ The
fcene, however, does not want variety j on the
ebntrary, nono is capable of moret the objects
are not indeed fo different from each other asf
in an open view ; but they are very difierent,
•nd In much greater abundance ) for this is the
interior of a wockJ, where every tree is an ob-
jcfti every combination of trees a variety-, and
no large intervals are requlfite to diftinguifh
tbe.feveral diipofitions ; the grove, the thicket,
or. the groupes may prevail; and their forms
and their relations may be conftantly changed^
without xeftraint of fancy, or limitation of
ftiunber.
Water is fo univerfally and fo 4efervedly ad«
mired in a profpeft, that the moft obvious
thought in the management of it, k lo lay it as
open as poflible ^ and purpoi^ly to conceal itf
would generally ieem a fevere felf Hicftial : ycc
i G 2 fo
/
{b many beauties .may attend its paflage through
a wood, that larger portions 6f it might be al-
lowed to fuch retired fcencs, than arc com-
monly fpared from the view ; and the dif&rent
parts in diflferent ftiles would then be fine con-
trafts to each other. If the water at Wotton^
were all expofed, a walk of near two miles
along the banks would be of a tedious length,
from the want of thofe changes of the fcene,
which now fupply through the whole extent 2^
fucceffion of perpetual variety. That extent
is fo large as to adoiit of a divifion into^ four
principal parts, all of them great in ftile and m
dimenfions ; and differing from each Qthet botfc
in charafter and fituation* The two firft ^re
the leaft ; the one is a reach of a river, about th«
thirii of a niile in length, and^of a competent
breadth, flowing through a lovely mead, opei^
ifi fome places to views of beautiful hills in the
country, and adorned in others with clumps of
trees, fo large, that, their branches ftretch quite
acrofs, and form a. high, arch, over the water.
The next fe^m$. to have b^en once a formal
bafin, encompafied with plantations ; and the
appendages on either fide v ftill retain fome
traces of regularity ; but the fhape of the wa-
ter is free from ihem ; the fize iy about fourteen
' • The feat of Mr. Grcnvillc, in the rale of Aykibury, in
Budunghamlhire.
acres;
r
i ^5 1
Acres i. and out of it iffue two broad collateral
ftreams, winding towards a large river, which
they are fcen to approach, and fuppofed to join.
A real junction is however impoffible, from the
difference of the levels ; but the terminations
are fo artfully concealed, that the deception is
never fufpefted ; and when known, is not eafily
explained. The river is the third great divi-
iion of the watery a lake into which it falls is
thefourth* Thefc two do aftually join; but
their charaflers are diredly oppofite j the fcenes
they belong to are totally diftindt; and the
tranfition from the one to the other is very gra-
dual s for an ifland near the conflux, dividing
the breadth, and concealing the end of the lake,
moderates for fome way the fpacej and per-
mitting it to expand but by degrees, raifes an
idea of grcatnefs, from uncertainty accompa-
nied with encreafe. The reality does not difap-
point the expeftation ; and the ifland, which is
the point of view, is itfclf equal to the fcene ;
it is l^rge, and high above the lake ; the ground
is irregularly broken ; thickets hang on the
fides ; and towards the top is placed an Ionic
portico, which commands a noble extent of wa-
ter, not lefs than a mile in circumference, bound-
ed on one fide with wood> and open on the
other to two floping lawns, the leaftof an hun-
dred acres, diverfified with clumps, and bor-
G $ dercd
t 8<J J
dered by plantations : yet this lake» when full
in view, and with all the importance which
fpace, form, and fituation can give, is not more
intcrcfting than the fequeftered river, which
has been mentioned as the third great divifioo
of the water. It is juft within th^ verge of a
wood, three quarters of a mile loqg, every
where broad, and its courfe is fuch as to admit
of infinite variety, without any confufion. Tha
banks are cleared of underwood} but a few
thickets ftill remain i and on one fide an impe<-
netrable covert foon begins ; the interval is 4
beautiful grove of oaks, fcattcred over a green-*
fwerd of extraordinary verdure. Between thefe
trees and thefe thickets the river feems to glide
gently along, conftantly winding, without on«
(hort turn, or one extended reach, in the whote
length of the way. This even temper in the
ftrcam fuits the fcenes through which it pafles;
they are in general of a very fober caft; not
melancholy, but grave; never expbfed to a
glare 5 never darkened with gloom ; nor by
ftrong cpntrafts of light and fhade exhibiting the
cxcefs of either | undifturbed by an extent of
profpcds without, or a multiplicity of objcfts
within, they retain at all times a mildnefs of
charafter, which is ftill more forcibly felt
when the ftadows grow faint a^ they lengthen j
when a little ruftling of birds in the fpray, the
Raping
r
C 87 ]
leaping Qf the fiih^ and the fragrancy of the
woodbine, denote the approach of evening;
while the letting fun (hoots its laft gleams on a
Tufcan portico, which is clofe to. the great
bafin, but which from a feat ^near this river is
(een at a diftance, through all the obfcurity of
the wood^ ^oiwing on the banks, and refleded
on the furface ei the water. In another fiill
more diftinguifbed ipot is built an elegant
bridge, with a colonade upon it, which not
only adorns the place where it ftands, but is
alfo a piAurefque objed: to an odogon build*^
Ittg near the lake, where it is (hewn in a
lingular fituation, over-arched, encompafled,
and backed with wood, without any appearance
of the water beneath. This building in return
is alfo an objed: from the bridge ; and a Chi^
nefe room, in a little ifland juft by, is another ;
neither of them are qonfiderable ; and the otheri
' which are vifible are at a diftance ; but more or
greater adventitious ornaments are not required
in a fpot fo rich as this in beauties peculiar to
its charadter. A profufion of water pours in
from all fides round upon the view ; the open-
ing oi the lake appears ; a glimpfe is caught of
the large bafin; one of the collateral dreams
is full in fight ; and the bridge itfelf is in the
midft of the fincft part of the river ; all feem
to communicate the one with the other j though
G 4 thickeu
C 88 1
thickets' often intercept, and groupes perplex
the view, yet they never break the connedion
between the feveral pieces of water ; each may
ftill be traced along large' branches, or little
catches, which in fome places are over*(hadowed
and dim; in others gliften through a glade, or
glimmer between the boles of trees in a diftant
perfpeftive j and in one, where they arc quite
loft to the view, fome arches of a ftone bridge,
but partially feen among the wood, preferve
their conneftion. However interrupted, how-
ever varied, they ftill appear to be parti of one
whole, which has all the intricacy of number,
and the greatnefs of unity ; the variety of ti
ftream, and the quantity of a lake ; the folem«
nity of a wood, and the animation of water.
XXXIII. If a large river may fometimes, a
fmaller current undoubtedly may often, be con-
duced through a wood ; it feldom adorns, k
frequently disfigures a profpeft, where its cOurfe
is marked, not by any appearance of water, but
by a confufed line of clotted grafs, which dif-
agrees with the general verdure : a rivulet may,
indeed, have cpnfideration enough for a home
fcene, though it be open j but a rill is always
moft agreable when moft retired from publick
view : its chara6leriftic excellencies are vivacity
wd variety, which rccjuirc attention, leifure,
^nd
r
and filcncc, that the eye may pore upon the lit-
tle l^eauties, and the ear liften to the low mur-
murs, of the ftream, without interruption* To
fu£h indulgence a confined fpot only is favour-
able; a ciofe copfe is, therefore, often more
acceptable than a high wood ; and a fequeftered
valley at all times preferable to any open ex-
pofure : a fingle rill at a very little diftance it
a mere water-courfe ; it lofes all its charms ; it
has no importance in itfejf, and bears no pro-
portion to the fcene. A number of little ftreams
h^ve, indeed, an effeA in any fituation, but
not as objects ; they are interefting only on ac-
count of the charader they exprefs 5 the irri-
guous appearance which they give to the whole.
The full tide of a large river has more force
than a&ivity, and feems too unwieldy to allow
of very quick tranlitions ; but in a rill, the agi-
lity of its motion accounts for every caprice %
frequent windings difguife its infignificance ;
Ihort turns fhew its vivacity ; fudden changes
in the breadth are a fpecies of its variety ; and
however fantallically the channel may be wreath*
ed, contrafted, and widened, it ftill appears to
be natural. We find an amufement in tracing
the little ftream through all the intricacies of
ks icourfe, and in feeing it force a paflage thro'
a narrow ftreight, expatiate on every opportu-
nity, ftru^gle with obftruftions, and puzzle out
t 90 1
its waqr*^ A rivulet, which is the mean beiw^
a river jmd a rilU partakes of the cbaraAcr Qf
both : it is not licenied to the extravagance of
the oae, nor under the fame reftraints as the
other I it may have more frequent bends than
Itriver^ lansurreache&than.a.fiU; tha bw i irii
of a (bream determines whether the priocipal
beauty refults from extent or from variety.
The murmura of a rill are amongft the moft
pkaiing circumftances which attend it: if tht
bed of the ftream be rough, mere declivity will'
occafion a conftant ripling noife ^ when the eurr
rent drops down a defcent, though but of a
few inches, or forcibly bubbles up from a little
hollow, it has a deep gurgling tone, not um>^
formly continued, but incefiantly repeated, and
therefore more engaging than any; the flatted
of all, is that found rather ot the fplaflung
than the fall of water, which an even gentle
Hope, ^r a tame obftruftion, will produce i
this is lefs pleafing than the others ; but none
ihould be entirely excluded i all in their turns
are agreabie & and the choice of them is muell
in our power i by obferving their caufes, wa
may often find die means to ftrengthen, to
weaken, or to change them v and the additk>f|
or removal of a fingle (tone, or a few pebbles,
wlU fometimes be fufficient for the purpofe,
XXXIV.
C 9t 3
XXXI V^ A fitl 4:aiinot pretend to any found
bcfond that of a Ikde water«faU : the roar of a
cafcide bdongs only to lar^ fifH^amsj but it
may be produced by a rivulet to a cooliderable •
degree ; and attempts to do more have geoe*
* rally been unfucceisful : a vain ambition to bxA^
ute nature in her great exo^avagancies betraya
the ymknds of art: though a noble river^
throwing iifelf headlong down a precipice be
an objeft truly magnificent ; it lauft^ bowever^
! be confessed, that in a fingle flieet of water
I > there is a formality, which its vaftnefs alone can
cure ; but the heighth not the breadth ts the
wonder ; when it falls no more than a few feet,
I the regularity prevails; and its extent only
I ferves to expoife the vanity of aSfedlng the ftyle
of a catara£b in an artificial cafcade; it is le(s
exc^tionabk if divided into feveral parts ; for
then each fcparate part may be wide enough for
\ its depth ; and in the whole, variety, not great*
nefs, will be the predominant charadcr : but a
ftruAure of rough, large^ detached ftones, con-
not eafily be contrived of ftrength fufficient to
fu{^ort a great weight of water ; it is fome-
times from neceffity almoft fmooth and uni*
form ; and then it lofes much of its cfFcft ; fe-
veral little falls in fuccefiion are preferable to
one great cafcade which in figure or in motion
approaches to regularity.
When
i 9* 1
When greatnefs is thus rediic^ to number,
and length becomes of more importance than
breadth, a rivulet vies with a river-, and it
more frequently runs in a continued declivity,
which is very favourable to fuch a fucceffion of
falls. Half the expence and labour which are
fometimes beftowed on a river, to give it, at
.the bell, a forced precipitancy, in one fpot
only, would animate a rivulet through the
whole of its courfe; and after all, the mod in*
terefting circumftance in falling waters is their
animation; a great cafcade fills us with furprife^
but all furprife muft c^afe; and the motion,
the agitation, the rage, the froth, and the va-
riety of the water, are finally the objefts which
engage the attention : for thefe a rivulet is fuf-
ficient ; and they may there be produced with*
out that appearance of effort which raifes a fuf*
picion of art.
. To obviate fuch a fufpicion, it may be Ibme-
times expedient to begin the defcent out of
fight; for the ^beginning is the difficulty; if
that be concealed, the fubfequent falls feem
but a confequence of the agitation which cha-
radierifes the water at its firft appearance ; and
the imagination is, at the fame time, let loofe
to give ideal extent to the cafcades: when a
itream iflues from a wood, fuch management
will have a great cfFe6t : the bends of its courfe
in
93 3
Ui an open cxpofurc may afford frequent op-^
portunities for it : and fometimes a low broad
bridge may furnifli the occafion; a little fall
hid under the arch will create a diforder, in
confequence of which, a greater cafcade below
will appear very natural.
Of R O C K S.
XXXV. Rills, rivulets, and cafcades a-
bound among rocks ; they are natural to the
fcene 5 and fuch fcenes commonly require every
accompamment which can be .procured for them :
mere rocks, unlefs they arc peculiarly adapted
to certain impreffions, may furprife, but can
hardly plcafe ; they are too far removed from
common life, too barren, and unh6fpitable»
rather defolate than folitary, and more horrid
than terrible ; fo auftere a charafber cannot be
loiig engaging, if its rigour be not foftened by
circumftances, which may belong either to thefe'
or to more cultivated fpots ; and when the?
drearinefs is extreme, little ftreams and water-
falls are of themfelves infufficient for the pur-'
pole ; an intermixture of vegetation is alfb ne-
ccflary; and on fome occafions even nlarks of
inhabitants are proper.
♦ Middleton dale is a cleft between rocks,
afcending gradually from a romantic village,
• Near Chatfworth.
till
t 94 }
tin it emerges, at about two milei diftaiicei on
the vaft moor-lands of the Peake j it is a diC*
mal eritraiKC to a defart; the hills above it artf
bare; the rocks are of a grey colour; theii*
furfaces are ragged; and their fhapesfarage)
frequently terminating in craggy points^ ibme*
times refembling vaft unwieldy bulwarks; or
rifingin heavy btittrefies, one above another;
and here and there n miihapen ma(s. bulgpbg
out) hangs lowering over, its bale. No trac^
of men are to be feen, except in a road which
has no cScA on fuch a fcene of defolauon ; and.
ki the lime kilns conftantly fmoaking on the
fide; but the labourers who occafionally attei^
them live at a diftance ; there is not a hovel in
the dale; aad ibmc icanty witherng bu&ea
are all its vegetation ; for the fpil between tho
rocks produces as little as they do; it is di^
figured with all the tinges of brown and red^
which denote barrennefs; in Ibme places it luis
crumbled away, and ftrata of loofe dark f^ones
only appear; and in others, long lines of dr^fs.
and rubbifb flu>veled out of minc% have fall^
down the fteeps. In thefe mines, the veui^ of
lead on one fide of the diJe, are obferved %}r
ways to have correfponding veins, in exa&iy
the iame direftio% on the other: and the
rocks, though diSering widely in diSei^t
places, yet always continue ia one ftyle for
fome
t 95 )
fame way together, and feem to hav« t rek^
tkui to each other i both thefe appearances
make it probable^ that Middleton dale is a
chafin rent ui the mountain by fome convulfion
of nature, beyond the memory of man, or per-
hi^ before the ifland was peopled: the fceife^
^Qiigh it does not prove the fafti yet juftifies
the fUp^iitJOii I and it gives credit to the tales
of thb eoufflftry people, who, to aggravate its
hontes, alwaysi poiot lo a preapio?, dowa
wkidi they iay, that a pdor girl Off ti^ village;
threw herfdf headlong, in defpair at the neg«:
icA of the man whom fhe loved : and fhew ft
ciavem^ whei^a ikScteton was once difcoveredi
but of what wretch is unknown % bis bones
where the Only memorial left of him: all the
drearinefs however of the place, which accords
fo well with ftfch traditions, abates upob the
jundtion of another valley, the fides of which
, are ftill of rock, but mixed and crowned with
fine wood ; and Middleton dale becomes more
mild by ifaaring tii liis beauties : n^ar this junc-
tion a clear ftream ifiTues from und^ the hill^
and runs down the dale, receiving as it ptoceedp
many rills and fprings , ^1 as tr anfpftDent as it^
fclf; the principal rivulet is full of little water-
falls % they are fometimes eontioped in fuccei^
iion along a reach of confiderable ICQgth, which
is whitened with £foth all the way & at other
times
t 9<i 1'
times the brook wreathes in frecjtietit wirtdiftgs;
and drops down a ftep at every turn 5 or flopes
between tufts of grafs, in a brifk^ though not a*
precipitate defcent; when it is moft quiet, a
thoufand dimples ftill mark its vivacity ; it is
every where aftive ; fometimes rapid j feldom
filent ; but never furious or noify : the firfl?
impreflions which it makes are of fprightlih6&
and gaiety, very different from thofc which be-?
long to the fcene all around ; but by dwelling
upon both, they are brought nearer together v
and a melancholy thought occurs, that fuch a
ftream ihould be loft in watering a wafte ; the
wildernefs appears more forlorn which fo muchL
vivacity cannot enliven : as the idea of defola*
tion is heightened by reflefting: that the
Flower is born to blufli nnfeen.
And waAe its fwoetnefs on the debft air; . ^ :
And that
the nightingale attunes her notes.
Where none are left to hear. . . .
If fuch a fcene occurs within the precinfts of
a park or a garden, no expence ihould be fpared
to meliorate the foil, wherever any foil can be
found: without fdnie vegetation among the
rocks, they arc only an objeft of curiofity, or
a fubjeft of wonder j but verdure alone will
give fome relief to the drcarinefs of the fcene ;
and flirubs or bufhes^* without trees, ar£ a fuf^
ficicncy
. fiiiericy of wood; the .thickets may alfo be ei^
tended by the creeping plants, fuch as pyra-
cantha, vines, and ivy, to wind up ^he fides, or
duller on the tops of the rocks } and to this
vegetation may be added fome fymptoms of in-
habitants, but they muft be flight and few;
the ufe of them is only to cheer, not to deftroy
the folitudc of the place ; and fuch therefore
Ihould be chofen as are fometimes found in
fituations retired from publick rcfort 5 a cottage
• may be lonely ;. but it mull not here feem ruin-
ous and negleded ; it fliould be tight and
warm, with ev^ry mark of comfort abBut it,
to which its pofition in Tome fheltered recefs
may greatly contribute, A cavity alfo in the
rocks, rendered eafy of accefs, improved to a
degree of convenience, and maintained in a
^ certain ftate of prefervation, will fugged fimilar
ideas, of proteftion from the birttreft inclemen-
cies of the fky, and even of occafional refrefli*
ment and repofe ; but we may venture; flill fur-
ther ; a mill is of necellity often built at fomc
diftance from the town which it fupplies ; and
here it would at the fame time apply the water
to a ufe, and encreafe its agitation. The dale
may befides be made the haunt of thofe animals,
fuch as goats, which are fometimes wild, and
fometimes doipeftic; and which accidentally
appearing, will divert the mind froco the fenfa-
H tions.
[ 98 ]
tions, natural to the fcene, but not agreable it
continued long without interruption. Thcfc.
and fuch other expedients, will approximate the
fcvereft retreat to the habitations of men, and
convert the appearance of a perpetual baniih*
ment, into that of a temporary retircnient from
fociety.
But too ftrong a force on the nature of the
pdace always fails; a winding path which ap*
pears to be worn, not cut, has more tScGt th;ui
a high. road, all artificial and level, which is (oo
weak to overbear, and yet qontradids the gene-'
r^l idef : the bbjeds therefore to be introduced
flfiuft be thofe which hoW a mean betwixt foli-
tude and population ^ and th^ inclination of that
choice towards either extreme, (hould be direft-
cd by the degree of wildneis which prevails j
for though that runs fometim^s to an «xcefs
which requires correAion ; at other . times it
wants encouragement ; and at all times it ought
to be preferred : it is the predlMninant charac-
ter of rocks, which mixes with every other, and
to which all the appendages muft be accof^mo-
dated ; and they may be applied, fo as greatly
to encreafe it : a licentious irregularity of wood
and of ground, and a fantaftic conduft of the
ftreams, neither of which would be tolerated in
the midft of cultivation, become and improve
romantic fpots j even buildingSj-partly by their
ftyJe,
[99 ]
ftyle, biK ftUl more by their ppfition, in ftraflge,
^iflxcujt, or dangerous fuuations, diftinguiflj
^pd aggravate the native extr^avagancie3 of th?
fcenc.
in the choice and the application of thcfe ac-
comp;^jjAip[>c^ts, cpnfifts al] our power over rocks i
^ey arc themfelves too vaft and tgo ftubborn
to fubaijt t9 our contrpul j but by the ^ddltioi^
pr reipaval of the appendages which we .f;a,a
jcommand, parts rnay_be^ (he\yn or' concealed^
gnd thi? charaders with *their impreffions may
he w^al!:eaie;d f^ enforced : to adapt the accomr
panio^nts accordingly, is the utmoft ambitio^
of art when rocks are the fubjeft.
Their moft diftinguilhed charafters are, /%-
pityy terrpr^ zxxA fancy : the ^xpreffions of all ar^
jGonftar^ly wild ^ and Ibmetimes a rocky fcene
is only jwild, without pretenfions to any particor
liar character.
X3CXVI. That which inJpires ideas of grea^
jiefe, as diftinguiflied f4*om thofe of terror, has
lefs wildnefs in it than any ; there is a compp-
fure in dignity, which is difconcerted by quick
.tranfiftions,, and the flutter of variety ; a fuccef-
lion therefore of nearly the fame fornis, a repe-
tition of them one above the other, do not dcn
/^gate from an ,effeiH:, which depends more on
the e:|(itept than the changes pf the fcene: the
H 2 dimcn-
i too ]
dimenfions which are neceffary to produce that -
fefFedt, contradt the room for variety ; the parts
muft be large ; if the rocks are only high, they
are but ftUpendous^ not majeftic: breadth is
equally cffential to their greatnefs 5 and every
flender, every grotefque ftiape, is excluded.
Art may interpofe to fliew thefe large parts
to the eye, and magnify them to the imagina-
tion, by taking away thickets which ftretch
quite acrofs the rocks, fo as to difguife their
dimenfions 5 or by filling with wood the fmali
intervals between them j and thus by conceal-
ing the want, preferving the appearance of con-
tinuation.
When rocks retire from the eye down a gra-
dual declivity, we can, by raifing the upper
ground, deepen the fall, lengthen the perfpec-
live, and give both height and extent to thofe
at a diflance : this effedt may be ftill encreafed
by covering that upper ground with a thicket,
which fhall ceafe, or be lowered, as it defcends.
A thicket, on other occafions, makes "the
rocks which rife out of it feem, larger than they
are ; if they ftand upon a bank overfpread with
fhrubs, their beginning is at the leafl: uncer-
tain j and the prefumption is, that they ftart
from the bottom.
Another ufe of this brufhy underwood is to
ctonceal the fragments and rubbifli which have
. fallen
[ loi ]
fallen from the fides and the brow, and which
are often unfightly. Rocks are feldom remark^
able for the elegance of their forms^ they are
too vaft, and too rude, to pretend to djelicacy j
but their fhapes are often agreable; and we
can zffeGt thofe fhapes to a certain degree, at
leaft we can cover many blemiflies in them, by
conducing the growth of fhrubby and creep-
ing plants about them.
For all thefe purpofes mere underwood fuf-
fices; but for greater effedts larger trees arc
requifitcj they are worthy of the fcene-, and
not only improvements, but acccffions to its
grandeur; we are ufed to rank them among
the nohlefl objeds of nature ; and when we fee
that they cannot afpire to the midway of the
heights around them, the rocks are raifed by
the comparifon. A fingle tree is, therefore,
often preferable to a clump ; the fize, though
really lefs, is more remarkable: and ckinips
are befides generally exceptionable in a very
wild fpot, from the fufpicion of art which at-
tends them ; but a wood is free from that fuf-
picion ; and its own chara^er of greatnefs re*
commends it to every fcene of magnificence.
On the fame principle, all the confideration
which can be, fliould be, given to the ftreams j
no number of little rills are equal to one broad
river j and in the principal current, fome va-
H 3 ricties
rieties may be faccificed to impdrtaiic* ; hmi
degree of ftrcngth (hould always be prefervcd i
thi Water, though it needs hot be furiouS^ rtiuft
ftot be dull,; for drgnity, when moft fcfene, ii
not languid ; and fpace will hardly alcwle fait
teant of animation,
Thetharaftef, however, of greatnefs, whert
diveftfed of terror, is placid ; rt does not;
therefore, exclude marks of inhabitants, though
it never requires them to tame its WlldftSfs ;
and without inviting. It occafionally idmits an
intermixture of vegetation ; if eveii nHoi^s of
buildings intended only to decorate the fcene •
but they muft be adequate to it, b6th in fiiC
and in charafter : and if cultivation i^ intro-
duced, that too fhould be conformatble to th^
i'eft J not a fingle narr6w p^tch cribbed out of
the wafte ; but thfe eonfihes of a country flidv-^
tng into the vale, and fuggfefting the idea of ex*
tent; nothing trivial ought to find admittance j
but on thfe other hand, the charafter is not vio*
lated by a mixture of agreablenefs ^ith ith
graindeur j and far kfs is tttravagance fe^ired
to fupport it : ftrange fhapes in extraordinary
pofittons i enormous weights unaccountably fuf^
taihed : trees rooted in the fides, and torretats
raging 4t the foot, of the rocksj are, i^t the
bell, needlefs exceffes: there is a temperanc*
in dignity^ which is rather hurt by a- wanton
violence
t 103 1 ^
violence on the comnion order of nature j great
objedts alone, great in their dimenfions and in
their ftyle, are amplj^ fufficient to fatisfy and
to fill the mind; when thefe fail, then, and
then only, we are apt to have recourfe to won-
der, in order to excite admiration.
Many t>f the circumftances which have been
mentioned concur at * Matlock Bath, which is
iituated in a vale near three miles long, fhut
up at one end by a riling moor, and at the
other end by vaft cliffs of rock : the entrance
into it is hewn through one of them, and is in*
deed a noble rude portal to afcene of romantic
magnificence. One fide of the valley is a very
high range of hill, rough with bulhes, and
great blocks or ledges of ftone i the other fide
is waftied by the Derwent, and chiefly of rocks ;
which, however, are often interrupted by fteep^
declivities of greenfwerd, large thicket^, and
gentle defcents of fine fields from the adjacent
country. The rocks fometimes form the brow,
fometimes they fix the foot, and fometimes thefy
break the fides of the hill; at the high Tor
they are an hundred and twenty three yards
above the water ; in other places they are no
more than an abrupt bank of a few feet to the
river j for the moft part they are nearly per-
• In Dcrbylhire.
H 4 pcn^
, L ^04 ]
pendicular, falling in fcveral ftagcs, or in one
vaft precipice from the top to the bottom ; but
though fimilar in Ihape, they are widely differ-
ent in their conftruftion 5 in one place they are
irregularly jointed 5 in another morediniformly
ribbed; in a third. they form a continued fur-
face, from the fummit to the bafe; and fre-
quently they are compofed of enormous maflbfc
of ftonc heaped upon each other. From fome
fuch fcene probably was conceived the wild
imagination in antient mythology of the giants
piling Pelion upon Offa : in this, all is vaft 5
height, breadth, folidity, boldncfs of idea,
find unity of ftyle, combine to form a charac-
ter of greatnefs, confiftcnt throughout, not
tiniform, unmixed with any littlenefs, unallayed
with any extravagance. The colour of the
rocks is almoft white j and their fplcndor is en-
hanqcd in pfiany places by ivy and fingle yew
trees appearing amongft them : the intervals
between them are generally filled with a bruftiy
Vnderwood, which diyerfifies and embelliftics
the fcene very beautifully 5 but for want of
large trees adds nothing to its grandeur 5 there
are few of any note throughout the vale ; the
l3e{t are in ^ fmall wood near the bath ; but
^hey are not adequate to the magnificence of
^he objecfts around them, to the fteeps of the
Jiillj the loftinefs of the rocks, and the chars^c-
. ter
[ 105 ]
ter of the Derwent. Thaf^charader is, indeed,
rather too ftrong for the place ; in fia, and ia
the direftion of its courfe, the river is exadly
fuch as might be, wifhed ; but it is a torrent, in
which force and fury prevail ; the cafcades ia
it are innumerable ; before the water is reco-
vered from one fall, it is hurried down another;
and its agitation being thus encreafed by re-
peated (hocks, it puflies on with reftlefs vio-
lence to the next, where it dafhes againft frag-
ments of rocks, or foams among heaps of ftones
which the ftream has driven together. The
colour all along is of a reddifli brown ; eveii
the foam is tinged with a dufky hue: and where
there are no cafcades, ftill the declivity of the
bed prcferves the rapidity, and a quantity of
little breakers continue the turbulence of the
current. Many of thefe circumftances are cer-
tainly great ; but a more temperate river, roll-
ing its full tide along with ftrenjgth and acti-
vity, without rage ; falling down one noble <:af-
cade, initead of many ; and if animated fome-
times by refiftance, yet not conftantly ftrug-
gling with obftruftions, would have been more
confiftcnt with the fedate fteady dignity of thefe
noble piles of rock, whofe brightnefs, together
with the verdure of a vigorous and luxuriant,
though humble vegetation, and fome appear^
jinces of culture, give to the whole an air of
chcarfuj
r to6 ]
thefllfal krenityj which is difturbed by the im*
pfstuofity of the Derwent.
XXXVII. This river would be better fuited
to a fcene charaflerifed by that terror, which
the combination of greatnefs with force infpire%
and which is animating and interefting, from
the exertion and anxiety attending itl The ter-
JOTS of a fcene in nature arc like thofe of a. dra-
matic reprefentation i they give an alarm ^ but
the fenfations are agreeable, fo long as they are
kept to fuch as are allied only to terror, un-
mixed with any that are horrible and difguft-
tog; art may therefore be ufed to Ifeighcen
ikem^ to difplay the objeds which are diftin-
guiflied by greatnefs^ to improve the circum-
ftances which denote force, to mark thofe which
intimate danger, and to blend with all, here and
there a caft of melancholy. \ -
Greatnefs is as cfiemial to the chara,(9:er of
terror as to that of dignity ; vaft* efforts in little
objeds are but ridiculous; nor can force be
fuppofed upon trifles incapable of refiftance ; on
the other hand it muft be allowed, that exertion
and violence fupply fome want of fpace ; a rock
wonderfully fupported, or threatening to fall,
acquires a greatnefs from its iituation, which it
has not in dimenfions ; fo circumftanced, the
iize appears to be monftrous : A torrent has a
con-
I ^07 3
cdofe^nee ivhkh a pkcid ri^efy «f cqniX
breadth cannot precend w i and a tfed whleR
would be mconfiderable in the natural foil, be^
tomes important when k burfts forth from a
roek»
Such eircumftancei (hbuld be always indu&
ttioufly fought for ; it may be worth while to
tut down ftveral trees, in order to exhibit ond
apparently rooted in the Hone. By the remov^
{>erhaps of bnly a little bfufh wood; the alarm-
ing pofition of a rock, ftrangely undermined,
rivctted, or fafpended, may be ihewn 5 and if
there be any foil above its brow, fome tree*
planted therci and impending over it, will make
the obje& ftill m<»-e extraordinary. Aft to the
ilreams, great alterations may generally be made
in them; and therefore it is of ufe to afcertain
the fpecies proper to each fcene, becaufe it is
in our power to enlarge or contrad their dimen-
fions ; to accelerate or retard their rapidity ; to
form, encreafe, or take away obftruAions ; and
always to improve, often to change, their cha-
rafters.
Inhabitants furniih frequent opportunities to
ftrengthen the appearances of force, by giving
intimations of danger. A houfe placed at the
edge of a precipice, any building on the pinna-
cle of a crag, makes that fituation leem formi*
dable, which might otherwife have been unnd*
ticcd I
^*
C io8 ]
ticed ; *a fteep, ui icfelf not very remarkable,
becomes alarming, when a path is carried aflant
up the fide ; a rail on the brow of a perpendi*
cular fall, {hews that the height is frequented
and dangerous ; and a common fpot-bridge
thrown over a cleft between rocks, has a ftill
jlronger efFeft. In all thefe inftances, the ima-
gination immediately tranfports the fpeftator
to the fpot, and fuggefts the idea of looking
down fuch a depth ; in the laft, that depth is a
chafm, and the fituation is dircftly over it.
In other inftances, exertion and danger feem
to attend the occupations of the inhabitants ;
•Half way down
Hangs one that gathers fampMre ; dreadfpl trade !
is a circumftance chofen by the great matter of
nature, to aggravate the terrors of the (bene he
dcfcribes. Mines are frequent in rocky places j
and they are full of .ideas fuited to fuch occa-
fions. To thefe may fometimes be added the
operations of engines ; for machinery, cfpecially
when its powers are ftupendous, or its eifedls
formidable, is an effort of art, which may be
accommodated to the extravagancies of nature.
A fcene at the * New Weir on the Wye,
which Jin itfelf is truly great and awful, fo far
* Near a place called Symonds's Gate^ between Rofs and
from
[ 109 ]
from being difturbed, becomes more intcrtft-
ing and important, by the bufinefs to which it
is dcftined. It is a chafm betv«rc€n* two high
ranges of hill, whith rife almoft perpeftdicu-^
larly from the water ; the rocks on theiides are
moftly heavy maffcs; and their colour is gene*
rally brown ; but here and there a pale craggy
Ihape ftarts up to a vaft height above the reft,
unconnefted, broken, and bare: large trees
frequently force out their way amongftthcm;
and many of them ftand far back in the covert,
where their natural dtifky hue is deepened by
the fhadow which overhangs them. . The river
too, as it retires, lofes itfelf in woods which
clofe immediately above, then rife thick and
high, and darken the water. In the midft of
all this gloom is an iron forge, covered with a
black cloud of fmoak, and furroundcd with
half-^burned ore, with coal, and with cinders;
the fuel for it is brought down a path, worn into
fteps, narrow and fteep, and winding among
precipices ; and near it is an open fpace of bar-
ren moor, about which are fcattered the h^ts
of the workmen. It ftands clofe to the cafcade
of the Weir, where the agitation of the current
is encreaCed by large fragments of rocks, which
have been fwept down by floods froni the banks,
or fliivcred by tempefts from the browi and the
fuUen found, at ftated intervals, from the ftrokes
of
i no 1
of the great hammers in the forge, deadens the
row of the water-faJl. Juft below it, while the
rapidity of the ftream ftill continues, a ferry i^
carried acrofs it ; and Ipwer down the jS^ermea
qfe little round boats^ called truckjes, the rer
jpain3 pexh^s s)f the ancient 3ritilh navigar
tion, which the leafl: motioo will overfet^ 31x4
fhe flighted tXMjch may deftrpy. All the cmr
pJoymeuts of the people feem tp reqjiirc cither
j:x?rtk)n w caution -, and ^he ideas of fiwrcc or
.of da^iiger which att^d thapi^ give to the jTceme
on awnation unknown to^ folitary,4hcn;igh perr
fe^Iy compatible with the wildeft romantic I|r
KUfttipos.
But m?rks of inhabit9X)ts muft not be carried
to <;he length of cultivatioq, which is too inil4
for the fuggednefs of the place^ and hashefide3
an air of chearfulnefs inconfijfteiu with rhe chzr
ft2&cr oH X^xot *s a Uttle ipdinacioi) towards me-
lancholy i$ generally accepcable, at jeaft to the
exclufion of all gaiety^ itntd beyond that point,
fo far as to throw juft a tuige of gk)om upQO the
fcene* For this pmpoie, the objedts whofe co-
lour is ofafcure Ihould be :prefel:red y and th?^
which are too bright may be thrown intp fha-
dow ; the wood may be thickened, and the dark
greens abound in it ; if it is necef&rily .th.i9>
yews and fliabby firs ihould be fcattercd about
it *, and fometimes, to ihew a withering or ^
dead
L III. J
d^d trc€, it may for a fpace be clewed -entirely
awfljr. All fach circumftanccs are acquifixipas,
if they can be had withoiit <ietripafent (9 ;bej
priiKipftl chara<aer 5 for it nnift ever be ijerpeW;
bered, that where terror prevails^ melancfeoiy
i9 but a ieco];idary <;oiifideration*
XXXVIU. The different fyoclps of «>^fepj
often n>eet in the lian[>e pl^e,: ag^d conj^fe^ji;
noble fce^, vhigh is not d«ftingui<htjd -by mt^
particular <:hara(9ier ; it i$ o©ly whofli <3^; «mi?:
nendy prevail, that it defery^ ftjch a pse^:
ference a^ to ejKclude every och?f. §onaetimet
^ (pot, reaiarkaJble fotr n^tiufig but its wildnoTpt.
is highly romastic 5 ,and whpn:ttii5^iW(ne6rifw,
to fancy, when tfec m^ft fingirfar, the owft 9p-i
polite forpis and combinations am thrown toge?
ther, the^ a mixture alio of feve^al charad^e^.
adds to. the number of inft^iKies .which, t^r^
concur to diiplay the iqie^hauftibtle variety of
nature.
So much variety, fo much fancy, ar^e feldoin
found .within ^tbe fame efteat as in DDvodale*^
it is about two miles in length, a decip, narrojv^
bdUow valley ; both the Gdes are of mck # aa4
the Dove in its paflagc bctweea them is perp^t
Hually changing its courfe, its motion,. and ap^^
pearance. It is never l::k than -cen^ uor fo mwcli
.♦ Near Aflibourne in Derbyfliire,
as
tS twenty yards wide,, and generally a,bout fbaf
feet deep ; but tranfparent to the bottom, ex- ^
cept when it is covered with a foam of the
pureft white, under water-falls which are per-
fcftly lucid: Thejfe are very numerous, but very
different; in fome places they ftretch ftrait
acrofs, or allant the flream y in others they are
only partial ; and the water either dalhes againft
the Hones, and leaps over them j or pouring
along a deep, rebounds upon thofe below;'
ibmetimes it rufhes through the feveral open-
ings between them; fometimes it drops gent-
ly down; and at other times it is driven back by
the obftruftion, and turns into ari eddy. In
one particular fpot, the valley almoft clofing,
leaves hardly a paffage for the river, which pent
up, and Itruggling for a vent, rages, and roars,
and foams, till it has extricated itfelf from the
confinement. In other parts, the ftream, tho*
never languid, is often gentle; flows round a
little defart ifland, glides between aits of bul-
tufhes, difperfes itfelf among tufts of grafs or
of mofs, bubbles about a water-dock, ^r plays
with the flender threads of aquatic plants which
float upon the furfacp. The rocks all along the
dale vary as often in their ftrudure, as the
ftream in its motiofi ; intone place an extended
furface gradually diminiQies from a broad bafe
almoft to an edge; in another, a heavy top
hang-
r
hanging forwards, ^overfhstdows all beneath}
fometimes many diiFerent fhapes are confufedly
tumbled together ; and fometimes they are
broken into flender (harp pinnacles, which rife
upright, often two or three together, and often
in more numerous clutters. On this fide of
the dale, they are univerfally bare; on the
other, they are intermixed with wood ; and the
vaft height of both the fides, with the parrow-
nefs of the interval between them, produces a
further variety; for whenever the fun (hinca
from behind the one, the form of it is diftinftly
and completely cafi upon the other ; the rugged
furface on which it falls diverfifies the tints 5
and a ftrong reflefted light often glares on the
edge of the deepeft fhadow. The rocks ne-
ver continue long in the fame figure or fitua-
tion, and are very much feparated from each
other: fometimes they form the fides of the
valley, in precipices, in ftecps, or in ftages;
fometimes they feem.to rife in the bottom, and
lean back againft the hill ; and fometimes they
ftand out quite detached, heaving up in cum-
brous piles, or ftarting into conical fiiapes, like
vaft fpars, an hundred feet high; fome are
firm and folid tbropghout ; fome are cracked ;
and fome> fplit and undermined, are wonder-
fully upheld by fragments apparently unequal
to the weight they fuftain. One is placed be-
l fore.
t "4 ]
fpte^ oni Over another ; and one fills at tomt,
diftance behind an interval between two, Thcr
changes in their difpofition are infinite ; every
fiiep produces Come new combination ; they ard
continually croffing, advancing, and retiring r
the breadth of the valley is never the fanm
forty yards together ; at the narrow pafs which
has been mentioned, the rocks almofb meet mm
the top, and the fky is feen ^ thi^gh a chink
between them : juft by this gloomy abyfs, is a
wider opening, more light, more verdure, more
chearfulnefs, than any where elie in the dalc^
l^or are the forms and the Ajtoations of the
rocks their only variety; many of them are
perforated by large natural cavities; fome of
which open to the fky ; fome terminate in dark
rcccfles ; and through fome are to be feen fevc*
ral more uncouth arches, and rude pillars, all
detached, and retiring tx^yond each other, with.
the light Ihining in between them, till a rock
far behind them clofes the peripeftive : the
noife of the cafcades in the river echoes amongft
them; the water may often be heard at the
fame time gurgling near, and roaring at a dif-
tance ; but no other founds difturb the filence
of the fpot ; the only trace of men i^ a blind
path, but lightly and but feldom trodden, by
thofe whom curiofity leads to fee the wonders
they have been told of Dovcdal*. It fcems,
indeed.
r
C »5 ]
indeed) a fitter haunt for more ideal beings;
the Whole has the air of enchantment ; the per-
|)etual fliiftirig of the fcenes ; the quick tranli-
^ lions ) the total changes $ then the forms all
around, grotefque as chance can caft, wild aa
nature can produce^ and various as imagina*-
tion can invent ; the force which feems to have
been exerted to place feme of the rocks where
they are now fixed immoveable ; the ma-
gick by which others appear ftill to be fuf-
pended^ the dark caverns ; the illuminated re-
cess 5 the Seating fiiadow^, and the gleams of
light glancing on the fides, or trembling on the
ftream j and the lonelinefs and the ftillnefs of
the place, all crouding together on the mind,
almofl: realize the ideas which naturally prcfent
themfelves in this region of romance and of^
fancy.
The fblitude of fuch a fcene is agreable, on
account of the cndlefs entertainmenc which 'its
variety affords, and in the contemplation of
which both the eye and the mind are delighted
to indulge : niarkfe of inhabitants and cultiva*
tioii difiiurb that folitude ; and ornamental
buildings are too artificial in a place fo abfo-
lutely ftiee from reftraint. The only accompa-
niments proi3ier'for it are wood and water ; and
by tbefe fometihies improV^ements may be made:
when two ^ftcks fimilor in Ihape and pofitioa
1 2 are
[.
1
C "6. 3
are near together, by fkirting one of them with
wood, while the other is left bare, a material
diftin&ion is eftablilhed between them ; if the
ftreams be throughout of on€ charafter, it is
in our power, and fliould be our aim, to in*
troduce another. Variety is the peculiar pro-
perty of the fpot, and every acceffion to it is a
valuable acqui(ition« On the fame principlct
endeavours (hould be ufed not only to multi^
ply, but to aggravate di£ferences, and to cri-
creafe diilinftions into contrafts : but the fub-
je£t will impofe a caution againfl: attempting
too much. Art muft almoft defpair of improv-
ing a fcene, where nature feems to have exerted
her invention. . .
Of BUILDINGS.
XXXIX. Buildings are the very reverfc of
rocks. They are abfolutcly in our power, both
the fpecies and the iituation ; and hence arifes
the cxcefs in which they often abound. The
delire of doing fomething is ftronger than the
fear of doing too much : thefe may always be
procured by expence, and bought by thofe
who know not how to choofe ; who confider
profufion as ornament ; and confo^ind by num^
t)cr inftead of diftinguilhing by variety.
Buildings probably were firft introduced into
gardens merely for convenience, to afford re-
fuge
r
t U7 ]
fuge from a fuddea fliower, and Ihelcer againft
the wind; or, at the mod, to be feats for a
party, or for retirement : they have fince been
converted into objefts; and now the original
ufe is too often forgotten in the greater purpofes
to which they are applied \ they are confidered
as objefts only ; the infide is totally negleded ;
and a pcwnpous edifice frequently wants a Voom
barely comfortable. Sometimes the pride of
making a laviih difplay to a vifitor, without
any regard to the owner's enjoyments 5 and
ibmetimes too fcrupulous an attention to the
ftyle of the ftrudlure, occafions a poverty and
dulnefs within, which deprives the buildings of
part of their utility. But in a garden they ought
to be confidered both as beautiful objeAs, and
as agreable retreats; if a charaAer becomes
them, it is that of the fcene they belong to,
not that of their primitive application: a Gre-
cian temple, or a Gothic church, may adorn
fpots where it would be afFeftation to prefervc
that fglemnity within, which is proper for
places of devotion ; they are not to be exafl:
models, fubjefts only of curiofity or ftudy ;
they are alfo feats ; and fuch feats will be little
frequented by the proprietor ; his mind muft
generally be indifpofed tp fo much fimplicity,
and fo much gloom, in the midft of gaiety,
rifiJIinefsj and variety. ;
I ? . BMt
C >i« 1
But though the interior of buildings ihould
not be difrcgfirded, it is b^ their exterior that
they become ^lyeSsy said fomctiines. by die
one, fometimes by the oth^r, and fometimes
by both, they are intitled to be confidered as
cbaraSiars.
XL. As objefts they are defigned either ta
difiinguijh^ or to breaks or to adorn^ the fcenes to
which they are applied.
The differences between one wood, one lawo^
one piece of water, and anodier, arc not al-t
ways very apparent; the feveral parts of a
garden would, therefore, often feem fimilar, if
they were not difiinguilhed by buildings \ but
thefe are {o obfcrvable, fo obvious at a glance^
lb eafily retained in the memory, they mark the
fpots where they are placed with fo much
ftrcngth, they attradt the relation of' all around
with fo much power, that parts thus diftin«»
guiHied can never be conibunded together. Yet
it by no means follows, that, therefore, every
fcene muft have its edifice : the want of one i^
fometimes a variety ; and other circumftanccs
are often fufficiendy charaderiftic ; it is only
when thefe too nearly agree, that we muft have
recourfe to buildings for differences -/we can in-
troduce, exhibit, or contraft them- as we plcafe;
the mofi ftriking objedt is thereby made a mark
of
C '19 ]
pS d^^ftion $ and the force of this firft in>
fjp^ffion prevents our obferving the points of re^
^^o^blance.
. T^c uniformity of a view may be broken by
Aaiilar means, a^d on the famie principle : wh<;«
A Hfride ^eath, a dreary moor, or a continue^
plain is p profped, objeds which catch the
py^^ fuppjy thfi want of variety; none are f^
sSe&udl for this purpqfe as buildiqgs. Flanta^
jcions or water can have no very fenfible efi:e<51^
Ifnleis they ^re large or numerous, and alinoft
f ha^ge the charafter of the fcene ; bi^t a fm»H
pngle buildifig diverts the attention at once
from thefameiiefs of the extent; which it breaks,
^t does' not divide; and diverfifies, without
akef'ing its nature. The deiign, however»
mviftnot bf apparent; the merit of a cottagp
applied to this purpofe, confifts in its htifig
free frgp^> th^ fufpicion ; and a few trees meajr
it will both enlarge the objed, and account fof
its po^t^Qn : Ruins are a hackneyed device im*
paediately detected, unlefs their ftyle be fi^gur
ji^r^ pr their dimendons extraordinary. The
jemblapce of an ancient Britifh monument might
):>e adapted to the fame end, with little trouble^
;and great fqccefs ; the materials might bp
brick, or even timber plaiftercd ovcf^ if ftonc
jcpuld i^ot eafily be procured : whatever they
jvere, the fallacy would not be difcernible ; it
1 4 i*
[ "o. ]
^ an objeA to' be feen ^c a diftance, rude afid
}arge, and in charader agreable to a wild open
view: but no building ought to be introducM^
which may not in reality belong to fuch a fitua"^
tion; no Grecian temples, no Turkifti mofques,
no Egyptian obelifks or pyramids, none im-
ported from foreign countries, and unufual
fiere 5 the apparent irtifice would deftroy an cfi
feft, which is fo nice as to be weakened, if ob-
jefts proper to produce it are difplayed with too
much oftentation, if they feem to be contri-
vances, not accidents, and the advantages of
their pofitioi) appear to be more laboured than
natural.
But in a garden, where objefts are intended
/only to adorn, every ipecies of architefture may
t)C admitted, from the' Grecian down to the
Chinefe ; and the choice is fo free, that the mii^
thief moll to be apprehended j is an abufe of
this latitude in the mulppHcity of buildings.
Few fcenes can bear more than two or threes
In lome a fingle one has a greater efieft than
any number •, and a carelefe glimpfe here and
there, of fuch as belong immediately to diflFer-
ent parts, frequently enliven the landflcip with
Itiore fpirit than thofe which are induftrioufly
'ftewn* If the cffe£t of a partial fight, or a
iJiftant view,' were more attended to, many
j^gijc? mipht be filled^ without being croudedj
a greater
r
r m 3
"a greater ntitnber of buildings would be tole^
rated, yrhen they feemed to be cafual, not
Ibrced ; and the animation, and the richnefs of
obje^StSy might be had without pretence or dif^
play.
Too fond an oftentationof buildings, even
of thofe which are principal, is a common er*
ror; and when all is done, they are not alwaySs
Ihewn to the greateft advantage. Though their
fymmetry and their beauties ought iq general
to be diftindly and fully feen, yet an oblique
is fometimes better than a dired view; and they
are often lefs agreeable obje&s when entire, than
t¥hen a part is covered, or their extent is inter-
rupted i when they are bofomed in wood, as
well as backed byit^ or appear between the
ftems of trees which rife before or above them :
thus thrown into perfpeftive, thiis grouped and
accompanied, they may be as important as if
they were quite expofed, and are frequently
more pi£turefque and beautiful.
But a ftill greater advantage arifes from this
management, in conneAing them with the
fcene; they are confiderable, and different
from all around them ; inclined therefore to fe*
parate from the reft ; and yet they are fome-
times ftilt more detached by the pains taken to
exhibit them : that very importance which is
the caufe of the diftinftion, gught to be a realbn
for
fir g4^4i4&9g4^t^^ ^^^ independence tp whic|i
il is pJitUF^ly prpfie, ^nd by which an qbja^
which ought to l)e a part of the wh^le, i& rcr
<luccd CO ^ mpre ijadiyidugl. An elevatpd is gc^
nerally a noble fituation ; when it is a poiqt^ or
a pinn^ck,; the ftruftare i«»y b(B ja conpnu^ion
of the afccnt; apd oa mapy occ^fion^, Ypmc
pam of die building imy defe^nd lower thssa
others, and multiply the appearances of ^cofi-
neftions but an edifice in the midfl: of M ex-
tended ridge, commonly feems naked, alone,
and impofed upon the iwow, not joined to it.
If wood to accompany it will pot grow there,
it had better be brought a little way down the
declivity, and then all behind, above, and about
it, are fo many points of CQnta£t, by which it
is incbrporated into the landfkip.
Accqmp^piments are ^mpprtant to a buiidr
ing ; but they iofe much of their effibft, whca
they do not appear to be cafual. A ht^^le mqunt
juft large enough for it ; a fmall piece of waeer
below, of no other ufe than to rjefleft it 5 and a
plantation clofe behind, evidently placed there
only to give it relief, are as artificial ^s the
ftrufture itfelf, and alienate it from the fcene
of nature into which it is introduced, and t^
which it ought to be reconciled. Thcfe ap-
pendages therefore (hould fee fo difpofed, and
(b conhcfted with »he adjacent parts, as to an-
fwer
f
I "3 3
fwer otiidr purpof^s, ttough applicable to this,
that they maybe bcmds of union, not marks of
difference ; aiid diac the fituation may appear
to^ have been ehofen, at the moft^ not mad^
for the buiiding.
In the choice of a fituation, that which (hews
the building beft; ought generally to be pre*
ferred; eminence; relief, and. every other advan-
tage which can be, ought to be giv^n to an ob->
jeft of fo much confideration : they are for the
moft part defireable, fometimep neceflary, and
exceptionable only when, inftead of rifing out
of the fcene, they arc forced into it j and a con-
trivance to procure them at any rate, is avowed
without any difguifc. There are, however, oc-
cafions, in which the moft teimpting advantages
of fituation muft be waved ; the general com*
pofition may forbid a building in one fpot, or
require it in another j at other times, the intc-
reft of the particular groupe it belongs to, may
cxa6t a facrifice of the opportunities to exhibit
its beauties and importance; and at all times,
the pretenfions of every individual objeft muft
give way to the greater effed of the whole.
XLI. The fameftrudure which adorns as an
objeft, may alfo be expre^ivc as a charafter j
where the former is not wanted, the latter may
be defireable i or it may be weak for one pur*
pofc.
X «24 ]
pofe, and ttrohg for the other; it may be gravc^
or gay ; magniScent, or fi0^>le ; and accord-r
ing to its ftyle, raay.ior ttiay /tot, be agrcablc to
the place it is appUfidto-,, htectecre confiftency
is not all the merit which buildingi can claim :
their chara6lcrsarp fdmetimes ftrong enough to
deUrmnei improve^ or . rorr/^ thafi of the. fcene ;
and they are fo co.nf^uo^s;'aii^,£>^iftingui(h^^^
that whatever forte they haye; is inimediaiely
and fenfibly felt> They ^re, fit therefore tq
makeafirfl: impreQioo; and when.a fcenc is
but faintly charafterifcd, they.jgiye at once a
traft which fpreads over the whol^,^and which jthe
weaker parts concur to fupport, though perhaps
fhey were not able to produce it.
Nor do they ftop at fixing an uncertainty, or
removing a doubt; they raife and* enforce a
character already marked : a temple adds d^g^
nity to the nobleft, a cottage fimpliciiy. to the
0>oft rural fcenes ; the lightnefs of a fpirc, the
aiririefs of an open rotunda, the fplendor of a
continued colonade, are leis orns^mental than
cxprelTive: others improve chearfulnefs into
gaiety, gloom into folemnity, and richnefs into
profusion : a retired fpot which might have been
pafied unobferved, is noticed for its tranquili-
fjy as foon as it is appropriated by ibme ftruc^
tiire to retreat; and the moft unfrequented place
ieems lefs fplitary thao one which appears to
' havQ
r
[ 1*5 ];
have beeh the haunt of a fingle individual, or
even of a fequeftered family^ and is marked hy
a lonely dwelling) or the remains of a deferted
habitation.
The means are the fame, the application of
idiem only is different, when buildiogs are ufed
to correfi: the character of the fcene 5 to enliven
its dulnefs ; to mitigate its gloom ; or to check
its extravagance ; and on a variety of occafions
to foften, to aggravate, or to counterad, parti-
cular circumftances attending it : but care mutt
be taken that they do not contradid coo ftrongly
the prevailing idea 5 they may leflcn the drcari-
nefs of a wafte, but they cannot give it amenii^^
ty ; they may abate horrors, but they will never
convert then into graces; they may make a
tame fcene agreable, and even interefting, not
romantic ; or turn folemnity into chearfulnefs,
but not into gaiety. In thefe, and in many other
inftanfccs, they correft the charafter, by giv-
ing it an inclination towards a better, which
is not very different ; but they can hardly alter
it entirely ; when they are totally inconfiftent
with it, they are at the beft nugatory.
The great effcfts which have been afcribe4
to buildings, do not depend upon thofc trivial
ornaments, and appendages, which are often
too much relied on ; fuch as, the furniture of a^
hermitage -, painted glafs in a Gothic church ;
and
C 126 ]
and fculpcure about a Grecian tetuple ; gro«»
tefque or bacchanalian figures to denote gaiety %
and deaths heads to fignify melancholy. Suth
devices are only defcriptive, not expreffive^ of
charader ; and Aiuft not be fubftituted in the
ftead of thoffe fu|)erior properties, the want of
which they acknowledge, but do not fupply:
they befides often require time to trace their
meaningi and to fee their application ; but the
peculiar excellence of buildings is, that their ef^
feds are inftantaneous, and therefore the itn-
preffions.they make are fofcible: in order to
produce fuch effe^bs, the general ftyle of die
ftrufture, and its pofition, are the principal
confiderations ; either o£ them will fometimes
be ftroflgly charafteriftic alone : united, their
powers are very great ; and both are fo impor-
tant, that if they do not concur, at leaft they
muft not contradid one another : the colour alio
of the buildings is feldom a matter t>f mdiffe^
rence ; that excellive brightnels which is too in«
difcriminately ufed to render them confpicuous^
is apt to difturb the harmony of the whole ;
fometimes makes them too glaring as obje&s $
and is often inconfiftent with their charadlers.
When thefe efiential points are fecured, fubordi-
nate circumftances may be made to agree with
them ; and though minute, they may not be
improper, if they are not affedled j they fre-
quently
C 127 ]
qnently mark a correfpondence between the
outfide^ and the infide of a building ; in tl\e
Tatter thejr are not inconfiderables they majr
there be obfcrvpd at leifure j and there they ex-
plain in detail the chara6^er Which is mpre gene-
rally expreffed in the air of the whole.
XLII. To enumerate the feveral buildings^
which may be ufed for convenience, or diftinc-
tion, as ornaments, or as chara<3;ers, would
lead me fair from my fubjeft into a treatife of
^chitedurc} for every branch of architedurc
furnifhes, on different occafions, objeds proper
for a garden ; and different fpecies may meet in
the fame compofition; no analogy exifls between
the age and the country, whence they are bor-
rowed, and the fpot they are applied to, except
in fome particular inflances; but in general,
they are naturalized to a place of the mofl im-
proved cultivated nature by their efFedts ; beau-
ty is thcir-ufe^ and they are^confiftent with each
other, if all are conformable uathe ftyle of the
fcene, proportioned to its exten v^aad agreeable
to its charader. On the other hand, varieties
more than fuificient for any particular fpot,
enough for a very extenfive view, may be found
in every fpecies ; to each alfo belong a number
of charafters : the Grecian architedure can lay
aftde its dignity in a ruitic building ; and the ca-
price
J>itce of the Gothic is fometimes not incompa**
tlble with greatnefs ; our choice therefore may
be confined to the variations of one fpecies^ or
range through the contrafts of many, as circum-
ftances, ^tafte^ or other confiderations (hall de--
termine*
The choice of fituations is al(b very free $
drcumftances which are requifite to particular
ftrudures, may often be combined happily with
others, and enter into a variety of compoii-
tions 5 even where they are appropriated^ they
may (till be applied in feveral degrees, and the
fame edifice may thereby be accommodated to
very different ftenes: fome buildings which have
a juft exprefllon when accompanied with proper
appendages, have none without them; they may
therefore be characters in one place, and only
objeds in another. On all thefe occafions, the
application is allowable^ if it can be made with*
out inconfiilency ; a hermitage muft not be
clofe to a road, but whether it be expofed to
view on the fide of a mountain, 'or concealed
in the depth of a wood, is almoft a matter of
indifference, that it is at a diftance from pub-
lic refort is fufficient : a caftle muft not be funk
in a bottom ; but that it fhould ftand on the ut-
mo(t pinnacle of a hill, is not neceflary; on a
lower knole, and backed by the rife, it may
appear to greater advantage as an obje6t ; and
be
[.149 1
be miKh more important to the general compo*'
fition : a tower,
Bofomed high in tufted trees,
has been feledcd by one of our grcateft poets
as a Angular beauty ; and the juftnefs of his
choice has been fo generally acknowledged,
that the defcription is become almoft proverbial j
and yet a. tower does not feem defigned to be
furroundecl by a wood ; but the appearance
may be accounted for 5 it does fometimes oc-
cur j and we arc cafily fatisfied of the propriety,
when the effeft is fo pleafing. Many build-
ings, which from their fplendor beft become
an open exppfurc, will yet be fometimes not
ill beftowed on a more fequeftered fpot, either
to charadterife or adorn it; and others; for
which a folitary would in general be preferred
to an eminent fituation, may^ occalionally be
objeiSls in very confpicuous pofitions. A Gre-
cian temple, from its pfrculiar grace dnd dig-
' nity^ deferves every diftihdtion ; it may, how-
ever, in the depth of a wood, be fo circum-
ftanced, that the want of thofe advantages to
which it feems entitled, will not be regretted,
A happier fituation cannot be devifed, than
that of the temple of Pan, at the • fouth lodge
on Enfield Chace. It is of the ufual oblong
* A villa belonging to Mr. Sharpe, near Barnet, in Midr
aiefw.
K form^
[ 130 1
form> cntompaffcd by a colonadej in dimcrw
lions, and in llyle, it is equal to a moft exten-
five landlkip ; and yet by the antique aad ruftic
ak of its Dorick columns without bafcs i by |
the chafttty of its little 6rnamei>t, a crook, a
pipe, and a fcrip, and thofe pnly ovqr the doors %
and by the llmplicity of the whole, both within
and without^ it is adapted with fo fnuch pro-
priety to the thickets which conceal it from the
view, that no one can wi& it to be brought
forward^ who is fcnfibic to the charms of the
Arcadian fcene which this building alone has
created. On the other hand» a very fpacious
field, or fbeep-walk^ will not be dilgraccd by
a cottage, a Dutch, barn, or a hay-ftack •, nor
win they, though fmall and familiar* appear to.
be inqonJGlderable or inlignifkant objefts. Num-
berkfs other inftaac.es might ^bc adduced to
prove the impoffibilicy of reftraiaing particular
buildings to particular fituations, upon any ge-
neral principles j the variety in their forms ia
hardly greater than in their application
XLIII. To this great variety muft be added
the many changes which may be made by the
means of ruins ; they are a clafs by themfelves^
beautiful as objefts, exprellive a^ chara<Slers,
^nd peculiarly calculated to conned with their
appendages into elegant groupes : they- may be
accom-
?
C tji ]
ftccommodated with eafe ta i^regulaihy of
ground, and their diforder is improved by it ;
tbey may be intimately blended with trees and
with thickets, and the in cerr option is an ad-
Tantage; for imperfection and €>bfcurity are
their properties ; and to carry the ima^natioa
to Ibmething grdaier than is fccn> , their effeft.
They may for any of thefe purpofes be fcpa-
Fsitttd into detachedi |>ieces ; conti^ity is not
neccOary, nor even the appearance of it, if the
relation bcprefervtd; bat ftraggling ruins havb
a bad efied, when* die feveral parts are equally
confiderable. There ibould be one large m^fs
to raife dn idea of greacnefs, ta attraA the others
abouQ ity and to be a common centre of union
to alt : the fmaUer pieces then mark the origi-^
nal dimenfions of one extenfive firu&ure-,. ^d
no longer appear to^ be the remains of feveral
Uttle buildings.
Ail remains excite an enquiry into the former
ftate of the edifioe,^ and fix the mind in a con*
temphttion on the ufr it was applied to ; befides
the chara(acr$ expreflfed by their ftyle and pofi-
tion, they fuggeft ideas which would not arife
from the buildings, if entire. The purpofes
of many have ceafed ; an abbey, or a caAle, if
compkte, can now be no more than a dwelling %
the memory of the times, and of the manners,
to which they were adapted, is preferved only
K2 iij
L i3« ]
in hiftory, and in ruins ; and ceitain fenlations
of regret, of veneration, or compaffion, attend
the recolledion : nor are thefe confined to the
remains of buildings which are now in difufe ;
thofe of an old manfion raife refieftions on the
domeftic comforts once enjoyed, and the an*
cient hofpitality which reigned there. What*
ever building we fee in decay, we naturally
contraft its prefent to its former date, and de-
%ht to ruminate on the comparifon. It is true
that fuch eflltfts properly belong to real ruins ^
they are however produced in a certain degree
by thofe which are fictitious ; the impreflions are
not fo ftrohg, but they are exaftly fimilar ; and
the reprefentation, though it does not prefenc
fafts to the memory, yet fuggefts fubjeds to
the imagination: but in order to afied the
fancy, the fuppofed original defign fliould be
clear, the ufe obvious, and the form eafy to be
traced ^ no fragments fhould be hazarded with-
out a precife meaning, and an evident connec-
tion ; none fliould be perplexed in their con-
ilru&ion, or uncertain as to their application*
Conjeftures about the form, raife doubts about
the exiftence of the ancient ftrudure ; thp mind
muft not be allowed to hefitace; it muft be
hurried away from examining into the reality^
by the exaftnefs and the force of the refem-
blance.
In
In the ruins of"^Tintern abbey, the origi-
nal conftruftion of the church is perfeftly mark-
ed 5 and it is principally from this circumftancc
that they are celebrated as a fubjedt of curiofity
and contemplation. The 'walls are almoil en-^
tire^ the roof only is fallen in ; but moft of the
columns which divided the ifles are ftill ftand-
ing 5 of tKofe which have dropped down, the
bafes remain, every one exadly in its place;
and in the middle of the nave, four lofty arches,
which once fupported the fteeple, rife high in
the air above all the reft, each reduced now to
a narrow rim of fl:one, but completely preferv-
ing its form. The (hapes even of the windows
are little altered •, but fome of them are quite
obicured, others partially (haded, by tufts of
^ ivy, and thofe which are moft clear, are edged
with its flender tindrils, and lighter foliage,
wreathing about the fides and the divifions ; it
winds rounds the pijllars ; it clings to the wdls \
and ill one of the ifles, clufters at the top in
bunches fo thick and fb large, $s to darken the
; fpace below. The other ifles, and the gre^t
j ' nave, are expofed to the flcy j the floor is en-
[ tirely overfpread with turf; and to keep it clear
from weeds and buftxcs, is now its higbeft pre-
fervation. Monkifli tomrb-ftones, and the mo-
* Bfstweea Chepftowe and Monmouth.
K 3 nviment$
[ 134 1
numcnts of bcnefa^ors long fin<:e forgotttn,
appear above t;he grecflfwerd 5 the bafcs of the
pillars which have fallen, riie out of its add
maimed effigies, and fculptur^ wora with ^gc
and weather ». Gothic capitals, carved coroicest
and venous fragments, ar< fcattered about, or
lie in heaps piled tip together* Other fcattered
pieces, though disjointed 4nd njouldcring, ftiU
occupy thejf; original places 1 and a ftair«ca&
much iipp^rfd, which led to a tower now no
more, is fufpeaded ' at a grwt he^ht, uticat
vered and inaccelfible. Nothing is perfed ; but
memorials of every part ftil| fubfift; all cer-
uin, but all in decay ^ and fuggefting, at oxice,
every idea which can occur in a feat of devo-
tion, folitude, and defolation. Upon fuch mo-^
dels, fictitious ruins fliould be formed i and if
any parts are entirely loft, they (hould be fuch
as the imagination can eafily fupply from tho(is
which are ftill remaining. Diftindt traces of
the building which is fuppofed to have exifted,
arc lefs liable to the fufpicion of artifice, than
an unmeaning heap of confufion, Precifion is
always fatipfadlpry ; but in the reality it is only
agreablcj in the copy, it is eflcntial to the imi-
tatiom
A material circumftance to the truth of the
imitation, is, that the ruin appear to be very
old 5 the idea is befides intcrcfting in itfclf ^ a
mo-
mcmotnecit of anttquity is. nearer ieen mtk lA*
dtfibremci and a lembiance of age may be
given to^^e rcprtkntmtm^ by the hueiof the
imtenals^ the growch xsf ivy, ami othe^plants i
Md tracks ^d fragments ftemingly ocea£o{ied
rather by d^cay^ * tbati by d^ftruAion. An api
penda^ evidently lAore modern thaii iht pfita
eipal ftfiifhJi^ ^U fbndetimes corrobofsteth^
€tee6:% ^ fktd of a eoctagdr amidft the-te^
v^m nf a mtiple, U t <x>ntraft both to Sthe
ibirmerand tht prefent ft^ce of thebuildbgi
and a tree ^outilhing among ruinS) ixws tto
length of tittle they have kin rteglafted. , No
circumlt&nce fe forcibly matks the deibladbHiOf
k fpot oncd inhabited, as the prevaleHc^f fi»2
tureoverit :
CampOB ulia l^rdja fuft - - - '
Is a fentenci which conveys a ftfongef Idea df
a city totally overthrown, than a defcViptiSh of
its remains ; but in a rejirefehtation to thri eye,
fome remains muft appear ; and then the per^
vcrfion of th^m to an ordinary ufe, or ait inter-
mixture, of a vigorous vegetation, intimates*
fettled defpair of their reftoration.
Of A R T.
XLIV. The feveral cpnftituent parts of the
fcenes '^ nature having now been confidered^
K4 the
[ '3< 3
the next enquiry is into the particular prindple^
and circumftanceswhich may afFed chra:^ iKhen
they are applied to the fubjeds of ^rdeoing.
It has always been fuppofed that Orf muft then
interfere i but art was carried to occefs, when
fromr accejSbry it bjecame principal; and the
fuhjfS. upon which it was employ^, was
brougl^t undjer regulations^ lefs applicable to
that' than to any other; when grouiid» wood,
arid water, were reduced to mathematical fi^
gures; and iimilarity and .order were preferred
to freedom and variety. Thefe mifchiefs, how-
ever, were occ^fioqed, not by the ufe^ but the
pecverfion^of art; it excluded, inftead of im-
proving upon nature ; and thereby deftroyed
the very end it was called, in to promote.
. So flrange an abuie probably arofe from an
idea of fome nccefTary correfpondence between
^he nianfion, and the fcene it immediately com-
manded; the forms, therefore, of both were
determined by the fame rules ; and terraces,
canals, and avenues, • were but fo many varia-
tions of the plan of the building. The regu-
larity thus eftabli(hed fpread afterwards to more
•diftant quarters ; there, indeed, the abfurdity
was acknowledged, as * :^on as a more natural
difpofition appeared ;* but a prejudice in favour
of arc, as it is called, Jufi about the boufe^ ftill
remain§f If by the te rn], reguU^riiy, is ijicended,
the
theprhiciple is eqmlly applicable to tfaevici^
nity of any other buiidii^; and every temple
In the garden ought to hare it$ concomitant
formal flopes and plantatbns ; or the confer*
mtcy may be reyerfed^ and we may as reafonably
contend that the building ought to be irregu*
lar, in-order to^be confiftent with the &ene it
belong to« The truth is, diat both propofidons
are erroneoi^ i archite£tui:e requires fymmetry ;
the ofcgeds of nature freedom^ and the proper^
ties of the one, cannot with juftice be tranC-
ferred'to die other. But if by the term no
moite is meant than merely d^gn^ the difpute is
at an end) chdlce, arrangement, compofition,
improvement, and prcfervation, arc fo many
fymptoms of art, which may occafionally ap-
pear in Several parts of a garden, but ought to
be difplayed without refcrve near the houfe;
nothing there fhould feem negleAed ; it is a
fcene of the moft cultivated nati^re ; it ought
to be enriched ; it ought to be adorned; and
defign may be avowed in the plan, and expence
in the execution.
Even regularity is not excluded *, fo capital
a ftru&ure may extend its influence beyond its
walls ; but this power fhould be exer cifed only
over its immediate appendages ; the platform
upon which the houfe ftands, is generally con*
(inued to a pertain breadth on every fide ; and
whether
1
friHSthcr it.be paricneitt: cir gtihrd; ioitffriiii^
doobMcttjr caiiickk;wkh tlie:ihip^
B^. The road wiisdck lendi up to. the 4o&t
may fp off from it: m ao oq^ ught^ fa diat
the tiro iidet fhall txaSStif itorraCpoixl: and ccr*
taw ornamrats, though:. dmdiedv air .|iet i»*
ther withiii the proTinoe i>f irohitefibiircfthail
of gardcnaig ; wodbof ibu^cure arrnot^ likt
bttildiogs^ objeds familiar in fceasa of xvk^
imted nature «, but-v^afes, ftatucs^.and ijcrmifiS^
aM itfual appenda^s to a confiderabk edifice i
as futh they rwf attdnd the manfioo^ ^d.trd"^
|iaft a. little upon the gaftlen^ proraled they
alt not carried fo far into it as to lofe thein«on«*
aeftion« with the firo£ture. 'The piaafonn fnd
the road are alfo ^urtenances tooths houfei
all thdfe may tkerefbce.be adapted to itSfibrm}
and the environs will thereby acquire a ;d^ree
of regularity i btit M gi?e it to tbejobjofta of
nature, only on acoMOt of their proximi^ to
othert which are tateuldted to receive ity is, at
the beft, a refinement.
XLV; Upon the fame principlea regularity
has been requiitd in the aj^nxicbi and an ad&
ditional refiifon has been afflgned for ity that^the
idea of a (^t is^ thereby extended to a dillance }
but that may be done by other ineans than by
an avenue;. a {Private road is ciafily known; if
' carried
L ii5 J
csrHifcfi tfamugh gn^uods* or a pail:, itistrnnn
mordy rtty fippifent^ tven i& a Isne, hem and
there a bc»dk» a pnnted f^^ a foiali plaii^
ration, or any. <khm- Ikdie ornament^ t^iil fuffi**
ciently deoote it ; if the jnixaitce only be
marked, finaple pne&rvation iviil retain die im^i
preffion along die whole piogittfs; or the road
may wind through &veral femes diftingoifiittd
by objt&Sj or by an extraordinary degifte of
csaltiyation; atid then the length of cheway,
and the variety df improvements through which
h is condiifbed, may extttnd the appearance of
domain, and the idea of a feat, beyoaxi the
reach of any direfi avenue.
An avenye being confined to one terndiiir«
t|on, and excluding OTtry ^ view on the :£ufaf^
has a tedious fameneft throughout ; to be greats
k muft be dull ; and the objeS to which it hi
appropriated, is after all feldom ihewn to ad-«
vantage. Buildings, in general, do not appear
£b large, and are not fi) beautiful, when looked
at in front, as when they are feen from an ao«
gular ftation, which commands two (idea at
once, and throws them both into pcrfpedive :
but a winding laterd approach is free from
thefe objeAioQS; it n^ay befides be biotight up
to the houfe without disturbing any of the
views from it; but an avenue cuts the fcenery
diredly in two, and reduces all the profpeft to
a nar*
[ 140 3
ft ASOTOW vifta. A mere line bf perfpeSbivej
be tke extent vi^hat it may, will feldom com^
penfate for the lois of that fpace which it divides,
and of the parts which it conceals.
The approach to ^ Caverfham, though a mile
lA length, and not once in fight of the houfe,
till dofe upon it, yet can never be niiftaken
for any other way than it is s a pafTage only
duxHsgh a park is not introduced with fo much
diftinftion, fo precifely marked, or kept in
iiich prefervation. On each fide of the entrance
is an elegant lodge ^ the interval between them
is a light open palifade, croffing the whole
breadth of a lovely valley ; the road is con-
duAed along the bottom, continually winding in
natural eafy fweeps^ and prcfenting at every
bend fome new Icene to the view ; at laft it
gently flants up the fide of a little rife to the
manfion, where the eminence, which feemed
inconfiderable, is found to be a very elevated
fituation, to which the approach, without once
quitting the valley, h&d been infenfibly afcending,
all the way. In its progrefs, it never breaks
the fcenes through which it pafies ; the planta*
tions and the glades are continued' without in-
terruption, quite acrois the valley ; the oppofite
fides have a relation to each other, not anfwer-
ing, not contraftedy butconnefted; nor does the
• The feat of lord Cadogan, near Reading.
difpo-
[HI 3
diQ)o&tion ever Teem to have been made widi anf
attention to the road^ but the fcenes ftill belong
purely to the park; each of them is preferved
enure ; and avails itfelf of all the fpace which
tl^ fituation will allow. At the entrance the
dopes are very gentle, with a few large haw*
thorns, beeches, and oaks, fcattered over them ;
thefe are thickened by the peripedive as ch^
valley winds ; and juft at the bend, a lai^
clump ha^s on a bold afcent, from whence dif-
ferent groupes, growing gradually 4ds and kfi^
till they end in (ingle trees, ftretch quite away
to a fine grove, which crowns theoppofite brow:
the road pafles between the groupes, under a
light and loftf arch of afli \ and then opens up*
on a glade, broken on the left only by a fingte
tree; and on the right by feveral beeches ftand*
ing fo clofe togedier as to be but one in appear-
ance: this glade is bounded by a beautiful grove,
which in one part fpreads a perfed gloom, but
in others divides into different clufters, which
leave openings for the gleams of light to pour
in between them. It extends to the edge, and
borders for fome way the fide, of a collateral
dale, which retires flowly from the view ; and
in which the falls of the ground are more tame,
the. bottom more flattened, than in the princi-
pal valley ; the banks of this alfo near the jUnc-
tion, are more gentle than before ; but on the
r oppo-
[ 144 V
oppofiee (kkw the ftcq)6 an4 the dw»)^a i^
contboci and am^ngil: tbem ia a Snnkjookfi
from vhich deicend two or three groupes c^
large trees> feathating down ta the bottom, and*
by the pendency of their branehet favouring
the decUrity^ To theilr fuccseds an- open ipus6^
d if t tfjTic d ottly with a few Icattered tree; -^ and
h^ the midfk o£ h, fbme magnificent beeches
oimidii^ togedier,. owerfhadow th^ road^ whkh
b carried throv^h a; narrow, dackfoflM poffiige
befween them : fooci after it rifes/onder a thick
wood m the garden np ta the houir, where it
foddeiily burfts out tipo» a rich, and eatenfivtt
profped,. with the town and the churches of
Reading full in %ht, and the hilts of Windfipit
foreft in the horiaovir S4ich a view at the end
of a long aventte^ would have bt<fnv at the beft^
but a coflipen&tioa for the tedwoiiisik id dk
way I but here the apjuioach b a& ddtgbtful as
riiK termination's ^ct even in this, a ftmilarity of
ftyle may be &id to prevail ; but it has ^very
variety of open) planution&; and thefe are act
confufedty thrown together, but farmed inso
ftvirik kenesi, sdl of them partict^larly marked :
one t,s cfaaraAerifed'' by a gixwe; the next by
ctumps^ •, and oithevs by fitde gi^onpes, or fmgic
trees : the plaAcacioQ& ibmetimes oofer onty the
brow, and retire abng the t^p ftbm the view -,
ibmetime^ they hem to be fofpended on the
edge.
i m }
cdgp, or ^ fides, of th^ d^fccncs y, ia one place
the]^ leave the botcooi ck^i in u^i^xlbfiv cfocy
Qverfpre^: thfi whole vaUey ; tbk^ interval^ aic
ofton tole 1^ tl^iah lawns ; at ocfaer ume^ tliejF*
are no more than narrow glades \^e^^^ t^\
groves ; or only fmall openings in the midfl of
a placttauen; The gromd^ witboyr |3d|ig
bioken into diopiautiyct pajrcs, is caft in£cr aa
infu^ice namber of el^gaat%pes^ in.Qvevy gfat
4tition. from the moft gsemtle Opp^ ^o;^ ycr]f
precijpitase fall : the trees alfa ai^ of ftvcxal
kinds* anfl tiusiv Ihadows of various tmv \ .thofe-
of thf; l^Qsk'dkifi3sat% are d^rk; the beeches
ffMreadabeoadievkiHlei^glopQ^y obfcwity} and
they are* often ht vafl:« they iwell oat in a fuc**
ceffio^ of foch enarmovs jtnafles* thax, though:
contig^Q^ a dcep'flfiigde finks in betweea them,,
wd diftiq^ifiics each impiwf^ individual: fuch.
intervaJa att^e in fovie pl^foes fiUed up with other
fpecka; tbi9 maf les are of fo cxtraordiitary a fize^
than thfcy; do not dtppns iaecotfiderable^wfaetD
chifc to the foreft trees ; IsDge haivthorns, fame
oaks,, aactin ooie part aiaay» perhaps sooinun}^
Uines^ the ren»ios of ibrnttr.airenues^ ave. inter*
mKKcd; and amongfl: aU theie c&ea ril]b the
talieft afliy whofe lighctir fioihge only dsec|iicfa
the tiirf beneath, whtk timn peculiar hue diver-
iifies the gpcens* oC the groupes they belong to.
After f qnflsemtiig the htautiesof this approach*
and
t J44 1
and refle£ling that they are confined withitl ^
narrow valley, without views, buildings or wa*
ler,. another can hardly be conceived ' fo defti-
tute of the means of variety, as to juftify the
lamenefs of an avenue.
XLVI. If regularity is not entitled to a pre-
ference in the environs or approach to a houfe,
it will be difficult to fupport its pretenfions to a
place in any more difianl parts of a park or a
garden* Formal fl6pes of ground are ugly ;
right or circular lines bounding water, do not
indeed change the nature of the element; it ftili
letains fome of its agreeable properties ; but
the fhape giiren to it is difgufting. Regula-
rity in plantations is lefs ofFenfive; we are
habituated, as has been already obferved, to
ftraight lines of trees, in cultivated nature ; a
double row, nieeting at the top^ and forming-
a complete arched vifta, has a peculiar effed i
other regular figures have a degree of beauty;
and to alter or to difguife fuch a difpofition,
without deftroying a number of fine trees, which
eannot well be fpared, may fometimes be dif-
ficult ; but it hardly ever ought to be chofen
in the arrangement of a young plantation.
Regularity *ras, however, once thought ef-
fimtifl to every garden, and every approach;
and it yet remains in many. It is ftill a cha-
racter.
t 145 3
rafter, denoting the neighbourhood of a gen-,
tleman's habitation ; and an avctiue as an ob-
jeft in a view, gives to a houfe, otherwifc ki-
confiderable, the air of a manfion. Buildings
which anfwer one another at the entrance of an
approach, or on the fides of an opening, have
a fimilar efFed •, they diftinguifli at once the
precinfts of a feat from the reft of the country.
Sqmc pieces of fculpture alfo, fuch as vafes and
termini, may perhaps now and then be ufed,
to extend the appearance of a garden beyond
its limits, and to raife the mead in which they
are placed above the ordinary improvements of
cultivated nature. At other times they may be
applied as ornaments to the moft polilhed lawns ;
the traditional ideas we have conceived of Ar-
cadian fcenes, correfpdnd with fuch decora-
tions ; and fometimes a folitary urn, infcribed
to the memory bf a perfon now no more, but
who once frequented the (hades where it ftands,
is an objedl equally elegant and interefting.
The occafions, however, on which we may;
with any propriety, trefpafs beyond the bounds
of cultivated nature, are very rare ; the force of
the charafter can alone excufe the artifice avow-
t ed in exprefiing it. •
Of'
i I4M
Of PICTURESQUE BEAUTY.
XLVII. But regularity can never attain to
a great fliare of beauty, and to none of the fpe-
cies called pi£lurefque\ a denomination in ge-
neral expreflive of excellence, but which, by
being too indifcriminately applied, may be
fometimes produdbive of errors. That a fub-
jcQ: is recommended at leaft ta our notice,
and probably to our favour, if it has been dif-
tihguifhed by the pencil of an eminent painter,
is indifputable J we are delighted to fee thofe
objcfts in the reality, which we are ufed to ad-
mire in the rcprefentation ; and we improve
upon their intrinfic merit, by recollefting their
efFcfts in the picture. The greateft beauties of
nature will often fuggeft the remembrance ; for
it is the bufinefs of a landfkip painter to (cleft
them ; and his choice is abfolutely unreftrain-
ed J he is at liberty to exclude all objcfts which
may hurt the compofition ; he has the power of
combining thofe which he admits in the moft
agreable manner j he can even determine the
feafon of the year, and the hour of the day, to
fhew his landft^ in whatever light he prefers!
The works therefore of a great matter, are fine
exhibitions of nature, and an excellent fchool
wherein to form a tafte for beauty 5 but ftill
their
f ^+7 ]
xhcii: authpr^tiy is. not abfolutc ; the/ muft be
ufed only as iludies» not as podels ; for a pic-
cure and a fcene .in i;murp, ^tl^oiigh they agree
ia mspy, yet differ in ifirnCr garticukrs, which
muft always be takica i^^ confidoration, before
we can decide upon the circumitances which
niay be transferred from the one to the other.
In their ^men/ions the diftinclion is obvious ;
the fame obie(Efcs on different fc^es have very
different effcdls; thofe. which feena monftrous
on the one, may appear diminutive on the
other ; and a form which is elegant in a fmall
objeft, may be too delicate for a large one*
Befides, in a canvafs of a few feet, there is not
room for every fpecies of variety which in nature
is pleafing. Though the charaderiftic diftinc-
tion of trees may be marked, their more mi-
nute differences, which however enrich planta-
tions, cannot be expreffed ; and a multiplicity
of epclofures, catches of water, cottages, cattle,
and a thoufand other circumftanccs, which en-
liven a profpeft, are, when reduced into a nar-
row compafs, no better than a heap of confufion.
Yet, on the other hand, the principal objefts
muft often be more diverfified in a pifture than
in a fcene ; a building which occupies a confi-
derable portion of the former, will appear
fmall in the latter, when compared p the fpacc
all around it •, and the number of parts which
L 2 may
L hM
fhay be necelTary to break its (amenefs in th^
one, will aggravate its infignificance in the
other. A tree which prefents one rich mafs
of foliage, has fometimes a fine efiefb in nature;
bur when painted, is often a heavy lump, which
can be lightened only by feparating the boughs,
and (hewing the ramifications between them.
In fevcral other inftanccs the objeft is frequent-
ly affeded by the proportion it bears to the ac-
tual, not the ideal, circumjacent extent.
Painting, with all its powers, is ftill more
unequal to fome fubjeAs, and can give only a
faint J if any ^ reprefenfaiion of them ^ but a gar-
dener is not therefore to rejeft them j he is not
debarred from a view down the fides of a hill,
or a profpedt where the hbrrizon is lower than
the ftation, becaufe he never faw them in a pic-
ture. Even when painting exafbly imitates the
appearances of nature, it is often weak in con-
veying the ideas which they excite, and on which
much of their eficft fometimes depends. This
however is not always a difadvantage ; the ap-
pearance may be more pleafing than the idea
which accompanies it ; and the omifiion of the
one may be an improvement of the other;
many beautiful tints denote difagrceable circum-
ftances; the hue of a barren heath is often finely
diverfifi^d; a piece of bare ground is fome-
times overfpread with a number of delicate
ihades ;
r
[ U9 J
fkades^ and ytt wfc prirfer a more uniform 9tr*
dure CO sdl their variety* In a pidure, the fe*
y«al tints which occur in nature may be blende
ed, and retain only their beauty, without fugr^
gefting the povjerty of the foil which occafions
them$ but in the reality, the caufe is moro
powerful than thp^efFed ; we are lefs pleaf^
with the (ight) than we are hurt by the reflect
tion I md a ny>ft agl^e^able mixture pf colours
may prefent no other idea than of drearinefs and
fterility. . .
On the other hand, utility will fometimes fup^
ply the want pf beauty in the reality, but not
in a pifture. In the former, we are never to-
tally inattentive to it; we, are familiarifed to th$
marks of it ; aftd we allow a degree «(P merit t(»
an objed which has no oth^ recommehdtitlQif.
.'A-rcgular building is generally more agreeable
tna icene than in a pidure ; and an adjacent
^piatform,' if evidently convenient, is tolerable
in the one; it is always a right lide po much
inthepther. Utility is at the leaft an excufe,
when it is real ; but it is a^ idea never included
in the reprefeniation. ;
Many more inftanccs might be alledged to
prove, that the fubjeds for a painter and a gar-
dener are not always the fame *, fome which are
ftgreable in the reality, lofe their effed in the
imitation; and others, at the beft, have lefs
L3 ' merit
[ ?5o ]
merit in a fccne than in a pidlurfe. The term
pidUrefque is therefore applicable only to foch
objefts in nature, ad, after allowing for the
differences between the arts <if painting atid df
gardening, are fit to be ferHrted into groapes^
or to filter iftio a compofiiiofeV where tTie fcve-
ral parts have a relation to each other i and in
oppofitiori to thofe which tnif be fpread abroad
ill detail, and have no merit t>iit as individuals.
Of C H A R A C J E R.
XLVIIL Character is Very rcGOndleabfe
with beauty ; and even wheA {dependent of it,
has attrafted fo much regard, as to occafion fc-
veral frivolous attempts to produce it-, ftatue^
infcriptionsi and even paftltings; hiftory and
mythology, and a variety of dievices have been
introduced for this purpofel 'The heathen dei-
ties and heroes have! therefore! had their fcveral
places afligned to them, in the woods* and the
lawns of a garden-, natural ciaCfades have been
disfigured with river gods ; and columns ercft-
cd only to receive quotations; the comparti-
ments of a fummcr-houfe have been filled with
pictures of gambols and rebels, as fighificant of
gaiety; the cyprefs, bedacife it-was once ufed
in funerals, has been thought peculiarly adapted
%q melancholy ; and the decwations, the furni-
^ . tur?.
<s
i 151 1
01 tttce> and the environs of a building have been
i crpuded with puerilities, under pretence of pro-
K pricty. All thcfe devices are rather emblematical
i than expreOive j they may he ingenious contri-
\ yances, and recal abfent ideas to the recollec-
tion ; but they make no immediate impreffion }
] for they mufl be examined, compared, perhaps,
I explained, before the whole, defign of them is
well underflood : and though an allufion to a
favourite or well-known fubjedl of hiftory, poe-
try, or of tradition, may now and then animate
or dignify a fcene, yet as the fubjeft does not
n^uraUy belong to a garden, the allufion fhould
lK>t be principal ; it fhould fcem to have been
fuggcfted by the fcene 5 a tranfitory image,
which irrefiftibly occurred i not fought for, not
laboured ; and have the force of a metaphor,
free from the detail of an allegory.
XLIX. Another fpecies of cbarafter arifes
from direct mUatiott% when-^ fccne, or an ob-
jeft, which has been celebrated in dcfcription,
or is familiar in idea, is reprefented in a gar-
den. Artificial ruins, lakes, and rivers, fall
under this denomination ; the air of a feat ex-
tended to a diftance, and fcenes calculated to
raife ideas of Arcadian elegance, or of rural
fimplicity, with many more which have been
Qccafionally tocntipned, or will obvioufly oc-
L4 cur,
[ 152 }
cur, may be ranked in this clafs ; they are aU
reprcfcntations -, but the materials, the dlmcR*-
fions, and other circumftances, being the fame
in the copy and the original, their efiefts are
fimilar in both ; and if not equally ftrong, the
defeft is not in the refemblance ; but the con-
fcioufnefs of an imitation, checks that train of
thought wljich the appearance naturally fug-
gefts; yet an over- anxious foUicitude to dif»
guife the fallacy is often the means of expofing
it; too many points of likenefs' fometimes
hurt the deception; they feem ftudied and
forced ; and the affeftation of refemblance dc-
ftroys the fuppofition of a reality. A her-
mitage is the habitation of a reclufe ; it fhould
be diftinjguiflied by its folitude, and its fimpli-
city ; but if it is filled with crucifixes, hour-
glafies, beads, and every other trinket which,
can be thought of, jhe attention is diverted
from enjoying the retreat to examining the par-
ticulars ; all the collateral circumftances which
agree with a charafter, feldom'meet in one fub-
jed ; and when they ^re ipduftrioufly brought
together, though each be natural, the collec-
tion is artificial
The peculiar advantages which gardening
has over other imitative arts, will nor, how-
ever, fupport attempts to introduce, they ra-
ther forbid the introduflion of charaders, to
, which
C 153 3 '
which the fpace is not adequate. A plain lim«
pie fields unadorned but with the common ru*
ral appendages, is an agreable opening ; but if
it is extremely fmall, neither a hay-ftack, nor
a cottage, nor a ftile, nor at>ath, nor much
lefs all of them together, will give it an air of
reality. A harbour on an artificial lake is but
a conceit : it raifes no idea of refuge or fecu<*
rity ; for the lake does not fuggeft an idea of
danger^ it is detached from the large body of
water ; and yet it is in itfblf but a poor inconfi-
fiderable bafin, vainly afFeAing to mimick the
majefty of the fca. When imitative charac-
ters in gardening are egregioufly defective in
any material circumftance, the truth of the
others expofes and aggravates the failure.
L. BtJT the art of gardening afpires to more
than imitation: it can create original charac-
ters, and give expreflions to the feveral fcenes
fuperior to any they can receive from allufions.
Certain properties, and certain difpofitions, of
the objcfts of nature, are adapted to excite
particular ideas and fenfations : many of them
have been occafionally mentioned ; and all are
very well known : they require no difcernment,
examination, or difcuffion, but are obvious at
a glance, and inftantaneoufly diftinguifhed by
our feelings. Beauty alone is not fo engaging
4S
M tftis fpecks of cbani^eri tbe tmpr^fllotiy i(
makes ate more tran&eat Jtfid Icis intereftiiig ;
ibr it aims only at delightiiig the eye, biit the
other afl^s our fenfibiljty. An aflfemblage
of the nioft elegant fornjs in the bappieft fitu-
ations ia to a d^ree. indifcrimin^tc, if they
haiie not been f(le^4 ^nd ^rraaged with a de-
fignto\ produce certain, eicpi^efliops ^ an air of
magnifiQence» or of fimplicity, of. chfarfuU
nefs, tranquility^ or fome other general cha-
nider» ought to pervade the wh^le; aiyd ob-
jedb pleafing in themfelves, if they coacradid
that charade^ Ihould therefore be exd\idcd ^
thofe vikkb %te only indi&rent muft fometioies
make roooK for'fuch; %s are more fignificant^
many vill often be intrpduced for no ot}ie^ me-
rit than their expreffion ; and fome which are
in general rather difj^reeable, may occafionally
be recommended by it. ^arrennefs it&lf may
be an acceptable circumftance in a ipot dedii-
cated to fplitude and melancholy.
The pow^sr of fuch charaftcrs is not con-
fined to the ideas which the objeds immedi-
ately fuggeft) for theie are conaeded with
ethers, which infenfibly lead to fubjeds^ far
diftant perhaps from the origitul thought, and
related to ic only by a limilitude in the fenfa-
tions they excite. In a profped, enriched and
enlivened with inhabitants and cultivation, the
attention
atten^on ts eai^Ht at &t& by the circan^ncet'
which are gayeft in their ^foa, the bloom of
an orchard, the feftivity of a hay-field, and the
carols of harveft-home ; but the chearfulnefs
which thefe infufe into the mind, expands af->
teirwards to other objefts than. th<^ cimfnedi-
ately prefented to the eye ; and we are thereby
difpofed to receive, and defighted to ptirfue, a
variety of pleafing ideas, and every benevolent
fieding. At the fight of a ruin, reflections on
the change^ the decay, and the defolation be*
fore us, naturally occur ; and they introduce a
lotig fucceffion of others, all tindured with
tl^at melancholy which thefe have infpired : o?
if the monument revive the memory of former
times, we do not ftop at the fimple fa6t which
it records, but recolle& many more coseval cir*
cumftances, which we fee, not perhaps as they
were, but as they are come down to us, vene*
rabl^ with age, and magnified by fame; even
without the affiftance of buildings, or other
adventitious circumftances, nature alone fur-
nifties materials . for fcencs, which may be a-
dapted to almoft every kind of exprelfion 5
their operation is general; and their €onfe-*
quences infinite: the mind is elevated, deprefled,
or compofed, as gaiety, gloom, or tranquillity,
prevail in the fcene; and we foon lofe fight of
the means by which the chara^r is formed ;
we
we forget the panicular obje&s it prefent$i
and giving way. to their efiefts, without recur^
ring to the caufe, we follow the track they have
begun, to any extent, which the diipofition
they accord with will allow : it fuffices that the
icenes of nature have a power to afieft oqr ima*
gination and our fenfibility; for fuch is the
conftitution of the human mind, that if once
it is agitated, the emotion often fpreads far
beyond the occafion; when the palfions are
roufed, their courfe is unreftrained \ when the
fancy is on the wing, its flight is unbounded %
end quitting the inanimate objedls which firfl
gave them their fpring, we may be led by
thought above thought, widely difiering in de;
gree, but ftill cbrrefponding in charafter, till
vye rife from familiar fubjeds up to the fub-
limeft conceptions, and are rapt in the contem-
plation of whatever is great or beautiful, which
we fee in n^turj?, fee} in man, or attribute to
divinity.
Of the GENERAL SUBJECT.
LI. The fcenes of nature are alfo affeded
by the genera^ fubjeft to which they are ap
plied, whether that be a/tfn», zgarden^ zparh^
or a riding. Thefe may all indeed be parts of
on^ places they may border on each otl^er;
they
t 1^7 ]
they may to a degree be intermixed ; biit each
is ftill a character of fuch force, that which-
ever prevails, the propriety of all other cha*-
raflers, and of every fpecics of beauty, muft
be tried by their conformity to this : and cir-
cumftances neccflary to one, ma/ be incon-
Mencies in the reft; elegance is the peculiar
exceltence of a garden ; greatnefs of a park;
fimplicity of a farm ; and pleafantnefs of a riding.
Thefe diftinguilhing properties will alone ex-
clude from the one, many objefts which arc
very acceptable in the others; but thefe are
not the only properties in which they eflentially
differ.
A garden is intended to walk or to fit: in,
-which are circumftances not confidered in a
' riding ; a park comprehends alt the ufes of the
other two; and thefe ufes determine the pro*
porlional extent of each ; a large garden would
be but a fmall park ; and the circumference
of a confiderable park but a (hort riding. A
farm is in fome meafure denominated from its
fize ; if it greatly exceed the dimenfions of a
garden, fo that its bounds are beyond the reach
of a walk, it becomes a riding. A farm and
a garden hence appear to be calculated for in-
dolent, a riding for 2L&ive ^nlufements ; and a
park for both ; feats, tnerefore, and, buildings
for refrefhment or indulgence, ihould be fre-
quent
[ IS8 ]
qtient in a garden or a farm ; fliould fometim^i
occur in a park, but arc unncceflary in a
riding.
Within the narrow compafs of a garden,
there is not room for diftant effe3s\ on the
other hand, it allows of objects which arc ftrik-
ing only in ^Jingle point of view\ for we may
ftop there to contemplate them ; and an ob-
fcure catch, or a partial glimpfe of others, are
alfo acceptable circumftanccs, in the leifure of
a feat, or even in the courfe of a loitering
walk. But thefe arc loft in a riding, where the
pleafantnefs of the road, not of the (pot, is
the principal confideration ; and its greateft im-
provement is a diftant objeft, which may be
feen from feveral points, or along a confider-
able part of the way. Mnute beauties in gene-
ral may abound in a garden -, they may be fre-
quent in a farm ; in both we have opportuni-
ties to obfcrve, and to examine them; in a
park they are below our notice ; in a riding
they efcape it.
ProfpeSls are agreeable to either of the four
general fubjefts -, but not equally neceflary to
all. In a garden, or in a farm, fcenes within
themfclves are often fatisfaftory ; and in their
retired fpots an opening would be improper. A
park is defcftive, if confined to its inclofure ;
a perpetual fucceffion of home fcenes, through
fo
C t59 1
fo large an extent, wants yarfety; and fine
profpedls are circunlftances of greatncfs; but
they are not required in every part ; the place
itfelf fupplies many noble views •, and thcfearc
not much improved by a diftant rim, or a little
peep of the country, which is inadequate to the
reft of the compofition* A riding has feldotn
much beauty of its own^ it depends on 9bje&s
without for its pleafantncfsj if it only leads now
and th^n to a ftriking pointy and is dull all the
reft of the way, it will not be much frequented;
but very moderate views are lufficient to reader
its progrefi agreable.
By concealing therefore much of the pro-
fpefts, we deftroy'che amufement of a riding;
the view of the country Ihould not be hurt by
the improvements of the road. In a gairden,
on the contrary, continuation of ihade is very
acceptable ; and if the views be fomctimes in-
terrupted, they may ftill be caught from many
points; we may enjoy them there whenever we
pleafe ; and they would pall if conftantly in
fight. The beft fituation for a houfe is not
that which has the greateft command; a chear-
ful look-out from the windows is all that the
proprietor defircs; he is more fenfible to the
charms of the greater profpedts, if he fees them
only occafionally, and they do not become in-
fipid by being familiar \ for the fame reafon he
does
t i«o }
docs not wilh for them in every part 6f his gai*-
den; and temporary concealments give thent
frefli fpirit whenever they appear; but the views
of a riding are npt vifited fo often, as thereby to
lofc any of their effcd. Plantations therefore
in- a country (hould be calculated rather for ob-
jects to look at, than for (hades to pals through:
in a park, they may anfwer both purpofes ; but
in a garden, they are commonly confidered as
places to walk or to fit in : as fuch too they are
mod welcome in a farm ; but ftill the diftindion
between an improved and an ordinary farm be-
ing by no circumftance fo fenfibly marked, as
by the arrangement of the tre^s, they are more
important as objeds there than in a garden.
Though a farm and a garden agree in many
particulars connefted with extent, yet in ji^/f
they are the two extremes. Both indeed are
fubjcAs of cultivation ; but cultivation in the
one is bujbandry ; and in the other decoration :
the former is appropriated to profit, the latter
to plea/ure: fields profufely ornamented do not
retain the appearance of a farm; and an ap-
parent attention to produce, obliterates the idea
of a garden. A park is fometimes not much
hurt by being turned to account. The ^ufe of
a riding is to lead from one beauty to another,
and be a fcene of pleafure all the way. Made
avowedly for that purpofe only, it admits more
cm-
I i6i ]
embclliflitnent and <difl:in£tion, than an ordi-
nary .road through a farm.
Of a F A R M.
LIL Jn fpeculation it might have been ex-
pected that the firft effays of improvement
fliouM have been on a/^rw, to make it bbth
advantageous and delightful^ but the fa£): was
otherwife ; a fmall plot was appropriated to
pleafure; the reft was preferved for profit only i
and this may, perhaps, have been a principal
cauie of the vicious tafte which long prevailed
in gardens : it was imagined that a fpot fet a*
part from the reft fliould not be like them ; the
conceit introduced deviacions from nature, which
were afterwards carried to fuch an excefs, that
hardly any objefts truly rural were left within
the enclofure, and the view of thofe without
was generally excluded. The firft ftcp, there-
fore, towards a reformation, was by opening
the garden to the country, and that immedi-
ately led to affimilating them; but ftill the idea
of a fpot appropriated to pleafurc only pre-
vailed; and one of the lateft improvements
has been to blend the ufeful with the agreable %
even the ornamented farm was prior in time to
the more rural; and we have at laft returned to
fimplicity by force of refinemeqt.
M The
t l62 3
Tire ideas of paftord putty feem now to be
the ftandard of that fitnplicity; and a place
conforoiable to them is deemed a farm in its
utmofl: purity. An allufion to them evidently
enters into the defign of * the Leafowes,
where they appear fa lovely as to endear the ^
memory of their author; and juftify the rcpu*
tation of Mr. Shenftone, who inhabited^ Akadei
and celebrated the place ; it is a perfe6t pidure
of his mind» fimple, elegant, and amiable^
and will always fuggeft a doubt, whether the
fpot infpired his verlc \ or whether, in the fcenes
which he formed, he only realized the paftoral
images which abound in his ibngs. The whole
is in the fame tafte, yet full of variety ; and
except in two or three trifles, every part is ru-
ral and natural. It is literally a grazing farm
lying round the houfe \ and a walk as unaf-
feded and as unadorned as a common field
path, is conduced through the fevcral cndo-
fures.
Near the entrance into the grounds, this
walk plunges fuddenly into a dark narrow deU,
filled wich fmall trees which grow upon abrupt,
and broken fteeps, and watered by a , brook,
* In ShropfhirCy between Birmingkam and Stourbridge.
The late Mr. Dodfley publiflicd a more particular defcrip-
tion than is here given of the Leafowes; and to that the
reader is referred for the detail of thofc fcenes of which he
will here find only a general idea.
wl^ich
r
C 1^3 ]
"which falls ^rnong roots and flones down a na-
tural cafcade info the hollow. The ftream at
firit is rapid and open ; it is afterwards' con*
cealed by thickets^ and can be traced only by
its murmurs ^ but it is tamer when it appears
again ; and gliding then between little groupes
of trees, lofes itfelf at laft in a piece of water
juft below^ The end of this fequeftered fpot
opens to a pretty landfkip, which is very fim-
ple ; for the parts are but few, and alL the ob-
jedls arc familiar ; they are only the piece of . .
water, fome fields on an eafy afcent beyond it,
- jand the fteeple of a church above them.
The next fcehe is more folitary : it is con-
fined within itfelf, a rude neglefted bottom,
the fides of which are over-run with bullies
dnd fern, interfperfed with feveral trees.^ A
rill nuns alfo' through this little valley, ilTuing
from a wood which hangs on one of the decli-
vities ; the ftream winds through the wood in
a fucceffioh of cafcades, down a quick defcent
of an hundred and fifty yards in continuance j
alders and hornbean grow in the midft of its
bed i they fhoot up in feveral ftems from the
fame root; and the current trickles amongft
them. On the banks arc fome confiderablc
trees, which fpread but a chequered fhade, aad
let in here and there a fun-beam to play upoa j
the water : beyond them is a flight coppice,
M 2 juft 1
C 164 ]
juft fufficicnt to fkrecn the fpot from open view j
but it cafts no gloom -, and the fpace within is
all an animated (bene; the ftream has a pecu-
liar vivacity; and, the Angular appearance of
the upper falls, high in the trees, and feen
through the boughs, is equally romantic, beau-
tiful, and lively. The walk having paffcd
through this wood, returns into the fame val-
ley, but into another part of it, fimilar in it-
felf to the former ; and yet they appear to be
very different fcenes, from the conduit only of
the path ; for in the one, it is open, in the bot-
tom, and pcrfeftly retired ; in the other, it is
on the brow, it is fhaded, and it over-looks
not only the little wild below, but fome corn-
fields alfo on the oppofite fide, which by their
chearfulnefs and their proximity diffipate every
idea of folitude.
At the extremity of the vale is a grove of
large foreft trees, inclining down a deep decli-
vity ; and near it are two fields, both irregular,
both beautiful, but diftihguilhed in every par-
ticular : the variety of the Leafowes is wonder-
ful; all the enclofures are totally different;
there is feldom a fingle circumftance in which
they agree. Of thefe near the grove, the
lower field comprehends both the fides of a deep
dip: the upper is one large knole; the former
is cncompaffed with thick wood; the latter
is
[ 1^5 ]
is open ; a flight hedge, and a fcrpcntine ri-
ver, are all its boundary. Several trees, Cngle
or in gnoupes, are fcattered over the fwcUs of
the ground : not a tree is to be fecn on all the
fteeps of the hollow. The path creeps under
a hedge round the one, and catches here and
there only peeps of the country. It runs di-
rcftly acrofs the other to the higheft eminence,
and burfts at once upon the view.
This profpeft is alfo a fource of endlefs va-
*riety: it is chearful and extenfive, over a fine
hilly country, richly cultivated, and full of ob-
jcfts and inhabitants: Hales Owen, a large
town, is near-, and the Wrekin, at thirty tnilcs
diftance, is diftin£lly vifible in the horizon.
From the knole, wliich has been mentioned, it
is feen altogether, and the beautiful farm of
the.Leafowes is included in the landflcip. In
other fpots, plantations have been raifed, or
openings cut, on purpofe to (hut out, or let in,
parts of it, at certain points of view. Juft be-
low the principal eminence, which commands
the whole, is a feat, where all the ftriking ob-
jefts being hid by a few trees, the fcene is
fimply a range of enclofed country. This at
other feats is excluded, and only the town, or
the church, or the ftecple without the church,
appears. A village, a farm houfe, or a cot-
tage, which had been unobferved in the confu-
M 3 fion
[ j6e }
fion of the general profpedt, becotnes princi-
pal in more contrafted views 5 and the fanic
objefl: which at one place feemed exppfed and
folitary, is accompanied at another with a fore^
ground of wood, or backed by a beautiful
hill. The attention to every circumftance which
could diverfify the fcene has been indefatiga-
ble ; but the art of the contrivance can never
be perceived; the efFedb always feems acci-
dental.
The tranfitions alfo are generally very fud-,
den : from this elevated and gay fituation, the
change is immediate to fober and quiet home
views. The firft is a pafturc, elegant as a po-
liflied lawn, in fize not diminutive, and en-
riched with feveral fine trees fcattered over
ground which lies delightfully. Juft below it is
a little wafte, fhut up by rude ftceps, and wild
hanging coppices-, on one fide of which is a
wood, full pf large timber trees, and thick
with underwood. This receives into its bofom
a fmall irregular piece of water, the other end
of which is open ; and 4:he light there breaking .
in enlivens all the reft \ even,where trees over-
hang, or thickets border upon the banks, tho*
the reflcftion of the Ihadows, the ftillnefs of
the water, and ^the depth of the wood, Ipread
a compofure over the whole fcene; yet the
CQolnefs of it ftrikes no chill; the fhade fpreads
no
I
! . c '67 ]
I no gloom ; the retreat is peaceful and filent,
but not fplemn ; a rcfrcfhing fhclter from the
fcorching heat of noon, without fuggefting the
moft diftant idea of the damp and the darknefs
of night,
A rill mucli more gentle than any of the for-
mer, runs from this piece of water, through a
coppice of confiderable length, dropping here
and there down a Ihallow fall, or winding about
little aits, in which fome group^s of fmall trees
are growing. The path is condudcd along the
bank to the foot of a hill, which it climbs in an
aukward zig-zag ; and on the top it enters a
ftraight walk, over-arched with trees: but though
the afcent and the terrace command charming
profpefts, they are both too artificial for the
charader of the Leafowes. The path, however,
as foon as it is freed from this wftraint,^ recovers
its former fimplicity ; and defcends through fc-
veral fields, from which are many pretty views
of the farm, diftinguiftied by the varieties of
the ground, the different enclofures, the hedges,
the hedge-rows, and the thickets, which divide
them ; or the clumps, the fingle trees, and now
and then a hay-ftack, which fometimes break
the lines of the boundaries, and fometimes rfand
out in the midft of the paftures.
At the end of the defcent, an enchanting
^rove overfpreads a fmall valley, the abrupt
M 4 fides
[ i68 ]
fides of which form the banks of a lovely rivu^
let, which winds along the bottom : the ftfeam
rufhes into the dell by a very precipitate cafcade, ^
which is feen through openings in the trees,
glimmering at a diftance among the Ihades
which over-hang it : the current, as it proceeds,
drops down fevcral falls •, but between them it
is placid and fmooth ; it is every where clear,
and fometimes dappled by gleams of light;
' while the (hadow of every fingle leaf is marked
on the water J and the verdure of the foliage,
above, of the mofs, and the grafs, and the wild
plants, on the brinks feems brightened in the re-
fledion : various pretty clutters of open coppice
wood are difperfed about the banks -, ftately fo-
reft trees rife in beautiful groupes upon fine
fwelling knoles above them ; and often one or
two detached from the reft, inclinq, down the
flopcs, or flant acrofs the ftream : as the valley
delcends, it grows more gloomy -, the rivulet is
loft in a pool, which is dull, encompaffed and
darkened by large trees; and juft before the
ftream enters it, in the midft of a plantation of
yews, is a bridge of one arch, built of a dufky
coloured ftone, and fimple even to rudenefs :
but this gloom is not a black fpot, ill- united
with the reft ; it is only a deeper caft of fhade ;
no part of the fcene is lightfbme ; a folemnity
prevails over the whole j and it receives an ad-
ditional
^
r
V
. r i«9 ]
ditional: dignity from an infcriptjon on a fmall
obeliflc, dedicating the grove to the genius of
Virgil J near to this delightful fpot is' the firft
entrance into the grounds ; and thither the walk
immediately tend$9 along the fide of a rill.
But it would be injuftice to quit the Leai-
fowes, without mentioning one or two circum-
ftances, which in following the courfe of the
walk could not well be taken notice of. The
art with which the divifions between the fields
are diverfified is one of them •, even the hedges
are diftinguifhed from each other ; a commoa
quickfet fence is in one place the feparation ; in
another, it is a lofty hedge-row, thick from the
top to the bottom ; in a third, it is a continued
range of trees, with all their ftems clear, and
the light appearing in the intervals between their
boughs, and the .bufhes beneath them ; in others
thefe lines of trees are broken, a few groupes
only being left at different diftances ; and fome-
times a wood, a grove, a coppice, or a thicket,
is the apparent boundary, and by theni both
the ftiape, and the ftyle of the enclofures are
varied.
The infcriptions which abound in th.e place,
are another ftriking peculiarity 5 they are well
known, and juftly admired ; and the elegance
of the poetry, and the aptnefs of the quotations,
atone for their length and their number ; but in
general.
[ 170 J
general, infcriptions plealc no more than once;
thf utmoft they can pretend to, exqept when
their allufions are emblematical, is to point out
the beauties, or defcribe the eflfefls, of the fpots
they belong to } but thofe beauties and thofe
efFefts muft be very faint, which ftand in need
of the afliftance : inscriptions however to com-
memorate a departed friend, are evidently ex-
empt from the cenfure ^ the monuments would
be unintelligible without them ; an(| an urn in
a lonely grove, or in the midil of a field, is a
favourite embellifliment at theLeafowes; they
are indeed among the principal ornaoients of the
place ; for the buildings are moftly mere feats,
or little root-houfes ; a ruin of a priory is the
largeft, and that has no peculiar beauty to re-
commend it ; but a multiplicity of objeds are
unneceiTary in the farm j the country it com-
mands is full of them ; and every natural ad-
vantage of the place within itfelf has been dif-
covered, applied, contrafted, and carried to the
utmoft perfedion, in the pureft tafte,. and with
inexhauftible fancy.
Among the ideas of paftoral poetry . which
are here introduced, its mythology is not omit-
ed ; but the allufions are both to ancient and to
modern fables ; fometimes to the fayes and the
fairies; and fometimes to the naiads and mufes.
The objefts alfo are borrowed partly from the
fcenes
[ 171 1
f^nes which this country exhibited fbme cen^f
turies ago» and partly from thofe of Arcadia j
the priory, and a Gothic feat» (jtill more parti*
cularly charafterifed by an infcriptiod in obfo*
lete language and the black letter, belong to
the one ; the urns, VirgiFs obclilk, and a ruftic
temple of Pan, to the other. A^ thefe allu*
fions and objedts are indeed equally rural ; but
the images in an Englifh and a claflical eclogue
are not the fame; each (pedes is a diilinft imi**
tative charader 5 either is proper 5 either will
rBife the farm it is applied to above the ordi*
riary level ; and within the compafs of the fame
place both may be introduced i but they fliould
be feparate ; when they are mixed, they coun-
teradt one another; and no reprefentation is
produced of the times and the countries they
refer to. A certain diftrid ihould therefore be
allotted to each, that all the fields which belong
to the refpeftive charadlers may lie together;
and the correfponding ideas be prcfcrved for
. a continuance.
LIII. In fuch an affortmcnt, the more open
and polilhed fcenes will generally be given to
the Arcadian ihepherd ; and thofe in a lower
degree of cultivation, will be thought more
conformable to the manners of the ancient Britijb
yeomanry. We do not conceive that the country
in
1
C 172 ]
in their time was entirely cleared, or diftinftly
divided ; the fields were furrounded by woods,
not by hedges ; and if a confiderable traft of
improved land lay together, it ftill was not fe-
parated into a number of inclofures. The fub-
jefts therefore proper to receive this charafler,
are thofe , in which cultivation feems to have
encroached on the wild, not to have fubdued
it; as the bottom of a valley in corn, while the
fides are ftill overgrown with wood ^ and the
outline of that wood indented by the tillage
Creeping more or lefs up the hill. But a glade
of grafs thus circumftanced, does not peculiarly
belong to the fpecies ; that may occur in a park
or a paftoral farm : in this, the paftures fliould
rather border on a wafte or a common : if large,
they may be broken by ftraggling bufhes,
thickets, or coppices; and the fcattered trees
ihould be befet with brambles and briars. J^U
tbefe are circumftances which improve the
beauty of the place, yet appear to be only re-
mains of the wild, not intended for embellifh-
ment. Such interruptions muft however be lefs
frequent in the arable parts of the farm ; but
there the opening may be divided into feveral
lands, diftinguifhed, as in common fields, only
. by different forts of grain, Thefe will fuffi-
ciently break the famencfs of the fpace ; and
tillage does not furnifli a more pleafing fcene,
than
t 173 ]
than fuch a fpace fo broken, if the extent be
moderate, and the boundary beautiful.
As much wood is eflenual to the charafter, a
fpot may eafily be found, where turrets riling
above the covert, or fome arches feen withia
it, may have the femblance of a cafUe or an
abbey; the partial concealment is almofl: ne*
ceffary to both ; for to accord with the age,
the buildings muft feem to be entire; the ruins
cfthem belong to later days : the diiguife is
however advantageous to them as objects ; none
can be imagined more pidlurefque, than a tower
bofomed in trees, or a cloyfter appearing be*
tween the ftems and the branches/ Bti$,the fu-
perftitions of the times furnifh other oDJcfts,
which* iare more within compals ; hermitages
were then real ; folitary chapels were common;
many of the fprings of the country being deem-
ed holy wells, were diftinguiflied by little Go-
thic domes built over them ; and every hamlet
had its crofs ; even this, when perfeft, fet on a
little ruftic pillar, and that raifed upon a bafe
of circular fteps, may in fome fcenes be confi-
derable : if a fituation can be found for a May-
pole, whence it would not obtrude itfelf on
every view, that alfo might not be improper ;
and an ancient church, however unwelcome it
may be, when it breaks into the defign of a
park or a garden, in fuch a farm as this would
' be
t m }
he a fortunate accident ; nor would the old yevt
in the chUrch-yard be indifferent; it would be i
ftiemorial of the times when it was ufeful.
Many other objefts, fignificant of the man-
hers of our anceftors, might perhaps, upon re-
coUedtion, occur; but thefe arfe amply fuffii
cieht for a place of confiderable extent ; ahd
cottages muft abound in every age and everj^
country ; they may therefore be introduced iri
different forms and pofitions. Large pieces of
water are alfo particularly proper ; and all the
varieties of rills are qonfiftent with every fpeciei
of a farm. From the concurrence of fo many
agreable circumftances in this, be the force of
the effedl of the charader what it may, a hum^
ber of plealing fcenes may be exhibited either
in a walk or riding, to be contrafted to thofe,
which in another part of the place may be form-
ed on Arcadian ideas; or even to be fubftituted
in their^ftead, if they are omitted,
LIV. A part may alfo be free from either of
theie imitative charadters, and laid out in at
common fimple farfh; fome of the greatctt
beauties of nature are to be found in the fields^
and attend an ordinary ftate of cultivation; wood
and water may there be exhibited in feveral
forms and difpofitions ; we^may enlarge or di- .
vide the ehclofures, and give them fuch ihape^
and'
t 175 ]
and boundaries as we pleafe ; every one msqr
be an agreeable fpot 5 together they may com-
pofe beautiful views; the arable, the pafture^
and the mead may fucceed one another ; and
now and then a little wild may be intermixed
without impropriety; every beauty, in (hort,
which is not unuiual in an enclofed country^
whether it arife from negled or improvememj
is here in its place.^
The buildings alfo which are frequent ia
' fuch a country, are often beautiful objects; the
church and the manfion are confiderable ; the
farm-yard itfelf, if an advantageous fituatioa
be chofen for it ; if the ricks, and the barns^
and the outhoufes'are ranged with any defign td
form then! into groupes ; and they are properly
blended with trees; may be made a pi<5turefque
compofitibri. Many of them may be detached
from the groupe, and difperfed about the
grounds : the dove-cote, or the dairy, may
be feparated from the reft ; they may be
elegant in their forms, and placed where*
ever they will have the beft efFeft, A com-
mon barn, accompanied by a clump, is fome*
times pleafing at a diftance; a Dutch barn is fo
when near ; and a bay-ftack is generally an
agreeable circumftance in any pofition. Each of
theie may be (ingle; and befidesthefe, all kinds
of cottages are proper* Among fo many build-
ings,
[ 176 ]
iftgs, fortie may be converted to other purpdfcff
than their conftrudlion denotes ; and whatever
b© their exterior, may within be made agre*
able retreats, for refrelhment, indulgence, or
jQielter.
: With fuch opportunities of improvement,
even to decoVation, within itfelf^ and mth ad-*
vantages of profpeft into the country about it,
z fimple farm may undoubtedly be delightful ;
it will be particularly acceptable to the owner,
if it be clofe to his park or his garden ; the ob^
jeds which conftantly remind him of his rank,
impofe a kind of conftraint ; and he feels him-
felf relieved, by retiring fometimes from the
fplendor of a feat into the fimplicity of a farm ;
it is more than a variety of fcene j it is a tem-
porary change of Htuation in life, which has all
the charms of novelty, eafe, and tranquillity,
to recommend it. A place therefore can hardly
be deemed perfect, which is not provided with
fuch a retreat ; but if it be the whole of the
place, it feems inadequate to the manfion; a
vifitor is difappointed ; the matter is diffatisficd j
he is not fufficiently diftinguiflied from his te-
nants i he mifles the appendages incidental to
his feat and his fortune-, and is hurt at the fimi-
larity of his grounds with the country about
them. A paftoral or an ancient farm is a litde
above the common level i but even thefc, if
brought
r
brought clofe up to the door, fet tl^e houfe in A
fields where it always appears to be negleAed
and naked. Some degree of poUfh and orna-
ment is expefted in its immediate environs ; and
91 garden^ though it be but a fmali one, fhoUld
be inteipoled between the manfion and any fpe-
ciesof ^u-m.
LV, A fenfe of the propriety of fuch im-
provements about a fear, joined to a tafte for
the more fimpjc delights of the country, pro-
bably fuggefted .t;he idea of an ornamented f arm^
as the. means of ^bringing every rural circutn-
ilance within the verge of a garden. This idea
has bqen partially executed very often \ but no
where^ I believe^ fo <:ompletely, and to fuch
an extent, as at * Woburn farm. The place
contains an hundred and fifty acre$, of which
near five and thirty are adorned tp the higheft ,
degree;. of the reft, about two- thirds are in/
pafture, and the remainder is> in tillage : the
decorations are, however, communicated to
every part^^ for they are difpofcd along the fides
of a walk, which, with its appendages^ forms a
broad belt round the grazing grounds ; and is
continued, though on a more contracted fcale,
through the arable. This walk is properly
* Belongiog to Mrs. Southcote» near Weybridge in Surxy.
.N gar-
\
1
t «78 i
l^aitlen ; aH within it is farm i. the whole libs
on the two fides of a hill, and eh a- flat ac the
Ibor^ it : the flat is divided into corn-fields %
the pafl:ures occupjr the hillj they are ftir-
rounded by the walk, and -croHed by a coitn-
mwiication carried along the brow, which is
alfo richly drefied, and which divides them into
two lawns, each completely cncompafled with
garden.
Thefe are in themielves delightftil ; the
ground in both lies beautifully ; they are di-
verfified with clumps and fingle trees ; aixl die
-buildings in the walk feem to belong to them.
On the top of the hill is a large 'oiftagoh^ftmc-
ture; and not far from it, the ruin of a thapel.
To one of the lawns the ruin appeats, on the
brow of a gentle afcent, backed and grouped
wich wood I from theother is feefn the oftagon,
4ipon the edge of a fteep fail, and by the fide
of a pretty grove, which hiangs down the decli-
vity. This lawn is further embellifhed by a
neat Gothic building; the former by tfie houfe,
and the lodge at the entrance % and in both,
other objects of lefs confequence, little feats, al-
coves, and bridges^ continually occur.
The buildings ai^ not, however, the only
ornaments of the walk ; it is Ihut out from the
^puntry) for a confiderable length of the w;iy,
by* a thick and lofty hedge-row, which is en-
riched
r
t m 1
tichtd Wilh umaoAbitie^ jefiamine, and evtrf
^dt4f0reus phnti wbofe lendrih will entwjiac
iwth' the thicfett. A pftth, genet aHy of And
t^r^atd^ is cofndttCted in a waviiig linc^ fomc-
times Hctofe ilRider i«be liedgev focnedfnes at u
littte diftawee from k; artd the tt)if <)n either
Aand is cBveffified witSi Kttle groupes of fliAibs,
of fits, or the fMiAleft trees; and often witli
beds of flowers j thefc are rather too profufelf
ftrewed, and hurt the eye by thefr Iktlenefles ;
butliien they teplenifh the air with their per-,
fumes, and every gale is foil of fragnancyv/ In
ibme parts, %owevcr, the decoration is. more
chaftc; and the walk is cirried between larger
dumps of evergreens, thickets of deciduous
fltrubs, or fttU n^ore confiderahle open planta-
tions. In one place it is entirely fimplc, with-
out any appendages, any gravel, xjr any funk
fence to feparate it from the lawn, and is diftin-
gutfiied only by the nchnefs of its verdure, and
the nicety of its prefervation : in the arable
part it is alfo of grecnlwerd, following the di-
reClibn of the hedges about the feveral cnclo-
fures; thefe hedges are fometinies thickened
with ftewring Ihrubs^ an4 in every corner, or
vacant fpace, is a r^Iary, a clofe or an open
•clump, or a bed of flowers : but- if ifhe parterre
lias been rifled for the cmbeHiibment of the
fields, the country has on th? other hand been
N 2 fearched
I »8» )
fearched for plants new in t ^urdea; ajidclie
ihrubs and the flowers which qied to be deemed
peculiar to the one, have been liberally tranf-
ffrred to the other; while their number feeids
multiplied by their arrai^ment in fo niany and
fuch different difpo0tions. A more moderate
uieof them would, however, have been better,
and the variety more pleafing, had it been lefs
licentious.
. But the excefs is only in the borders of the
walk ; the fcenes through which it leads are
truly elegant, every where rich, and always
agreable. . A peculiar chearfulnefs overfpreads
both the lawns, ariling from the number and
the fplendor of the objcfts with which they
abound, the lightnefs of the buildings, t]tc in-
equalities of the ground, and the varieties of
the plantations. The clumps and the groves,
though feparately fmall, arc often mafled by
the perfpedbive, and gathered into conGderable
groupes, which arc beautiful in their forms,
their tints, and their pofitions. The brow of
the hill commands two lovely profpcds j the
one gay and extenfivc, over a fertile, plain, wa-
tered by the Thames, and broken by St. Ann's
Hill, and WindforCaftlc; a large mead, of the
moil luxuriant verdure, licijuft below the eye,
Ipreading to the banks of the river^ and beyond
it the country is full of farms, villas, and vil-
lages.
[ i8> 3
lages, and every mark of opulence and culciva*-
don. The other view is more wooded ; the
fteeple of a church, or the turrets of a feat,
fometimes ri& above the trees i and the bold
arch of Walton Bridge is there a confpicuous
objeft, equally Angular and noble. The enclo*
fures on the flat are more retired and quiet ;
each is confined within itfelf ; and all together
they form an agreable contrail to the open ex-
pofure above them.
With the beauties which enliven a garden,
are every where intermixed many properties of
a farm ; both the lawns are fed ; and tl\e low-
ing of the herds, the bleating of the (heep, and
the tinklings of the bell-wether, refound thro*
all the plaiiutions; even the clucking of pouK
try is not omitted ; for a menagerie of a very
fimple defign is placed near the Gothia build-
ing •, a fmall ferpcntine river is provided for the
water-fowl ; while the others ftray ampng the
flowering (hrubs on the banks, or (Iraggle about
the neighbouring lawn : and the corn-fields ire
the fubjefts of every rural employment, which
arable land, from feed-time to harveft, can fur-
ni(h. But though fo many of the circumftances
occur, the Qmplicity of a farm is wanting-, that
idea is loft in fuch a profufion of ornament ; a
rufticity of charafter cannot be prefervcd amidft
N3 • all
C l83: ]
all the elegant decoratioos wbkh may be Iavifii«-
ttd on a orardea.
Of a PA R K.
LVL A park aod a gardea are more nearly
allied, and caa therefore be a^^cQmoaodatfd to
eachother^ without aay^difpasragfinent to either.
A farm lofes lame of its chara^i^riftic pcDpe^
ties by the connexion, and the adyaotagcis^ oa
the part of the garden ^ but a pj|rk thw bor-
deredy retains all its own eiccelleticiea; they ar^
only enriched, not countecadedy, by the. i<iter«^
mixture. The moft perfe(£b compofitioo of at
place that can be imagiaed, can£ifts of a gardea
opeobg into a parl^ with a ihort walk through
the latter to a farm,, and ways along, its g^adea
to ridings in the country ; but to the farm andl
the ridings the park is oo more than apaflagpii
and its woods and its building are but circumr
ftances in their views ^ its fcenes can be comr
mvnicated only to the garden.
The affinity of the two fubjecls is fo elofff^
that it would be difficult to draw the exad line
of reparation between them : gardens hjiyc
lately encroached very much both in extent and
in ftyle on the charafter of a park 5^ but ftill
there are fcenes in the one, which are put of the
reach
C 183 ]
reach of the other; the finall fequeftened (pots
which are agreable in a garden^ would be trivial
ia a park f and the fpadous lawns which are
among the nobleft features of the tatter^ woul^'
in the former £sitigue by their want of variety i
even fuch as bemg of a moderate extent may be
admitted into either, will feem bare and naked,
if ws^ broken in the one ; and loie much of
their greame&y if broken in the other* The
proportion of a part to the whole^ is a mea«-
liire of its dhnenfions : it often deternunes the
proper fize for an objoQ:, as well as the fpace
fit to be allotted to a fcene i and regulates the
ftyle which ought to be affigned to either.
But whatever diftinftions the extent may oc-
cafion between a park and a garden, a ftate qi
highly cultivated nature ts confiftent. with
each of their characters ; ^d may in both be
of the fame kind, though in dtfiercnt degrees.
The fame fpecies of prefervation^ of ornament,
andoffcenery, may be introduced; and though
a large portion of a park may be rude; and
the moft romantic icenes are not incompatible
with its chara&er ; yet it ibould feem rather to
be reclaimed from a foreft, thaa a negleded
corner of it; the wildnefs muft not be univer^
fal ; it is bpt a circumftance ; and it is a happy
circamfiao^e only when it is kept within due
bounds; fomc appesQrance of improvement is
N 4 cflcn^
. C 184]
eflenttal i and a high degree of polifii is at times
expedted, and generally agreabie. All fcene^
wherein it prevails, natprally coalefce; die
roughnefs of others is -foftened by diftance ; .
and even thefe, when near, may be noble views^
though too vaft and too wild to be par& of a
garden. On the other hand, the minute beau^
ties of a walk, when feeu acrofs a fpacknis
lawn^ are combined into large mafles, and by
their number amount to greatnefs. As a p^^
therefore, and a garden, agree in fo many df^
cumftances, and may by the point of view be
accommodated to each other in thofe wherein
they principally di6^, frequent oj^rtunities
tnuft occur to form an intimate union between
them*
Painfliill ^ is fituated on the utmoft verge <^a
moor, which rifes above a fertile plain, watered
by the Mole« Large vallies defcending in dif^
ferent direftions towards the river, break the
brow into feparate eminences ; and the gardras
are extended along the edge, in a femi-circular
form, between the winding river which de*
fcribcs their outward boundary, and the park
which fills up the cavity of the crcfcSent: the
moor lies behind the place, and iometimes.apr.
pears too confpic«oufly ; but the views on the
Other fides into the cultivated country are agrc*-
^ The fcst of Mn Hamilton, near Cobham in Surry.
^blei
I 185 I
ahlci tbey are terminated by. hills at a cotnpe*
tent diftance; the plain is fufficiendf varied
with ologjefts ; and the richeft meadows oveN
ijpread the bottom juft below: theprofpe&ii
ace» however, only preityr hot fine i and the
rivff is languid and dull. FainfliilU theiefbre^
is Utde benefited by external circumftances ;
but the fccnes within itfelf are both grand and
beaudfuU and thedifpofition of the gardens af^
fords frequent opportunities of feeif^ the ieveral
parts^ the one from the other, acrofs the park»
in a variety of advantageous fituations.
The houfe ftands at one-extremity of the,
erefcent, on a bill which is (hut out from the
park, but open to the country* The view is
chearful;. and the fpot is laid out in an elegant
garden tafte, pretending to no more than to be
pleafant; In the mklft of the thicket which (o
parates it from the park, is a parterre, and an
orangerie, where the exouc plants are, during
the fuoKner, intermixed with common (hrubs,
and a conftant fucceffion of fiowen. The fpace
before the houfe is full of ornament; tHe ground
is prettily varied; and feveral forts of beautiful
trees ate di^ofcd on the fid^s in Irtde open
plantations.,
This hill is divided from another much larger
by a iinaU valley ; and on the top of the fe-
45Qnd eipinencc, at a feat juft above a large vine-
yard
yard wfaicji crverfpft ads aH dhe lid^, a fee ne to-
tally different appears: tle^neral profpedt,
thougb beautiful, is the dreutnftatKe the leaft'
engaging ; the attention is immediately attr^^
cd from the cultivated plain,' tcf the point of a
hanging wood at a diftance, but Rill within the
place, and which is not only a noble ofcjeA in
itfelf, but affords the moft pleafifig encourage-
ineht to allVho delight in gardening; ferit
has been raifed by the prefent pofleflbr; and-
by its fituation, its thicfcncfe, and extdnt, while
it retains the frefbnefs of a young plantation,
has already rn appearance aHr the maflly richnefs
of an old onei Oppofite to the hill thusco-
Teird, is another 'in the country, of a fimilar
ftape, but bare and barren; and beyond the
opening between' them, the moor falling back
into ia wide toncave, clofes the interval. Had
all thcfe heights • belonged to tHefime propric-.
tor, and been planted in the fame manner,, they
would have compofed .as greats as romantic a
fcene, as any of thofe which we rarely fee, but
always behold with admiration, the work of na-
ture alone, matured by the growth of ages.
But PainfhiU is all a new creation; and a
Boldnefs of defign, and a happinefs of execu-
tion, ^attend the wonderful efforts which art has
there made to rival nature. Another point of
Xhe fame eminence exhibits a landlkip diftin-
guilhed
f ^»7 3
gmibed ftom the bft in areiy particultr, ex-
cept in the aexa of its exxftaiiqe; it is entirely
iwkhin the places and commanded from an
open Gothic building^ on the nfery edge of a
high fiscp,, which rilas inunedMteJjr above a
fine ardficial Uke in the bottom : the whcde of
this lake h never ieen at oficev but by its Ibrm^
b]F the di^K>&;ion of fome iflands, and bjr tktt
tjpees in them and on the banks, it always feems
to be kvgier than it is : on the left are contt^
nued plantations, to exclude the couineiy ;. e»
the^right» all the park open^} and io front,! be«^
yond the water, is the hang^g wood, the point
of which appeared before, but here it ftrefichei
quite acrofs the view, and difplays. all itaoc-*
tent, and all iu varietiea. A. broad river> i&
fuing from the lake, pafles under a^ bridge of
five arches near the outlet, then dire£b its oourfir
towards the wood, and flows underneath it.
On the fide of the hill is couched a low hermit-
age, encompafled with thtckee^ and overhung
with ihade^ and hr to the right, on the ut-
moft fununit, rifea a kfty tewer, eminent above
all the trees. Aboiut the hermitage, the clofeft
covert, $ind the darkefl:. green», fpread theiv
gloom: in oth$jr places the tints arc mixed i
and in one,- a little gUmnserilng light marks an
opening in the wood, and diverfi^cs its uni**
formity» without diminifliiDg its ^eaine£i.
Through.
C 188 ]
Throughout the illuftrious fcenexonGftcncjr fs
preferved in the midft of variety ; ail the parts
unite eafily ; the plantations in the bottom join
to the wood which hangs on the hill ; thofe on
the upper grounds of the park, break into'
groves, which afterwards divide into clumps*
and in the end taper into fingle trees. The
ground b very various, but it points from all
fides towards the lake, and (lackening its de-
fcent as it approaches. Aides at laft gently into
the water. The groves and the lawns on the
declivities are elegant and rich s the fine (x-
panfe of the lake, enlivened by the gay plan*
tations on the banks, and the refle&ion of the
bridge upon the furface, animates the land-
fkip; and the extent and the height of the
hanging wood giv^ an air of grandeur to the
whdle.
An ea(y winding dcfccnt leads from the Go-
thic building to the lake, and a broad walk is
afterwards continued along the banks, and
acrofs an ifland, clofe to the water on one hand,
and Ikirl^d by wood on the other : the fpot is
perfeftly retired ; but the retirement is chearful;
the lake is calm ; but it is full to the brim, and
never darkened with (hadow; the walk is fmooth,
and almoft leyel, and touches the very margin
of the water y the wood which fecludes all view
into the country^ js compo|ed of the moft elegant
* uces,
trees, full of, the lighteft grceas» and botdereid
with (hrubs and with flowers; and though the
place is almoft furrounded with plantations, yec
within itfelf it is open and airy ; it is embelliihed
with thipee bridges, aruin'darch, andagrotto;
and the Gothic building, ftill very near, and
impending diredly over the lake, belongs to
the place; but^thefe objeds are never viGble
all together ; they appear in fucceflion as the
walk proceeds; and their number does not
croud the fcene. which is enriched by tKcir fre-
quency.
The tranlition is very fudden, almoft imme-
diate, from this ppliihed fpot, to another of the
moft uncultivated nature ; not dreary, not ro-*
mantic, but rude ; it is a wood, which over-
ipreads a large trad of very uneven ground i the
glades through it are juft cleared of the buihes
and plants, which are natural to the foil ; fome'
times they are tlofed on both fides with thickets^
at other times they arc only cut through the
fern in the openings j and even the'larchcs, and
the firs,, which are mixed with beech on the fide
of the principal glade, are left in fuch a ftatc of
apparent negledt, that they fcem to be the pro-
duct of the wild, not decorations of tKe walk :
this is the hanging wood, which before was fo
noble an objeft, and is now fuch a dlftant
. retreat ; near the tower it is thin j but about
the
I 190 ]
the hermitage k is thickened with trees of the
tlarkeft greens i a narrow gloomy path, over-
Jmng with Scotch and fpruce firs, under which
the fern icems to have been killed, not cleared,
and fcarce a blade of grafs can ^ow, leads co the
ceU ; that is compoTedof logs and of roots ; the
fdefign is as fimple as the ms^riab; and the
fomiture within is old and uncouth ; all the cir-
cumftances which belong to the character, are
Ktained in the utnx^ purity, both in the ap-
proach and the entrance; in the fecond room
they are fuddenly changed for a view of the gar-
<]ens and the country, which is rich with every
appearance of inhabitants and cultivation. From
tfaejtower on the top of the hill is another pro-
iped, much more extenfive, but not more beau-
tiful ; the obje6b are not fo' well felefted, nor
feen to fo great advantage ; fbti^e of them are
too diftant ; fonfie too much below the eye ; and
a large portion of the heath intervenes, which
calls a cloud over the view.
Not far from the tower is a fccne poiilhed to
the higheft degree of improvement, in which
ftands a large Doric building, called the temple
of Bacchus, with a fine portico in the front, a
rich alto relievo in the pediment, and on each
fide a range of pilafters : within, it is decorated
with many antique buils, and a noble fiatue of
the god in the centre 5 the room has none of
that
L «9i ]
lliMC lolevmtf whkU is ohm zSt&tdly afcribKid
to the oiiar^jtdter, but withoot being gaody is ^11
u£%Ik» jo£ oraaaieJK, amt'fpletidor ; the ficna*
don is on a browi which cofnttiaods anagreablt
profpedk I buc the top of the h^ is almoft aflat,
;diif«rfifiQd li€Nliev«^ by feveral thickets, imA
htodd walks ^itdmjg betvv*eeii them ; thefe walks
rirn imsD <ach other fo fttqueifdy, their relation
is fe apparent, that the idea of tSie whole^b
never \q& ki the dirifions; and the parts are,
like.the whole, larger tliey" agree aMb in ftyle;
the feterruptioris therefore never deftroy the ap*
pcarancc of e«enti they only change the boun-
daries, and multiply the figmrs : to the grandeur
which the YpotTeceivcs from fuch aimenlions,
is added all the richnefs of which plantations
«are capable; the thickets arc tif flowering
•Ihrubs ; and the openings are embelliflied with
iittle airy -^roupes of the mofl: elegant trccfs,
-Jkirttng or crbfTing the glades ; but nothing is
minute, or unworthy of the environs of the
temple.
The gardens end here; this is oheof ihcejr-
tremities of the crcfcent, and from hence to the
houfe in the other extremity, is an open walk
through the park ; in the way a tent is pitched,
upon a fine fwcU, juft above the water, which is
fcen to greater advantage from this point than
from any other ; its broadeft expanfe is at the
foot
C 192 3
foot of th^ hill ; ftom that it fprcads in feveril
diredions» ibcnetimes under <tlie pkotations^
fometimes into the nudft of them^ and at other
times winding behind them % the principal
bridge of five arches is )uft below ; at a dif*
unce, deep in' the >¥6od| is aoothei^, a fioglk
arch, thrown over a ftream which is loH a litlk
beyond it ; the pofition of the latter is dire^ly
^wart that of the former^ the eye pafles alpng
the one, and under the other ^ and the greatfjr lis
of ftone, the fmaller of wood ;, no two obje^
Jbearing the fame name, can be more diflferem in
figure and ficuation : the banks aifo of the lake
are infinitely diverfified % they are^ppen in-qne
place, and in another covered with plantations i
which fomecimes. come down to the brink of the
water ; and/ometimes leave room for a walk.^
the glades are either condu&ed alo^g the fid^
or open into the thickefl: of the wood \ and n^
and then they feem to turn round it towards the
country, which appears in the offskip, rifing
above this pidurefqueand various (bene, through
a wide opening between the hanging wood on
one band, and the eminence crowned with the
Gothic tower on the other..
LVII. Both the park and the gardens at
Painihill thus mutually contribute to the beauty
of the fcveral landlkips j yet they are abfolutcly
diftinaj
r
1 I9S 3
diftinft 5 and not only feparated by fences Very
artfully concealed, but the charafter of each
is jprcferved pure in the fpot3) from which the
fceaes wherein they mix are commanded. They
may, however, be more clofely united; and
by transferring to the one^ fome of the circum-^
ftances which are ufually^ but not neceflarily^
confined to the other, they may be actually
Molded together. There are, indeed, proper-
ties in a garden, which cannot be applied to a
park : its bloom and its fragrancy cannot there
be preferved; if they could, the flowers, and
the flowering ihrubs, and the culture they re-*
quire, would not aflbrt with the place; even
the more curious trees could hardly be fecured
from injuries; the little groupes, if raifed,
would feldom kindly coalefce with the woods
of the forefl: around them ; and feveral delicate
finilhings, and elegant ornaments, which be-
come the confined fpots of a garden, would, at
the bed, be lofl: in the larger fcenes of a park.
But ftill the latter may borrow many decora*
ttons from the former ; and if the lawns and the
woods be of a moderate extent, and great ra-
ther in ilyle than in dimenfions; if they be
tvery where diftinguilhcd by elegance in their
forms and their outlines ; and if, in the com-
munications between them, the appendages of
a walk be preferred to thofe of a riding ; the
O park
t ^94 3
park may retib its own charade^; tMf be
Itocked with deer and With flieep, ftnd ampty
provided with harbour afed paftu^e ; yet adopt,
withoM any derogation, the capital beauties c^
Z garden* \
The excellencies both of a park and of ft
garden are thus happily blended at ^ Haglty^
where the icenes are equally elegant and tobl4|
It is fituated in the mtdft of a fercik and Idvely
country, between the Clent and the Witchberry
Hills, neither of which are within the pal^
but both belong to the place. The latter rift
in three beautiful fwdls ^ one of them it co^
▼ered with wood ; another is an open flket^
Walk, with an obelifk on the fummit ^ oft the
third, the portico of the temple of Thefeusi
exadly on the model of that at Athens, and
Kttle lefs in the dimenfions, ftands boldly out
upon the brow, backed by the dark ground of
a fir plantation, and has a moft majeftic ap*'
pearance, above the fteeps which fall before and
befide it. The houfe is feen to the greateft ad-
vantage from thefe eminences, and every point
of them commands fome beautiful profpeft;
the bufy town of Stourbridge is juft below
them; the ruins of Dudley caftle rife in the
offekip ; the country is fuU of induftry and in-
♦ Near Stourbridge, in Worceftcrihirc.
habit-
t '95 5
habitatits; add a fciiall portion of the moor,
where the minerak, itianufaftoi^ m the neigh-
botithood) are dug, breaking in upon thehori^
fton, accounts for the richnefs, without dero-
gating from the beauty of the landflcip. From
the Clent hills the views are ftill greater; they
eiRetid on ohe fide to the black mountains in
Wales, a long ridge which appears, at fixty
miles diftance,»in the interval between the un-
lipcdldy heap df the Malvern hills, and the fo^
litary peak of the Wr^kiri, each thirty miles off,
and as many afunder. The fmoak of Wor«
cefter, the churches in Birmingham, and the
iioufes in Stourbridge, are diftindly vifible;
the country is a mixture of hill and dale, and
^ftraAgly enclofed, except in one part, where a
heaih, varied by rifing grounds, pieces of wa-
ter, aiid feveral ofajeAs, forms an agreable con-
traft to the cultivation which furrounds it. From
the other eath^mtty of the Cknt hills, the prof-
pfdt is left ettenfive *, but the ground is more
rode and broken ; it is ofteti ovcrfpread with
kurge and beautiful woods; and the view is
dignified with numerous feats: the hills alfo
being very irregular, large advanced promon*
Dories frequently interrupt the fight, and vary
the fcenf : in other parts, deep vallies Ihelving
down towards the country bebv\^, exhibit the
olgcfts there in different lights. In one of thefe
O 2 hollows
[ 196 ]
hqllows is built a neat cottage, under a ^eep
defcent, (heltered befides. by plantations,, and
prefenting ideas of retirement in the midft of &}
much open expofure; from the heights above
it, is feen all that view which before was com«
xnanded from the Wicchberry hills, but which
is feen here over Hagley Park, a noble fore*
ground, beautiful in itfelf, and completing the
landikip.
The houfe, though low in the park, is yet
above the adjacent country, which it overkK>ks
to a very diftant horizon : it is furrounded by
a lawn, of fine uneven ground, and diverilfied
with large clumps, little groupes, and fingle
trees ; it is open in front, but covered on one
fide by the Witchberry hills ; on the other fide,
and behind, by the eminences in the park,
which are high and fteep, and all overfpread
with a lofty hanging wood. The lawn preffing
to the foot, or creeping up the flopes of thefe
hills, and fometimes winding along glades into
the depth of the wood, traces a beautiful out-
line to a fy Ivan fcene, already rich to luxuri-
ance in mafllnefs of foliage, and ftacelinefs o£
growth.
^ But though the wood appears to be entire, it
in reality opens frequently into lawns, which
occupy much 'of the fpace within it : in the
number, the variety,, and the beauty of thefe
lawns.
[ 197 ]
lawns, in the (hades of the reparations between
them, in their beauties alfo, and their varieties,
the glory of Hagley confiftsj no two of the
openings are alike, in dimenfibns, in (hape, or
in charader ; one is of no more than five or fix
acres ; anpther of not lefs than fifty 5 and others
are of all the intermediate fizes; fome ftretch
out into lengthened glades ; fome widen every
way 5 they are again diftinguifhed by buildings,
by prolpefts, and often by the fl:yle only of
the plantations around them. The boundary
of one is defcribed by a few carelefs lines ; that
of another is compofed of many parts, very
diflferent, and very irregular ; and the ground
is never .flat, but falls fometimes in fteep de-
fcents, fometimes in gentle declivities, waves
along eafy fwells, or is thrown into broken in-
equalities, with endlefs variety.
An odagon feat, facred to the memory of
Tomfon, and ercfted on his favourite fpor,
ftands on the brow of a ileep ; a mead winds
along the valley beneath, till it is loft on either
hand behind fome trees ; oppofite to the fcat^
a noble wood crowns the top, and feathers
down to the bottom, of a large, oval, fwelling
hill-, as it defcends on one fide, the diftant
country becomes the ofFskip -, over the fall oft
the other fide the Clent hills appear ; a dulky
anticjue tower ftands juft below them, at the '
O 3 cxtrer
J
I '9? 3
extremity of the wood ; ^ad in thff m^ft ^f it
is feen a Doric portico, called Pope's Building,
vi(h part of the lawn before it ^ the fcene i%
very fimplc ; the principal feature^ are great s
they prevail over all the reft, and a^e intimately
CopAC^tcd with each other.
Th^ f^^t Qpening is fmall, circling about a
rotunda on a knole, to the foot of which the
ground rifes every way ; the treea which fur-
round it are large ; but their foliage is not very
thick ; and their ftems appearing beneath, their
ramifications between, the boughs, are, in fo
confined a fpot, very diftinguifhed and agreable
circumftances : it is retired} has naprofpedt;
no vifible outlet but one, and that is ihort and
narrow, to a bridge with a portica upon it,
which terminates a piece of w^ten
The grove behind the rotunda, feparates this
from a large, airy, foreft glade, thinly fkirted
with wood, carelefs of drefe, and miich^ over-
grown with fcrq. The wildnefs is an accept*
able relief in the midft of fo much elegance
and improvement as reign in the neighbouring
lawns i and the place is in itfelf plea&nt ; in
no part confined *, and from a Gochic feat at
the end is a perfpe^live view of that wood and
tower, which were feen befpre in frqnt, toge*
thpr with the WJtchberry hills, and a wide rangf
* ef rcqyntry.
The
* i 199 1
The tower, which in prolpcft is always ton-
tie&fid with wood, ftands however on a piece
of down, which itretches along the broad ridge
of a hill, and fpreads on each hand for (bme
way down the fides: thick groves catdh the
falls i the defcent on the right is foon loft under
the tr^s ; but that on the left being fteeper and
jhorter, it may be followed to the bottom ; a
wood hangs on the declivity, which is con-
tinued in the valley beneath ; the tower over*
looks the whole ; it feems the remains of a
caftle, partly entire, partly in ruins, aiid partly
overgrown with buflies ; a finer fituation cannot
be imagined ; it is placed in an expofed unfre«>
quentcd fpot; commands an extenfive profpedkj-
and is every where an interefting objed.
At the end of the valley below it, in an
pbfcure corner, and fhut out from all view, is
a hermitage, compofed of roots and of mofs ;
higjh banks, and a thick covert darkened with
horfe-chcfnuts, confine the fequeftered fpot j a
little rill trickles through it, and two fmall
pieces of water occupy the bottom j they art
fcen on one fide through groupes of trees 5 the
other is open, but covered with fern: thi$
valley is the extremity of the park, and the
Clent hills rife in all their irregularity imme^
diately above it,
O4 Tht
[ 2pO ]
The other defcent from the caftle is a long
declivity, covered like the reft wUh noble
woods, in which fine lawns are again embo-
fomed, differing ftill from the former, and from
each other : in one, the ground is very roughs
the boundary is much broken, and marked only
by the trunks of the trees which (hoot upJiigh
before the branches begin.. The next is more
Ample ; and the ground falls from an ev«n
brow into one large hollow, whiqh (lopes to-
wards the glen, where it finks into the covert.
This has a communication through z (hort
glade, and between two groves, with another^
called the Tinian lawn, from, the refemblance
which it is faid to bear to thofe of that cele-
brated ifland ; it is encompaficd with the ftate-.'
lieft trees, all frclh and vigorous, and fo full of
leaf that not a ftem, not a branch, appears,
but large ma(res of foliage only , defcribe an
undulating outline : the effect however is not
produced by the boughs feathering down to
the bottom ; they in appearance (hoot out
horizontally a few feet above the ground to a
furprizing diftance, and form underneath' an
edging of (hade, into which the retreat is itn^
mediate at every hour of the day ; the verdure
of the turf is as Igxuriaot there as in the open
fpace ; the ground gently waves in both over
f afy fwclls and little dips, juft varying, not
breaking
r 201 ]
breaking the furface ; no ftrong lines arc
drawn % no itriking obje6ts are admitted ; but
all is of an even temper, all mild, placid, and
ferene, in the gayeft feafon of the day not more
than chearful, in the ftillcft watch of night
not gloomy; the fcene is indeed peculiarly
adapted to the tranquility of the latter, when
the moon feems to repofe her light on the thidt
jFoliageof the grove, and fteadily marks the
fiiade of every bough;' it is delightful then to
faunter here, and fee .the grafs, and the got
Tamer which entwines it, gliftening with dew ;
'to liilen, and hear nothing ftir, except perhaps
a: withered leaf dropping gently through a tree \
and fheltered from the chill, to catch the frelh-
iicfs of the evening air ; a folitary urn, chofen
by Mr. Pope for the fpot, and now infcribed
to his memory, when fhewn by a gleam of
moon-light through the trees, fixes that
tboughtfulnefs and compofure, to which the
mind is infenfibly led by the reft of this elegant
fcene.
The Doric Portico which alfo bears his name,
though not within fight is near ; it is placed on
the declivity of a hill ; and Thomfon*s feat,
with its groves and appendages, are agreable
circUtnftances in the profpeft before it. In
the valley beneath is fixed a bench, which com*
mands a variety of fhort views j one is up the
^fcent
[ tQ2 ]
lifccijt <q the portico, ap4 Others througji open-
ii}gs in the wood Co the bridge. 4nd the rQtundfu
Thie mxt Uwn is Urge 5 the ground is ftecp
Md iiTi^gulars but inclines to one diroEli^n, Md
fails from evcrjt fide into the general declivity ;
f he outline is diverfified by many groilpes of
trees on the flopes ; and frequent glimpfes of
tht country are ieen in perfpe&ive through
openings between them : on the brow is a feae,
in the proudeft lituation of all Hagley; it
commands a view down the bold fwecp of the
lawn, and over a valley filled with the nobleft
trees, up to the heights beyond j one of thofe
)ieights is covered with a hanging wood ; wfaich
opens only to (hew Thomfon's feat, and ti»
groves, and (he fteeps about it ; the others are
the Witchberry hills, which feems to prefs for-
ward into the landikip -, and the ma% heads
of the trees in the vale, uniting into a con*
tinued furface, form a broad bafe to the temple
9i Thefeus, hide the fwell on which it is built,
and croud up to the very foundation ; farther
back (lands the obelifk ; before it is the (beep-
walks behind it the Witchberry wood j the
temple is backed by the firs; and both thelb
plantations are connefted with that vaft fylvan
fcene, which overfpreads the other hill, and all
the intermediate valley ; fuch extent pf wood 5
(uch variety in the difpofitipn of its objeds
fo
C »oj J
fo iiliiftriaa$ io thecnfeWes, and ennabled bf
%}mt £tuaUQiis» each contrafixd to each, every
fHie diftind:, and all happily united i the parts
fo befutifvl of a whole fo great ; feen from ^
charming lawn; and furrounded by a delightful
country ; connpofe all together a fcene of real
magnificence and grandeur.
ThQ feveral lawns are fepamted by the fineft
tree$; which fometimes grow in airy groves,
chequered with gleams of light, and open
to every breeze ; but more frequently, irtrholo
great branches meeting or crofling each
other, caft a deep impenetrable fhade. Large
boughs feathering down often intercept the
0ght ; or a vacant fpace is filled with coppice
wood, nut, hawthorn, and hornbeam, whofe
tufted heads mixing with the foliage, and whole
little ftems cluftering about the trunks of the
trees, thicken ^nd darken the plantation ; here^
and there the divifion is of fuch coppice wood
only, which then being lefs conftrained and op«
prefled, fprings up ftronger, fpreads further,
and joins in a low vaulted covering ; in other
places the fhade is high over^arched by thd
tailed: alh, or fpreads under the branches o(
the moil venerable oaks i they rife iq every
ihape, they arc difpofed in every form, in
which trees can grow; the ground beneath
iheni is fometimes almoft level ; fometimes a
gentle
r 204 ]
gentle fwell; but generally very irregular and
broken : in feveral places^' large hollows wind
down the fides of the hills, worn in the ftormy
OHinths by water-coarfes^ but worn many ages
ago ; very old oaks in the midft of the channels
prove their antiquity: fomc of them are per-
feftly dry moft part of the year ; and fome are
watered by little rills all the fummer; they
are deep ; and broad ; the fides are commonly
fteep ; often abrupt and hollow j and the trees
on the banks foometimes extend their roots, all
covered with mofs, over the channels of the
water. Low down in one of thefc glens, under
ft thick fliade of horfe-chefnuts, is a plain
bench, in the midft of feveral little currents,
and water falls, running among large loofe ftbnes,
and the ftumps of dead trees, with which the
ground is broken: on the brink of another
glen, which is diftinguiflied by a numerous
rookery, is a feat in a ftill wilder fituation^
near a deeper hollow, and in a darker gloocta ;»
. the falls are nearly perpendicular; the roots of
ibrhc of the trees are almoft bare, from the
earth having crumbled away; large boughs of
others, finking with their own weight, feem
ready to bfeak from the trunks they belong to;
and the fincft afh, ftiU growing, lie all aflant
the water-courfe below, which, ^ though the
ftream runs. in winter only, yet conftantiy. re-
tains
t io5 ]
tains the bhok tinge of damp, and cafts a chill
all around.
Gravel walks are conduced acrofs the glens^
through the woods, the groves, or the thickets,
and along the fides of the lawns, concealed ge-
nerally from the fight, but always ready for the
communication; and leading to the principal
fcenes j the frequency of thefe walks, the num-
ber and the ftyle of the buildings, and the high
prefervation in which all the place is kept, give
to the whole park the air of a garden ; there is
however one fpot more peculiarly adapted to
that purpofe, and more artificially difpofed than
the reft j it is a narrow vale, divided into three
parts -, one of them is quite filled with water,
which leaves no room for a path, but thick trees
on either fide come down quite to the brink %
and between them the fight is condiidted to the
bridge with a portico upon it, which clofcs f he
view : another part of this vale is a deep gloom,
t)vcr-hung with large alh, and oaks, and dar-
kened below by a number of yews ; thefe are
(battered over very uneven grounds and open
underneath^ but they are encompafied by a
thick covert, under which a ftream falls, from
a ftony channel, down a rock ; other rills drop
into the current, which afterwards pours oven
a fecond cafcade into the third divifion of the
vale, where it forms a piece of water, and is loft
under
E »6 3
tinder the bridge : the view ftam this bridge il
a perfedt opera fcene, through all the divifions
of the v«dey up to the mtunda ) both theTe build-
ihgs, ahd the other deeomtiotis of th6 fpot, ar«
of the fpecies getieralif confined to a garden %
the herepicage aUb| ivhich has been defbribedi
and m a{)penddgei, are in a ftile which does not
belong «o a park) but through all the relR: «(f
the pl4ee, the two charaft^^ are intimatdf
blended i the whole is one iiibjeft ; and k wai
a bold idea to contdre that one to be eapatde
of ib mueh variety; it required the ftioft vigo^
tous eifertft ^ a fertUe ftmcy td carry Ihat idei
into etteeution.
Of a G A R D fi N.
LVni. Thb gravel paths haVe been Men-
tioned as contributing to the appearance of a
garden ; thfey are unufiial elfewhere ; tbey con*'
fiantly prefent the idea of a walk i and the cor-
re^ndence between their iides, the eitadneis of
the edgesi the nicety pf the tnaterials add of the
prefervation^ appropriate them to ipots tn the '
higheft ftate of improvement : applied, to any
other fubjeS than apark, their efied is the
fame j a field furrotmded by a gravel w^tf k is to
a degree bordered by a garden; and many or^
naments may be introduced as appendages to
the
r
i
t ^07 J
the latter, which would otherwife afypfcir to be
ttiednfiftent with the iFof met ; when thefe accoM-
j)animeftts occupy' a( confidtrable fpace, imd i»te
^patated from the field, the idea of a gardeti
is complete as far as they esctend ; but if the
gravel be omitted, and the walk be oilljr df
turf, a greater breadth to the border, and ta&c^
richnefs in the decorations, are netefiary, tb
pteferve that ideju
Many gardedfs are nothing more than fueh a
Wilk round a field % that field is often raifed to
the character of a lawn; and fometimes the en^
doftire i$, in fad):, a paddock ; whatever it be,
the walk is certainly garden ; it is a fpot fel
^art for ple^iure *, it admits on the fides a pro^
fufion^ of ornament ; it is fit for the reception of
every elegante \ and requires the niceft preferv*"
fttion; it is attended alfo with many advan-^
ts^es \ may be made and kept without mueh
expence ; leads to a variety of points ; and it*
vails itfelf in its progrefs of the fevcral dr*
cumftances which belong to the enclofure it
fiirrounds, whether they be the rural appurte-
nances of a farm, or thofe more refined which
diftinguifii a paddock.
But it has at the fame time its inconvenien-
cies ^and defeAs : its approach to the feveral
points is always circuitous, and they are thereby
4>ften thrown to a diftance from ttie houfe, and
from
t ao8 i
[ from each other; there is no accefs to thenf
acrofs the open expofure ; the way muft con-
fiantly be the fame ^ the view all along ik inta
one opening, which muft be peculiarly circunv
ftanced^ to furnifh within itfelf a fufficient va^
riety; and the embellifhments of the walk are
ieldom important ; their number is limited, and
the little fpace allotted for their reception zd*
mits only of thofe which can be accommodated
to the fcale, and will conform to the chara&en
This fpecies of garden, therefore, reduces al-
moft to a famenefs. all the places it is applied
to; the fubjtdl feems exhaufted; no walk
round a field can now be very different from
feveral others already exifting. At the beft too
it is but a walk ; the fine fcenery of a garden
is wanting ; and that in the field, which is fub*
ftituted in its ftead, is generally of an inferior
charafter ; ^ and often defe&ive in connection
with the fpot which commands it, by the inter-
vention of the fence, or the vifible difference
in the prefervation.
This objection, however, has more or lefs
force according tq the charader of the enclo-
fure : if that be a paddock or a lawn, it may
exhibit fcenes not unworthy of the moft ele-
gant garden, which agreeing in ftyle, will unite
in appearance, with the walk. The other ob-
jedions alfo are ftronger or weaker in propor-
tion
r"
C 209 ]
tion to the fpace allowed for the appendages ;
and not applicable at all to a bfoad circuit of
garden, which has room within itfelf for fce-
nery, variety, and charafter ; but the common
narrow walk, too indifcriminately in fafhion, if
continued to a confiderable extent, becomes
very tirefome ; and the points it leads to muft
be more than ordinarily delightful, to compen-
fatc for the fatigue of the way.
This tedioufncfs may, however, be remedied,
without any extrav^ant enlargement of the
plan, by caking in, at certain intervals, an ad-
ditional breadth, fufficient only for a little fcene
to interrupt the uniformity of the progrefs.
The walk is then a communication, not between
points of view, through all which it remains
unaltered ; but between the feveral parts of a
garden, in each of which it is occafionally loft ;
and when refumed, it is at the worft a repeti-
tion, not a continuation, of the fame idea *, the
«ye and the mind are not always confined to
one tra£t; they expatiate at times, and have
been relieved before they return to it. An-
other expedient, the very reverfe of this,' may
now and then be put in practice : it is to con-
tra£b; inftead of enlarging, the plan ; to carry
the walk, in fome part of its courfe, direftly
into the field ; or at the moft to fecure it from
cattle i but to make it quite fimple, om;t all
P its
[210]
its appendages, and drop every idea of a gar-
den. If neither of thefc, nor any other means
be ufed to break the length of the way, tho*^
the enclofures fhould furnifh a fucceiiion of
fcenes, all beautiful, and even contrafted to
each other, yet the walk will introduce a fimi-
larity between them. This fpecies of garden^
therefore, feems proper only for a place of a
rery moderate extent ; if it be ftretched out to
a great length, and not mixed with other cha-
radters, its famenefs hurts that variety, which it
is its peculiar merit to difcover.
LIX. But the advantages attending it upon
fome, and the ufe of it on fo many occafions,
have raifed a partiality in its favour ; and it is
often carried round a .place, where the whole en*
clofure is garden ; the interior openings and com-
mjLinications furnifh there a fufRcient range j and
they do not require that number and variety of
appendages, which muft be introduced to dif-
guife the uniformity of the circuitous walk,
but which often interfere with greater efiedks.
It is at the leaft unneceflary in fuch a garden;
but plain gravel walks to every part are com-
monly deemed to be indifpenfablej they un-
doubtedly are convienient 5 but it muft alfo be
acknowledged, that though fometimes they a-
dorn, yet at other times they disfigure, the
fcenes
^ [ ni ]
fcencs through which they are conduced. The
propfictor of the place, who vifits thefe fcenes
at different feafons, is moft anxious for their
beauty in fipe weather ; he does not feel the re-
ftraint to be grievous, if all of them be not at
all times equally acceflible • and a gravel walk
perpetually before him, elpecially when it is
ufelefs, muft be irkfome ; it ought not, there-
fore, to be oftentatioufly fhewn ; on many oc-
cafions, it (hould be induftriqufly concealed :
that it lead to the capital points js fufEcient ;
it can never be reiquilite along the whole extent
of every fcene; it may often Ikirt a part of
them, without appearing ; or juft touch upon
them^ and withdraw 5 but if it cannot be in-
troduced at all without hurting them, it ought
commonly to be omitted.
The fides of a gravel walk muft correfpond,
and its courfe be in fweeps gently bending all
the way. It preferves its form, though con-
duced through woods, or along glades, of the
moft licentious irregularity; but a grafs walk
is under no reftraint j the fides of it may be
perpetually broken ; and the direftion fre-
quently changed ; fudden turns, however, arc
harfh ; they check the idea of progrefs ; they
are rather difappointments than varieties ; and
if they are fimilar, they are in the worft ftyle
of affeftation. The line muft be curved, but
P 2 it.
I »" ]
ic (hould not be wreathed } if it be truly fer-
pentine, it is the moft unnatural of aftyj it
ought conftantly to proceed; and wind only
. juft fo much, that the termination of the view
may differ at every ilep, and the end of the
walk never appear ; the thickets which confine
it (hould be diverfified with feveral mixtures of
greens; no diftindions in the forms of the
ihrubs or the trees will be loft, when there are
opportunities to obferve them fo nearly ; and
combinations and contrails without number
itmy be made, which will be there truly orna-
mental. Minute beauties are proper in a fpot
precluded from great efieds; and yet fucha'
walk, if it be broad, is by no means infignifi-
cant; it may have an importance which will
render it more than a mere communication.
But the peculiar merit of that fpecies of gar-
den, which occupies the whole enclofure, con-
fifts in the larger fcenes ; it can make room for
them both in breadth and in length; and be-
ing dedicated entirely to pleafure, free from all
other confiderations, thofe fcenes may be in
any ftylc which the nature of the place will al-
low ; a number of them is expefted ; all dif-
.ferent; fometimes contrafted; and each dif-
tinguiflied by its beauty. If the fpace be di-
vided into little flips, and made only a collec-
tion of walks, it forfeits all its advantages, lofes
its
C 2X3 j
its charaAer^ and can have no other excellence
than fuch as it may derive from fituation;
whereas by a moreiiberal difpofition, it may be
made independent of whatever is external ; and
though proipefts are no where more delightful
than from a point of view which is alfo a beau-
tiful fpot, yet if in fuch a garden they fhould
be wanting, the elegant, pidurefque, and va«
rious fcenes within itfelf, almoft fupply the de-
ficiency.
This is the chara&er of the gardeijs at Stowe ; ,
for there the views into the country are only
circumftances fubordinate to the fcenes; and
the principal advantage of the fitqation is the
variety of the ground within the enclofure.
The houfe ftands on the brow of ^ gentle a-
fcent ; part of the gardens lie on the declivity,
and fpread .over the bottom beyond it; this
eminence is feparated by a broad winding val-
ley from another which is higher and deeper ;
and the d^fcents of both are broken by large
dips and hollows, floping down the fides of the
hills. The whole fpace is divided into a num-
ber of fcenes, each diftinguifiied with tafte and
fancy ; and the changes are fo frequent, fo fud*
den, and complete, the tranfitions fo artfully
cpjidufted, that the fame ideas are never coa-
tinyed or repeated to fatiety.
P 3 Thefe
C 214 ]
Thcfe gardens were begun when regukritjr
was in fafhion ; and the original boundary is
ftill preferved, on account of its magnificence ;
for round the whole circuit, of between three
and four mjlcs, is carried a very broad gravel
walk, planted with rows of trees, and open ei-
ther to the park or the country ; a deep-funk
fence attends it all the w;ay, and compre-
hends a fpace of near four hundred acres. But
in the interior fcenes of the garden, few traces
of regularity appear; where it yet remains, in
the plantations, it is generally difguifed ; every
fymptom almoft of formality is obliterated
from the ground ; and an odagon bafin in the
bottom, is now converted into an irregular
piece of water, which receives on one hand
two beautiful ftreams, and falls on the other
down a cafcade into a lake.
In the front of the houfe is a confiderable
lawn, open to the water, beyond which are two
elegant Doric pavillions, placed in the boun-
dary of the garden, but not marking it, though
they correfpond to each other ; for ftill further
back, on the brow of fome rifing grounds with-
out the enclofure, ftands a noble Corinthian
arch, by which the principal approach is con-
duced, and from which all the gardens are fcen,
reclining back againft their hills; they are rich
with plantations, full of objcfts, and lying on
both
f
C "5 3
both fides of the houfc almoft equally, every
part is within a moderate diftance, notwith*
Handing the extent of the whole.
On the right of the lawn, but concealed from
the houfe, is. a pcrfeft garden fccne, called the
queen's amphitheatre, where art is avowed,
though formality is avoided ; the fore-ground
is fcooped into a gentle hollow; tjie planta-
tions on the fides, though but juft refcued from
regularity, yet in ftyle are contrafted to each
other J they are, on one hand, chiefly thickets,
fiandtng out from a wood ; on the other, they
are open groves, through which a glimpfe of
the water is vifible : at the end of the hollow,
on a little knole, quite detached from all ap-
pendageS) is placed an open Ionic rotunda ;
beyond it, a large lawn flopes acrofs the view ;
a pyramid ftands on the brow ; the queen's
pillar, in a recefs on the deicent ; and all the
three buildings being evidently intended for
ornament alone, are peculiarly adapted to ^
garden fcene ; yet their number does not render
it gay ; the duflcy hue of the pyramid, the retir-
ed fituation of the queen's pillar, and the foli-
tary appearance of the rotunda, give it an air of
gravity, it is encompaffed with wood; and all
external views are excluded -, even the opening
into the lawn is but an opening into an enclofure.
P4 At
C "6 I
At the king's pillar, very neir to tbkf is
tnbcher, lovely fpot ; which is fmall, but not
confined ; for no termination appears ; the
ground one way, the water another, retire un-
der the tree^ oiit of fight, but no where meet
with a boundary; the view is firft over fomc
very broken ground, thinly and irregularly
planted; then between two beautiful clumps^
which feather down to the bottom ; and after-
wards acrofs a glade, and through a little grove
beyond it, to that part of the lake, where the
thickets, clofe upon the brink, fpread a tranqui-
lity over the furface, in which their fhadows are
refie£ted : nothing is admitted to difturb that
quiet ; no building obtrudes ; for objeds to fi^
the eye are needlefs in a fbene, which may be
comprehended at a glance ^ and«none would
fuit the pafloral idea it infpires, of elegance too
refined for a cottage, and of fmiplicity too pure
for any other edifice.
The fituation of the rotunda promifes a prof'
pea more enlarged ; and in fad mod of the
objcfts on this fide of the garden, are there vi-
fible ; but they want both connexion and con-
trail; each belongs peculiarly to fome other
fpot; they are all blended tc^ther in this,
without meaning ; and are rather fhewn on a
map, than formed into a pifture. The water,
only is capital ; a broad expanfe of it is fo near
as
« td be fccn under the little groupes on the
bank without interruption; beyond it is a wood,
which in one place leaves the lake, to run up
behind a beautiful building, of three pavillions,
joined by arcades, all of the Ionic order ; it is
called Kent's Building; and never was a'defign
more happily conceived ; it feems to be charac-
teriftically proper for a garden ; it is fo elegant,
fo varied, and fo purely ornamental ; it dire£Uy
fronts the rotunda, and a narrow rim of the
country appears above the trees beyond it : but
the ^fFeft even of this noble objedt is fainter
here than at other points; its pofition is not the
moft advantageous ; and it is but one among ^
many other buildings, none of which are prin;*
cipaL
The fcene at the temple of Bacchus is in
charafter diredlly the reverfe of that about the
rotunda, though the fpace and the abjefts are
nearly the fame in both ; but in this, all the
parts concur to form one whole ; the ground
from every fide (helves gradually towards the
lake ; the plantations oa the further bank open
to fhew Kent's building, rife from the water's
edge towards the knole on which it ftands, and
clofe again behind it ; that elegant ftrufture,
inclined a little from a front view, becomes
more beautiful by being thrown into perfpec-
tive ; and thougji at a greater diftance, is more
important
I 215 ]
kiipoitant than before, ^becaufe it is alone in
tbc view ; for the queea's pillar an4 the. ro-
tunda are removed far afide; and every other
circumftance refers to this jnterefting objeft ^
llie water attrads, the ground and the planta*
t^ons direft the eye thither^ and the country
doe$ not juft glimmer in the ofFskip^ but is
clofe and eminent above the wood, and con^
nefted by clumps with the garden. The fcene
air together is a moft animated landfkip ; And
thefplendor of the building; the refk&ion in
the lake ; the tranfparency of the water ; and
the pifturefque beauty of its form, diversified
by little groupes on the brink, while on the
broadeft cxpanfe no more trees caft their (ha-
dows than are fufficient to vary the tints of the
furface ; all thefe circumftances, vying in luftre
with each other, and uniting in the point to
which every part of the fcene is related, diffufe
a peculiar brilliancy over the whole xompofi-
tion.
The view from Kent's building, is very dif-
ferent from thofe which have been hitherto
defcribed ; they are all direded down the de-
clivity of the lawn j this rifes up the afcent ;
the eminence being crowned with lofty wood,
becomes' thereby more confiderable -, and the
hillocks into which the general fall is broken,
Doping further out this way than any other,
they
[ 219 }
they alfo acquire an importance which they had
not before ; that particularly on which the ro-
tunda is placed, feems here to be a proud fitu-
ation J and the ftrufture appears to be properly
adapted to fo open an expofure. The temple of
Bacchus on the contrary, which commands fuch
an illuftrious view, is itfelf a retired objeft,
clofe under the covert : the wood rifing on the
brow, and defcending down one fide of the
hill, is fhewn to be deep ; is high, and feems
to be higher than it is ^ the lawn too is exten-
live ; and part of the boundary being con-
cealed, it fuggefls the idea of a ftill greater
extent ; a fmall portion only of the lake indeed
isvifible; but it is not here anobjeft; it is
a part of the fpot; and neither termination
being in fight, it has no diminutive appear-
ance; if more water had been admitted, it
might have hurt the chara6ter of the place,
which is fober and temperate ; neither folemn
nor gay; great and fimple, but elegant; above
rufticity, yet free from oftentation.
Thefe are the principal fcenes on one fide of
the gardens ; on the other, clofe to the lawn
before the houfe, is the winding valley above-
mentioned ; the lower part of it i^ affigned to
the Elyfian fields ; they are watered by a lovely
rivulet ; are very lightfome, and very airy, fo
thinly are the trees fcattered about them ; arc
open
[ 220 ]
Open at one end to more w^er and a larger
giade ; and the reft of the boundary is fre*
quently broken to let in objects afar off, which
appear ftill more diftant from the manner of
ihewing them. The entrance is under a Doric
arch» which coincides with an opening among
the trees, and forms a^kind of vifta, through
which a Pembroke bridge juft below, and a
lodge built like a caftle in the park, are feen
in a beautiful perfpeftive: that bridge is at
one extremity of the gardens; the queen's
pillar is at another ; yet both are vifible from
the fame ftation in the Elylian fields ; and all
thcfe external objects are unaffeftedly intro-
duced, divefted of their own appurtenances,
and combined with others which belong to the
(pot : the temple of friendfhip alfo is in fight
juft without the place ; and within it, are the
temples of antient virtue, and of the Britifii
worthies, the one in an elevated fituation, the
other low down in the valley, and near to the
water : both are decorated with the effigies of
thofe who have been moft diftinguiflied for
military, civil, or literary merit; and near to
the former ftands a roftral column, facred to
the memory of captain Grenville, who fell in
an aftion at fca : by placing here the meed of
valour, and by filling thefe fields with the re-
prcfentations of thofe who have dcfervcd beft of
man'
[ 221 J
mankind, the charafter intended to be given to
thefpot, isjuftly and poetically exprefled; and
the number of the images which arc prefented
. or excited, perfedljr correfponds with Jt. Soli-
tude was never reckoned among the charms of
Elyfium ; it has been always pidured as the
manfion of delight and of joy ; and in this imi-
tation, every circumftance accords with that
eftabliihed idea; the vivacity of the ftream
which flows through the v^le ; the glimpfes of
another approaching to join it; the fprightly
verdure of the green- fwerd, and every buft of
the Britilh worthies, reflefted in the water; the
variety of the trees; the lightnefs of their greens^
their difpofition ; all of them diflin& objefU,
and difperfed over gentle inequalities of the
ground; together with the multiplicity of ob^
jects both within and without, which embellilh
and enliven the fcene ; give it a gaiety, which
the imagination can hardly conceive, "or the
heart wifti to be exceeded.
Clofe by this fpot, and a perfed contraft to
it, is the alder grove, a deep recefs, in the
midft of a ihade, which the blaze of noon
cannot brighten : the water feems to be a ftag-
nated pool, eating into its banks, and of a
peculiar colour, not dirty, but clouded, and
dimly reflcfting the dun hue of the horfe-
chefnuts and alders, which prefs upon the
brink ;
[ 224 ]
brink;' the ftems of the latter, rifingin cluftcrs
from the fame root, bear one another down,
and flant over the water : mifhaped elms, and
ragged firs are frequent in the wood which en-
compafles the hollow ; the trunks of dead trees
are left (banding amongft them ; and the un-
couth fumach, and the yew, with elder, nut,
and holly, compofe the underwooa ; fome limes
and laurels are intermixt; but they are not
many ; the wood is in^ general of the darkeft
greens •, afid the foliage is thickened with ivy,
which not only twines up the trees, but creeps
alfo over the falls of the ground; they are
fteep and abrupt ; the gravel walk is covered
with mofs ; and a grotto'at the end, faced with
broken flints and pebbles, preferves in the fim*-
plicity of its materials, and the dulkinefs of
its colour, all the character of its fituation :
two litrie rotundas near it were better away ;
one building is fufficient for fuch a fcene of
folitudeas this, in which more circumftances of
gloom concur than were ever perhaps coUefted
together.
.Immediately above the alder grove is the
principal eminence in the gardens; it is di-
vided by a great dip into two pinnacles, upon
one of which is a large Gothic building ; the
fpace before this ftrufture is an extenfive lawn ;
the ground on one fide falls immediately into
the
[ "3 ]
die dip ; and the trees which border the lawn,
finking with the ground, the houfe rifes above ^
them, and fills the interval : the vaft pile feems
to be (till larger than it is; for it is thrown
into perfpeftive, and between and above the
heads of the trees, the upper ftory, the por-
ticoes, the turrets, and baluftrades, and all the
flated roofs appear in a noble confufion ; on the
other fide of the Gothic building, the ground ^
flopes down a long continued decliyity into a N^
bottom, which feems to be perfectly irriguous; — —
divers ftreams wander about it in feveral direc-
tions ; the conflux of that which runs /from the
Elyfian fields with another below it, is full in
fight; and a plain wooden bridge thrown over
the latter, and evidently defigned for a paflage,
impofes an air of reality on the jiver ; beyond
it is one of the Doric porticoes which front the
houfe ; but now it is alone ; it ftands on a little
bank abbve the water, and is feen under fome
trees at a diftance before it ; thus grouped, and
thus accompanied, it is a happy incident, con-^
curing with many other circumftances to diftin-
guifh this landflcip by a charafterof chearfulnefs
and amenity.
From the Gothic building a broad walk leads
to the Grecian valley, which is a fcene of more
grandeur than any in the gardens; it enters
them from the park, fpreading at firft to a
confider-
[ 224 3
confiderable breadth ^ then winds ; grows nar*
rower but deeper ; and lofes itfelf at laft in a
thicket, behind fome lofty elms, which intct-
rupt the fight of the termination : lovely woods
and groves hang all the way on the declivities ;
and the open fpacc is broken by detadied trees,
which near the park are cabtioufly and fpar-
ingly introduced, left the breadth fhould be
-* contracted by them ; but as the valley finks,
y they advance more boldly down the fides,
\ , ftrctch acrofs or along the bottom^ and clufter
at times into groupes slnd forms, which mul-
tiply the varieties of the larger plantations:
thofe are fometimes clofe coverts, and fome-
times open groves \ the trees rife in one upon
high ftems, and feather down to the bottom in
another ; and between theirf are fiiort openings
into the park or the gardens. 'In the midft of
the fcene, juft at the bend of the valley, and
commancjing it on both fides, upon a large,
eafy, natural rife, is placed the temple of con-
cord and vidory : at one place its majeftic front
of fix Ionic columns, fupporting a pediment
filled with bas relief, and the points of it
crowned with ftatues, faces the view; at ano-
ther, the beautiful colonade on the fide of ten
lofty pillars, retires in perfpeclive; it is fcen
from every part, and impreffing its own cha-
rafter of dignity on .all around, it fpreads an
awe
[ ^.^5 ]
awe over the whole i but: no gloocn> no melan*
choly attends it; the fenfations it excites are
rather placid ; but full of refped, admiration,
and folemnity % np water appears to enliven^
no diftant profpeft to enrich the view ; the parta
of the fcene are large ; the idea of it fublitne %
and the execution happy ; it is ipdependant of
all adventitious circumflances ; and relies oa
itfelf for its greatnefs.
The fcenes which have bpen defcribed arc
fuch as are moft remarkable for beauty or cha-
rader; but the gardens contain many more;
and even the objeds in thefe, by their feveral
combinations, produce very different effects,
within the diftance fometimes of a few paces^
from the unevenefs of the ground, the variety
of the plantations, and the number of tho
buildings ; the multiplicity c^ the laft has in*
deed been often urged as an objection to Stowe ;
and certainly when all are feen by a ftranger in
two or three hours, twenty or thirty capital
ftrudures, mixed with others of inferior note,
do feem too many, but the growth of the wood
«very day weakens the objcftion, by concealing
them one from the other ; each belongs to a
diftind: fcene \ and if they are confidered fepa*
rately, at different times, and at leifure, it may
be difficult to determine which to take away :
yet ftiU it muft be acknowledged that their
Q^ frequency
I 2t6 :2
frequency deftroys all ideas of filence and re-'
tirement: magnificence and fplendor are "the
charafteriftics of Stowe \ it is like one of thofc
places celebrated in antiquity, which were de-
voted to the purpofes of religion, and filled
with facred groves, hallowed fountains, and
temples dedicated to feveral deities j the refort
of diftant nations ; and the objed of veneration
to half the heathen world : this pomp is ac
Stowe blended with beauty ; and the place is
equally diftinguifhed by its amenity and its
grandeur.
In the midft of fo much embelifhmcnt as
may be introduced into this fpecies of garden,
g plain field, or a fheep walk, is fometimes an
agreable relief j and even wilder fccnes may
occafionally be admitted : thefe indeed are not
properly parts of a garden ; but they may be
comprehended within the verge of it i and their
proximity to the more ornamented fccnes is at
leaft a convenience, that the tranfition from the
one to the other may be'eafy, and the change
always in our option ; for though a fpot in the
higheft ftate of improvement be a neceflary ap-
pendage to a feat, yet in a place which is per^
feft, other characters will not be wanting ; if
they cannot be had on a large fcale, they are
acceptable on a fmaller $ and fo many circum-
ftances are common to all, that they may often
be
[ 227 j>:
be intermixt ; they may always border on each
otlicr.
Of a RIDING.
LX. Even a Ridings which in extent differs
{o widely from a garden, yet agrees with it in
many particulars ; for, exclufive of that com«
munity of character which refults from their
being both improvements, and both deftined to
pleafure, a clofer relation arifes from the pro-
perty of a riding, io extend the idea of a feat^
and appropriate a whole country to the man*
fion ; for which purpofe it muft be diflin*
guifhed from common rpads ; and the marks
of diftin6i:ion muft be borrowed from a garden \
thole which a farm or a park can fupply arc
faint and few ; but whenever circumftanccs be-
longing to a garden occur, they are immediately
received as evidence of the domaine ; the Jpe^^
cies of the trees will often be decifive \ planta^*
tions of firs, whether placed on the fides of the
way, or in clumps or woods in the view, de-
note the neighbourhood of a feat ; even limes
and borfe-chefnuts are not indifferent ; for they
have always been frequent in in^provements^
and rare in the ordinary fcenes of cultivate
ed nature: if the riding be carried through
a wood, the (hrubs, which for their beauty or
0^2 their
[ 2tn ]
their fragrancy, have been tranfplantcd from
the country into gardens, fuch as the fweec-
briar, the viburnum, the euonymus, and the
wood-bine, Ihould be encouraged in the under-
wood ; and to thefe may be added feveral .which
arc ftill peculiar to fliruberies, but which might
eafily be transferred to the wildeft coverts, and
would require no further care.
Where the fpecies are not, the difpojition
may be particular ; and any appearance of defign
is a mark of improvement % a few trees Hand*
ing out from a hedge- row, raife it to an elegance
above common rufticity; and ftill more may
be done by clumps in a field ; they give it the
air of a park: a clofe'lane may be decorated
with plantations in all the little vacant fpaces :
and even the groupes originally on the fpot,
(whether it be a wood, a field, or a lane,) if
properly fekded, and thofe only left which are
elegant, will have an efred; though every
beauty of this kind may be found in nature,
yet many of them are ieldam feen together, and
never unmixed. The number and the choice
are fymptoms of defign. i
Another fymptom is variety : if the appen-
dages of th^ riding be different in different
fields ; if in a lane, or a wood, fome diftin-
guiihing circumftance be provided for every
bend ; or, when carried over an open expofurc,
it
[ 249 3
it winds to feveral points of view ; if this be ,
the conduft throughout, the intention is evident,
to amufe the length of the way : variety of
ground alfo is chara&eriltic of a riding, when
it feems to have proceeded from choice j and
pleafure being the purfuit, the changes of the
ibene both compenfate and account for the cir-
cuity.
But a part undiftinguifhed from a common
road, fucceeding to others more adorned, will
by the contraft alone be fometimes agreable ;
and there are beauties frequent in the high-way^
and almofl: peculiar to it, which may be very
acceptable in a riding : a green lane is always
delightful J a paflage winding between thickets
of brambles and briars, fometimes with, fome-*
times without a little fpring-wood rifing amongft
them, or cut in a continued, fweep through the
furze of a down, or the fern of a hea^b, is
generalljr pleafant. Nor will the charafter be
abfolutely loft in the interruption 5 it will foon
be refumed ; and never forgotten : when it has
been once ftrongly impreffcd, very flight means
will prefcrve the idea.
Simplicity may prevail the whole length of
the way, when the way is ail naturally pleafant ;
but efpecially if it be a communication between
feveral fpots, which in charafler are raifed above
the reft of the country : a fine open grove is
0^3 unufual.
t 239 3
unufual, except in a park or a garden ; it hat
an elegance in the difpofition which cannot be
attributed to accident ; and it feems to require
a degree of prefervation beyond the care of mere
hufb^ndry : a neat railing on the edge of a fteep
which commands a profpe<5t, alone diftingui(hes
that from other points of view : a building i$
ftill more ftrongly charafteriftic ; it may be only
ornamental; or it may be accommodated to
the reception of company ; for though a place
to alight at interrupts the range of a riding ;
yet, as the objeft of an airing, it may often be
acceptable ; a fmall fpot, which may be kept
by the labour of one man, enclofed from the
fields, and converted into a fhrubery, or any
other fcene of a garden, wi|l fometimes be a
pleating end to a (hort excuriion from home i
nothing fo effectually extends the idea of a feat
to a diftance 5 and not being conftantly vifited,
it will always retain the charms of novelty and
variety,
LXL When a riding is carried along a high
road, a kind of property may in appearance
be claimed even th^re, by planting on both
fides trees equidiftant from each other, to give
it the air of gn approach ; regularity intimates
the neighbourhood of a manfion ; ^ village
therefore feems to be within the domainc, if
uny of the inlets to it are avenues j other for-
[ 231 ]
mal plantations about it, and (till more trivial
circumftances, when they are evidently orna-
mental, fomctimes produce, and alway corro-
borate fuch an efFcd ; but even without raifing
this idea, if the village be remarkable, for its
beauty, or only for its fingularity, a paffage.
through it may be an agreable incident in a.
riding*
The fame ground which ia the fields is no
more than rough, often feems to be romantic,
when It is the fite of a village ; the buildings
and other circumftances mark and aggravate the
irregularity : to ftrengthcn this appearance, one
cottage may be placed on the edge of a ftcep,
and fome winding iteps of unhewn lione lead
up to ,the door ; another in a hollow, with all
its little appurtenances hanging above it. The
pofition of a few trees will fomctimes anfwer
theXamc purpofe : a foot-bridge here and there
fys a communication between the fides of a
inarrow dip, will add to the charadtcr -, and if
there be any rills, they may be conduced fo as
greatly to improve it,
A village which has not thefe advantages of
ground, may, however, be beautiful : it is dif-
tinguilhed by its elegance, when the larger in*
tervals between the houfes are filled with open
groves, and little, clumps are introduced upon
other occafions. The church often is, it gene*
Q.4 ""Jf
[ IJ2 ]
rally may be made a pifturefqiie objea. EVen
the cottages may be neat, and fometinoes group-
ed with thickets. If the place be watered by a
ftream, the croffings may be in a variety of
pleafmg defign$ ^' and if a fpring rife, or only
a well for common ufe be funki by the ftdc of
(he way, a liule covering over it may be con-
trived, which iball at: the fame time be limple
and pretty.
There are few villages which may not cafily
be rendered agreable i a fmall alteration in a
houfe will fometimes occafion a great differetice
in the appearance. By the help of a few trifling
plantations, the objeds which have a good ef*
fe^ may be fliewn to advantage s chofe yhich
have not may be concealed ^ and fuch as are
fimilar be difguifed. And any fbrm which of«-
fends the eye, whether of ground, of trees, or
of buildings, imay fometimes be broken by the
flighteft circomilances, by ail advanced palings
or only by a bench. Variety and beauty, ift
ibch a fubjb&, are rather the eife^s of atten*
tion than expence.
UCII. But if the pafiage through the vil-
lage cannot be pleafant v if the buildings aitB
all alike, or (land in unmeaning rows and fimi*
.}ar fituations^ if the place furniihes no oppor-
|u«itip3 ;ci coQtraft the foruis of dwellings with
thofc
[ t33 ]
thofe of omhouffs; to introdace trees and
ihickets ; to interpofe fields and meadows ; to
mix famis with cotts^s $ and to place the fe^*
veral objcfts in diflferent pofitions % yet on dio
autfide even of fuch a village, there certainly is
room for wood ; and by that alone, the whole
may be grouped into a mafs, which fliall be
agreable when fkirted by a riding ; and ftiU
more fo when feen from a diftance. The fepa<-
rate farms in the fields alfo, by planting fome
tt^es about them, or perhaps only by ms^naging
t^iofe already on the (pot, may be made very
tnterefting objeds : or if a new one is to be
builti beauty may be confulted in the form of
the houfe, and the difpofition of its appurt&-
itatices. Sometimes a charaAer not their own^
as the femblance of a caftle or an abbey, may
be given to them ; they will thereby acquire a
degree of confkleration, which they cannot
otherwife be entitled to; and objcfts to improve
the views are fo important to a riding, that
buildings mufi: fometimes be erefled for that
purpofe only j but they fhould be fuch as by
an adtual tSc& adorn or dignify the fceiie ; not
thofe little flight deceptions which are too well
Icnown to fucceed, and have no merit if they
fail ; for though a fallacy fometimes contributes
to fupport a charade^ or fuggefts ideas to the
imagination i yet in itfelf it may be no im-
prove-
[ ^34 1
^MTOvement of a fccnc i<-and a bit of a turret,
the tip of a fpire^ and the other ordinary fub*
jefts of thefe frivilous attempts, are fo inligni-
cant as objedls, that whether they are real or
fi&itious is almoft a matter of indifferencer
LXIIl. Thij fame means by which the prof-
pe6te from a riding are improved, may be ap-^
plied to thofc from a garden ; though they arc
iK)t eflcntial to its charafter, they are import-
ant to its beauty, and wherever they abound^
the extent only of the range which commands
them, determines whether they (hall be fcen
from a riding or a garden. If they belong to
the latter, that aflumes in fome degree the pre-
dominant properties of the former, and the tw9
^baraSiers approach very near to each other:
but iliil each has its peculiarities; progrefs
is a prevailing idea in a riding*, and the
pleafantnefs of the way is, therefore, a princi*-
pal confideration ; but particular fpots are more
attended to /in a garden; and to them the com-
munications ought to be fubordinate ; their di-
reftion muft be generally accommodated, their
beauties fometimes facrificed to the (Ituation
and the charadter of the fcenes they lead ta:
an advantageous approach to thefe muft be pre-
ferred to an agreable line for the walk ; and the
circumftanc^s which might otherwise Jbccotn^ it
are
[ ^35 1
are mifplaced, if they anticipate the c^ning^ ;
it fhould fometimes be contrafted to them ; be.
retired and dark if they are fplendid or gay,
and fimple if they are richly adorned. At other,
times it may burft unexpeftedly out upon (hem;
not on account of the furprize, which can have
its efFeft only once; but the imprefl[ioii$ arc
ilronger by being fudden *, and the contrafl; is
enforced by the quicknefe of the tranfition.
In a riding the fcenes are only the amule«
ments of the way, through which it proceeds
without flopping ; in a garden they are princi-
pal; and the fubordination of the walks raifes
their importance 5 every art, therefore, fhould
be exerted to make them feem parts of the
place; diftant profpefts cannot be fo ; and the
alienation does not offend us ; we are famih'ar-
ized to it ; the extent forbids every thought of
9 clofer connexion ; and if a continuation be
preferved between them arid the points which
command them, we are fatisficd : but borne-
vifws fuggeft other ideas ; they appear to be
within our reach ; they are not only beautiful
jn profpeft, but we can perceive that the fpoti
are delightful ; and we wifh to examine^ to in^
habit, and enjoy them. Every apparent impe-
diment to that gratification is a difappointment ;
and when the fcenes begin beyond the opening,
the cdnfccjuence of the place is lowered ; no-
tl)ing
thing within it engages our notice ; it is an ex-
hibition only of beauties, the property of which
<)oes not belong to it ; and that idea» though
indifferent in a riding, which is but a paffage,
is Very difadvantageous to fuch a refidence as a
garden ; to obviate ;fuch an idea the points of
view (hovild be made important; the objedls
within be appendages to thofe without ; the re-
parations be removed or concealed ; and large
portions of the garden be annexed to the fpots
which are contiguous to it. The ideal bounda-
ry of the place is then carried beyond the fcenes
which are thus appropriated to it; and the wide
circuit in which they lie, the different pofitions
in which they may be fhewn, afford a greater
variety than can generally be found in any gar-
den, the fcencry of which is confined to the
cnclofure.
♦ Persfield is not a large place ; the park con-
tains about three hundred acres; and the houfe
ikands in the midft of it. On the fide of the
approach, the inequalities of the ground arc
gentle, and the plantations pretty ; but nothing
thcr^ is great : on the other' fide a beautiful
Jawn falls precipitately every way into a deep
vale, which (helves down the middle; the de-
clivities arc diverfified with clumps and with
♦ The feat df Mr. Morrb, near Chepftowe, in Bioa-
<noti^(hire.
groves ;
r
L 237 ]
groves ; and a number df large frees ftfaggle
along the bottom. This lawn is encompaiTed
with wood ; and through the wood are walks^
which open beyond it upon thofe ronuintic
fcenes which furround the park, and which are
the glory of Persfleld. The Wye runs imme-
diately below the woodi the river is bf a dirty
colour 4 but the (hape of its courfe is very va«
rious, winding firft in the form of a horfe-
flioe, then proceeding in a large fweep to th^
town of Chepftowe, and afterwards to the Se*
vern. The banks are high hills ; in different
places fteep, bulging out, or hollow on the
fides } rounded, flattened, or irregular at top }
and covered with wood, or broken by rocks«
They are fbm^times feen in front ; fomettmes
in perfpedive ; falling back for the paflage, or
clofing behind the bend of the river ; appear*
ing to meet, rifing above, or Ihooting out bo*
yond one another. The wood which enclofes
the lawn crowns an extenfive range of thele
hills, which overlook all thofe on the oppofite
(hore, with the country which appears above
Or between them ; and winding themfelvcs as
the river winds, thtir fides, all rich and beau-
tiful, are alternately exhibited ; and the point
of view in one fpot becomes an objefl: to the
next.
In
I 238 J
In itiany ptaces the principal feature is a con«
tinued rock, in length a quarter of a mile, per**,
pendicular, high, and placed upon a height : to
refemble ruins h common to rocks ^ but no ruin
of any fingle ftrudure was ever equal to this
enormous pile y it feems to be the remains of a
city ; and other fmaller heaps fcattered about it,
appear to be fainter traces of the former extent,
and ftrengthen the fimilitude. It ftretches along
the brow which terminates the foreft of Dean ^
the face of it is compofed of immenfe blocks
offtone, but not rugged ^ the top is bare and
uneven, but riot craggy ; and from the foot of
it, a declivity, covered with thicket, flopes gently
towards the Wye, but in one part is abruptly
broken off by a ledge of kfs rocks, of a different
hue, and in a different diredion. From the
grotto it feems to rife immediately over a thick
wood, which extends down a hill below the point
of view, acrofs the valley through which the
Wye flows, and up the oppofite banks, hides
the river, and continues without interruption' to
the bottom of the rock ; from another feat it is
feen by itfclf without even its bafe; it faces an-
other, with all its appendages about it; and
fometimes the fight of it is partially intercepted
by trees, beyond which,^ at a diftance, its long
line continues on through all the openings be-
tween them.
Another
r
t m 1
Another capital objeft is the C|iftle of Chep-
ftowe, a noble ruin of great extent j advanced
to the very edge of a perpendicular rock, and fa
immediately rivetted into it, that from the top of
the battlements, down to the river feems but one
* precipice: the fame ivy which overfpreads the
? #fe of the one, twines and cluflers among the ,
' fragments of th^ many towers, much of
^* -' -^he walls, and large remains of the chapel are
il^- -iK^anding. Clofc to it is a moft romantic wood*
^ ■^■' ^li bridge, very antient, very grotefque, at an
: : • extraordinary height above the river, and feem-
l^ iiig to abut againft the ruins at one end, and
• feme rocky hills at the other. The caftle is fo
; > near to the alcove at Pcrsfield, that little circum-
ftances in it may be difcerned ; from other fpots
v*! ftiore diftant, even from the la,wn, and from a
;.^. ' Ihrubery on the fide of the lawn, it is diftinft*
':1 v;lY;^ifi^^^> ^^^ always beautiful, whether it is
;rfe6i^ilone, or with the bridge, with the town,
v$.ia* more or with lefs of the rich meadows
;^"whzch lie along the banks of the Wye, to its
;jurirt?lion three miles off with the Severn. A
long fweep of that river alfo, its red cliffs, and
the fine rifing country in the counties of Somerfet,
and Glouceftcr, generally terminate the profpeft. ,
Moft of the hills about Persfield are full of
rocks; fome are intermixed with hanging woods,
and either advance a little before them, or re-
tire
t' 1^0 ]
tire within thetti, and are backed^ or ovfcrhuhg^
or feparated by trees. In the walk to the cave,
a long fucoeflion of them is frequently feen in
perfpedive, all of a dark cdour^ and*with wOod
in the intervals between them. In other parts the
rocks are more wild and uncouth ; and Q^me-^
times they ftdnd on the tops of the higheft hills j
at other times down as low as the river j they
are home objeAs in one fpot; and appear only
in the back-ground of another.
The woods concur with the rocks to render
the fcenes of Persfield romantic-, the place every
where abounds with them 5 they cover the tops
of the hills 5 they hang on the fteeps 5 or they
fill the depths of the vallies. In one place
they front, in another they rife above, in an-
other they fink below the point of view : they
are feen fometimes retiring beyond each other,
and darkening as they recede ; and Ibmetimes
an opening between two is clofed by a third at
a diftance beyond them. A point, called the
Lover's Leap, commands a continued furface of
the thickeft foliage, which overipreads a vaft
hollow immediately underneath. Below the
Chinefe feat the courfe of the Wye is in the
fhape of a horfe-fhoe *, it is on one fide enclofed
by a femi-circular hanging wood; the diredi:
fteeps of a table-hill (hut it in on the other ;
and the great ro^k fills the interval between
them.
r
•[ 241 ]
them : in the . midft of this rude fcene Ires thp
pcninfula formed by the river, a mile at the
leaft in length, and in the higheft ftate of cul-
tivation : near the ifthmus the ground rifes con-
fiderably, and thence defcends in a broken fur-
face, till it flattens to the water's edge at the
other extremity. The whole is divided into
corn fields and paftures 5 they are feparated by
hedge-rows, coppices, and thickets ; open
clumps and fingle trees ftand out in the mea-
dows ; and houfes and other buildings, which
belong to the farms, are fcattered amongft them :
nature fo culti»vated, furroundcd by nature fo
* wild, compofe a moft lovely landfkip together.
The communications between thcfe feverai
points are generally by clofe walks; but the
covert ends near the Chinefe feat ; and a path
is afterwards condudtcd through the upper park
to a ruftic temple, which over-looks on one
. flde fome of the romantic views which have
been defcribed, and on the other the cultivated
hills and rich valleys of Monmouthlhire, To
^the rude and magnificent fccnes of nature now
fucceeds a pleafant, fertile, and beautiful coun-
try, divided into enclofures, not covered with
woods, nor broken by rocks and precipices,
but only varFed by eafy fwells and gentle decfi-
vities ; yet the profpeft is not tame 5 the hills in
it are high j and it is bounded by a vaft fweep
R of
n
[ 242 3
of the Severn, which is here vifible for many
miles together, and receives in its courfe the
Wye and the Avon.
From the temflc a road leads to the Wind-
dilF, an eminence much above the reft, and
commanding the whole in one view. The Wye
runs at the foot of the hill ; the peninfula lies
juft below; the deep bofom of the femi-cir-
cular hanging wood is full in fight ; over part
of it the great rock appears; all its bafe, all its
accompaniments are feen •, the country imme-
diately beyond it is full of lovely hillocks; and
the higher grounds in the counties of Somerfet
and Glouccfter rife in the horizon. The Severn
feems to be, as it really is, above Chepftowe,
three or four miles wide ; below the town it .
fpreads almoft to a fea; the county of Mon«
mouth is there the hither fhore ; and between
its beautiful hills appear at a great diftance die
mountains of Brecnock and Glamorganfhire.
In extent, in variety, and grandeur, few prolpe£b
are equal to this. It comprehends all the noble *
fcenes of Persfield, encompaffcd by fome of
the fineft country in Britain.
Of the S E A S O N S.
LXIV. To every view belongs a light which
(hews it to advantage ; every fcene and eveiy
objeft
r
bh}f£t is in its bighrft beauty onljir at particular
^UCf.of ^ 4ay ; StndeVcry place is, ijAts fuu*
fitM>»iOrJts,cbard6^«r; .ppjciiliarly agreable in cert^
fS}in «W!Ptbfiof tfecrjf^r;^. The yftj/i»j thus be-
€0£M fubjc^ksiiof £2o0lidera|:ionrin gardening;
aad.Kfhch fchmiBl ofijifade ciix^Eunftances which
diftinguUh a fpotmdre at one time tha{i another
happen to . concur^ k will often be worth the
whik to add Itx) thciirt number, and to exclude
fuch as do nojC agree with them, for no other
pfurpofe than to ilrengthen their effe^ at that
{utrticular.timCr Dii&rQit parts may- thus be
adapted (0 different fea£bns *, and each in iti
tiiFn wiU he. in perfection* But if the place
will not allow of fuch a fucceflion, ftill eccqfi^
mal effeSls may often be iiecured and improved
wathout^ prejudice to .the fcene when they are
paft, and withoiic affefiatioh while . they con-
tinue.
:;..TJic temple of concord and vidory at Stowe
has been tnentipned as one of the nobleft ob*
jeAs tiiat ever adoraed a garden y but there is a
moment when it *;ifS|pears in fihgular beauty ;
the ietting fun ihines ^on the long colonade
whici^ faces the weft ; all the lower parts of the
building are darkened by the neighbouring
wood ; the pillars rife at different heights out
of the obfcurity ; fome of them are nearly
overipread with it ; fome are chequered with a
R 2 variety
[ -H4 •]
irdriety of Unt9; and others ut> iUuminafi6d ai**
moft down to their bafes. The light i» ge&ttf
foftened off hf the rotundity of the columns ;
but it fpreads in broad gleams upon cKl^^ wafl
within them ; and pours full and- without ifitec»>
rupttoQ on alFthe entaUature^idiftinfUf ^maiics^
ing cverf dentil : on the ftatoo% which adorn
the feveral points of the fedinaenc, a - deep
ihade is contrafted to fplendor ; the rays: of tfat
{\xti linger ph the fide of the tempk long afte^
the front is over-caft with the fober imr of
evening; and they tip the upper branches tsf
the treesy or glow in the openings ben^een
thetn, while the fbadows lengthen acrofsi the
Grecian valley. . . " ^- i^^ '
. Such an occafional eSeA^ however tranfitnty
is^fo exquifitely beautiful, that it would be tni^
pardonable to negleft it* Others may be .pro*
duced at feveral hours of the day 5 and the dif;
pofition of the buildings^ of the. ground, ithe
water, and th^ plantations 1 may. often be aci
pommoda(ed to ftip|)ort tbem. There are alfo
occafional ^effe^ in ccrCttn months or only
weeks of the year, arifingiiridm fome particular
bloom, fome occupation ;then' carrying . on^ rsx-
other incident, vjhich may jfii.far dcferve aojci^
jion as to' recommend a choice and arrange^
ment of objefts, which at that time will' 'im^
prove
r
[ ^45 3
prove the cotnpofition) though at another th^
may have no extraordinary merit.
^ LXV. Besides thefe tranfitory efiefts, there
are others which may be defined and produced
with mwe exadhieis, which are fixed to ftatied
periods, and have certain properties belonging
to them/ Some iptcies and fittiations of objedts
are in themfelves adapted to receive or to make
the impreiBons which charafterize the principal
paitt of the day ; their fplendor, their fobriecy,
and other peculiarities recommend or prohibit
them upon different occafions ; the fame confir
derations dired the choice alfo of their a^ppea*
dages ; and in confequence of a judicious af-
femblage and arrangement of fuch as are pro*
pet for the purpofe, the j^/ri/ of the morning,
the excefs of noon, or the temperance of evening,
may be improved or corre£ted by the applica-
tion of the fcene to the feafon.
In a nmniingj the freflipefs of the air allays
the force of the Joa-beatps, and their bright-
nefs is free fromi^gtaee \ the inoft fplendid ob-
jects do not offend th£ eye; nor fugged the
idea of heat in its extreme ; but they corref*
pond with the glitter of the dew which befpan^
gles all the produce of the earth, and with the
chearfulnefs diffufed over the whole face of the
cre^tion^ A variety of buildings may therc-
R 3 for?
fore be intr^gduced to^ cnlivw the vie4r^ ^x{
colour m^y be the purcft white, without (ianger
of cxcefs, though they face the eaftern fun \
^nd thofe which are in 6ther afp^& IKduld be
fo contrived^ that their tufrrets, thfctr pinhacles^
or other points, may citcK glances of the rays^
^nd contribute to tlluorin^te the fcene. The
trees ought in general to bp of the iigbteft
greens, and fo fituated a$ not to darken oaoch
of the landfl^ip by the length of theiir ihadows.
Vivacity in (he ftraams,.and trahfparehc^in %
take, are more important at this than ^ any
other hour of the day; and an open expofure
is commonly the moft ddigfitful, both for the
cfFed of |)afticu1ar obgeifts, and the general cha*-
rafter of the fcene.
At noon every expeditot ihould be i!^d to
correfi: the excefs of the feafon: thfe (hade^
^e fliortebed j they muft therefore be thick 5
but open plantations are generally preferable to
^ clofe covert; they aflford.a pafTage, of at
Jeaft admittance to the air, which temperifd by
the.coojnefs of the plac:^, foft to the touch,
and refxefliing a| once to all the fenfesy renders
the ih^de a delightful climate, not a mere re^
fuge from heat. Gtoves„,even atadiAance^
fuggeft the ideas which they realize on the fpot;
^nd by multiplying the appearances, improve
|he fenfations pf relief from th? extremity of
r
1\h7 J
the weather : grottos, caves, and cells, are on
the fame account agreable circumftances in a
fcqueftered recefs-, and though the chill within
be hardly ever tolerable, the eye catches only an'
idea of coolnefs from the fight of them. Other
buildings ought in general to be caft intofhade,
that the glare of the refledion from them may
be obfcured. The large expanfe of a lake, is
alfo too dazling; but a broad river moving
gently, and partially darkened with ihadow, is
very refrelhing 5 more fo perhaps than a little
fill J for the vivacity of the latter rather difturbs
the repofe which generally prevails at mid-day :
tvery breeze then is ftill; the reflexion of an
alpin leaf fcarcely trembles on the water 5 the
atiimals remit their fearch of food; and man
ceafes from his labour; thefteam of heat feems
to opprefs all the faculties of the mind, and all
the aAive powers of the body ; and any very
lively motion difcompofes the languor in whilh
we then delight to indulge. To hear, there-
fore, the murmurs of a brook purling under-
neath a thicket, or the echo of falling waters
through a wood, is more agreable than the
fight of a current 5 the idea conveyed by the
found is free from any agitation ; but if no
other ftrcam than a rill can be introduced, the
rcftcftiment which attends the appearance of
wa^cr muft not be denied to the fcene.
R4 In
\
r »48 ]
In the evening all fplendor fades ; no build*
ings glare ; no water dazzles ; the calmhefs of
a lake fuits the quiet of the time ; the light ho-
vers there, and prolongs the duration of day.
An open reach of ,a river has a fimilar» though
a fainter eSeft ^ and a continued dream all ex-
pofed, preferves the lad rays of the fun along
the whole length of its courfe, to beautify the
landikip. But a brifk current is not fo confift-
cnt as a lake with the tranquillity of evenings
and t>ther objefbs fhould in general conform to
the temper of the time ; buildings of a dufky
hue are mod agreable to it ; but a very parti-
cular effed from a fetting fun will recommend
thofe of a brighter colour ; and they may alfo
be fometimes ufed, among other means, to cor«
red the uniformity of twilight. No contraft
of light and Ihade can then be produced ; but
if the plantations which by their fituation are
tbe firfl: to be obfcured, be of the darkeft
greens ; if the buildings which have a wcdern
afpe£t be of a light colour; and if the ma^
nagement of the lawns and the water be adapted
to the fame purpofe, a diverfity of tints wiU
be preferved long after the greater effefts are
faded.
LXVI. The delights, however, of the morn-
ing and ev^qing are confined to a few months
of
r
I «4? 1
of the year; at other times two or three hoors
before, and as much after noon, are ail thac
are pleafant ^ and even then the heat is feldom
fy extreme as to require relief from its excefs#
The diftin£tions therefore ^between the three
part) of the day may in general be reckoned
tmong the chafadleriftics of fummer ; the occa^
iional efieds which by the pofition of obge^
may occur at any hour, are common to all the
leafons of the year % and fuch as arife ffom.the
accidental colours of plants, though they aror
more frequent and more beautiful in one fea»
Ion than another, yet exift in all:^ and very
agreable groupes may be formed by an alTem*
blage of them. A degree of itnpprunce may
be given even to the flowers of a border, if in-
ftead of being indifcriminately mixed, they are
arranged according to their heights, their fizes,
and their colours, fo as to difplay their beau*
ties, and to blend or contrail their varieties
to the greateft advantage^ The bloom of fhrubs
differs from that of flowers only in the fcale i
and the tints occafioned by the hue of the beery,
jthe foliage, or the bark, are fometimes little
inferior to bloom. By coUefUng into one fpot
fuch plants as have at the fame time their ac-
cidental colours, confiderable effedts may be
produced from the concurrence of many little
caufes.
Thofe
t ^5<s J
THoffc which arife from bloom are the moft
ftriking, and the moft certain ^ and they abound
chiefly m the ffring i bloom is a charaftef iftie
0f the^feafon; and a villa near town, which ii
defigned principally for that time of the yc^ar)
is not adapted to its ufe, if this propefrty be liot
amply provided for. In fuch a pl^e^ thei^
^ore^ Ihruberies, with an intermixture of flow^
•rs, are peculiarly proper/ In the fummer
nonchsi a border bet^ifeen the thicket and thi
gttenfwerd, breaks the connexion, and deftroyi
the greater efieffc; it ought not to be then in*
troduced» except to enliven fmall fpots, jihd a^
the beft fpecies of parterre. But in the fprii^i
the thicket is hardly formed; its principii
beauty is bloom ; and flowers before or among
the flirubs, are agreable to the character of the
feafon. An orchard, which at other times is
unfightly, is then delightful; and if a farm
joins to the garden, Ihould not be forgotten x
but evergreens appear in general to great difad-
vantage ; moft of them have a ruflet or a dark
hue, which fufFers by being contrafted to the
lively verdure of the young (hoots on the deci-
duous trees ; th'it verdure is, however, fo light,
and fo univerfal, that effefts from a mixture of
greens can feldom be produced ; and thofe
which depend on a depth of fhade will oftea
be difappointed ; but buildings, views of wa^
ter.
C «Si 1
ter^ and whatever tends to animate th^ fcene, ^
Accord with the feafon, which is full of youth
tod vigour, fre(h and fprightly, brightened by
the vmtlure of the herbage and the woodsd^ g^y
l^ith blolToms and flowers^ and enlivened by
the fongs of the birds in all their variety, from
the rude joy of the fky lark, to the dtltcacy of
the nightingale.
In fummer both the buildings and the water
are ajgreable^ not as objeda only, but alfo as
Circutnftances of refreihmeht ; the pleafantnefr^
thfcrefore, of the rooms in the fermer, of thf
fedts dnd the walks near the latter,. is to be
regarded. The plantations alfo Ihould be cal<-
culated at kaft as much for places of retreat
as for orriaments of the view; and a condnua*
tion of fhade be preferved,- with very few and
0iort interruptions, through all the parts of the
garden. Communications by gravel walks are
of lefs confequence ; they do not fu^eft that
idea of utility which attends them in winterer
^^llutumn ; tod their colour, which in fprlng is a
lively contrail to the verdure through which it
winds, is in the intemperate blaze of a fummer
day, glaring and painful They fliould, there-
fore, be concealed as much as poflible; and
the other confiderations which belong to th<;
nooiirtide hour, &ould be particularly attended
to 5 9i the feme timi: th^t the delights Of the
morn-
[ «5^ ]
morning and the evening are alfo liberally pm-'
, vided for. But exclu&ve of all fuch incidentat
circumftances, the fcenes of nature in general
appear at this feafon to the greatefl: advantage ;
though the bloom of the fpring be faded, and
the verdure of the herbage may be fometimea
afie&ed by droughty yet the richnefs of the
produce of the earth, and the luxuriance of the
foliage in the woods, the fenfations of refrefh-
ment added to the beauty of water» the ideas
of enjoyment which accompany the fight of
evcfy grove, of every building, and every dc»
ligbtful fpot; the characters of rocks, height*
ened by their appendages, and unallayed t^
any difconfolate refte6bions ; the cotinedioii of
the ground with the plantations } the perma*
nency of every tirtt; and the cerrainty of cverj^
cffcdl ; all concur in fummer to raife the feveral
compofitions to their higheft ftaffe of perfeftion.
But maturity is always immediately flicceeded
by decay; flowers bloom'and fade; fruits ripen and
rot ; the grafs fprings and withers ; and the foliage
of the woods fhoots, thickens, and falls. In the
latter months of aiaumn^ aM nature is on the de*
cline 5 it is a comfbrtlcfs feafon ; not a bloflbm
is left on the (hrubs or the trete; add the few
flowers which ftill remain in tfte Ubrders, drip-
ping with wet, and fickening even as they blow,
fccm hardly to furvivc the leaves of the plant
whicl^
€ 453 ]
Wbfch are fhrivclling beneath thetn j but the
chang? of the leaf precedes the fall; arid thctidt
i^ftilts a variety of colours fuperior to any whicn
thtfpring or the fummer can boaft of. To fliew
«i>d to improve that variety fliould be princi-
pally attended td^ in a place; fuch- as a fportinj;
feat, which is frequented only * in 'autumn. It
appears to advantage, whenever the furface of
a wood can be commanded; and it may be
produced to a confiderable de^ee even in a
Bhl-ubbery, if the plants are ifo dlfpofed as to
rife in gradation one behind another. By ofa-
ferving the tints which the leaves aflume wheii
they change, the choice may be direfted to the
improvement of their variety ; and by attend-
ing to the times when they fall, a fucccffion of
thefe tranfitory beauties may be provided, from
the earlieft to the lateft in the feafon. Many
0irubs and trees are at this time alfb covered
with berries, which furnifli ftill further varieties
of colour; both evergreens and deciduous
plants abound with them ; and the verdure of
the former is befidcs a welcome fubftitute to
that which is daily fading away. Open build-
ings, aify groves, views of water, andtheothef
delights of fummir, now lofe their charms;
and more homelf circumftances of comfort and
<?onvenience arc preferable to all their beau-
ties:
A place
I
L
t aj4 ]
A place; which is the refidcncc of a fatmlxt^l
.the year is very defeftive, if fome portion of i|l
Ibe not fet apart for th^ enjoy oaent of a %nc dayi
for air and exercife in winder: to fuch afpop
ihclter is abfolutely eflentia); and eyergreeim
being the thickeft covert> are therefore the bfftji
their Verdure alfo is then agreabk to fthe eye i
and they may be arranged fo as to produce
beautiful mixtures of greens^ with more cer-
tainty than deciduous trees, and with altqpft
equ^ variety: they may be cpUeft^^ 'Wff^k
woody and through that wood gravel walks may.
be led» along openings of a conQderable breads h^
free from large trees^ which would intercept the
lays of the fun, and winding in fuch a manner
as to avoid any draft of wind, fr^tn whatever
guarter it may blow. But when a retreat at aU
times is thus fecured^ pther fpop ^ay be 4td^c4
only to occafional purpofes ; and be ihe){x;F$f|
towards the north or the eaft on one hapd, wifa^
they are open to the fun on the other : the few
hours of chearfulnefs, and waroith which its
beams afford are (b valuable, as to juftify thefa^^
crifice even of the principles of beauty, to the
enjoyment of themi and therefor^: no otyeftion?
of famenefs or formality, can prevail againft th^
pleafantnefs of a ftraight w>l|% under a thick
hedge, or a fouth wall : the eye may however
be diverted from the Ikreen, by a border before
it.
t H5 J
it, where the aconite and the fnowdrop, the
crocus and hepatica, brodght fbrward by the
warmth of the fituation, will be welcome har-
' bingiers of fpring ; and on the oppdfite fide of
■ the walk, little tufts of lauriiflShes, and of va-
' riegatcd evcrgreeAs, may be glinted. The fpbt
thus enlivened by a variety of jjolour§, and ev*a
a degree of bloom, may be ftill further improved
by a grceri-houfe; the entertainment which exo^
tics afford peculiarly belongs' tp this part of the
year; and if amohgft thembc;nt?rfperfedfomc
of our earlieft Qowcrs, they wDl there blow be-
fore their tiihe^ and anticipate the 'gaiety of tifie
feafon which is advancing. Xhe walk may alfo
lead to the ftoves, where the climate and the
plants are always the fame : and the kitchen
garden (hould not be far ofiT; i^r that is^never
quite deftitute of produce, and always 'an affivc
fcene; the appearance of bulinefs is alone en-v
gaging ; and the occupations there are an earnelt
of the happier fcafons to which .they are pre-
parative. By thcfe expedients even the winter
may be rendered chearful In a place, where
(helter is prAvided againft ail but the bittereft
inclemencies of the iky> and agreeable objefts,
and ihterefiing amufements are contrived for
every hour of tolerable weather.
t O N.
C O N C L U si ON.
LXVII. Whatever contributes to render
the fcenes of nature delightful, . b amongft the
fu|bje6ls of gardening ; and animate as well as
inanimate obje&s, are circumftances of beauty
or character. Several of thcfe have been pcca-
fionally mentioned y others will readily occur ;
and nothing is unworthy of the attention of a
gardener, which can tend to improve his com-
pofitions, whether by immediate effefts, or by
i^ggefting a train of pleafmg ideas*. The whole
range of naturie is open to him^ from the par- .
terre to the forcft \ and whatever is agreable, to
the fenfes or, the imagination, he may appropriate
to the fpot he is to improve: it is a part of his
bufincfs to cojlejft into one place, the delights
which ^re generally difperfed through diffcfcrit
Ipecics of country*
But in this application, the genius of the place
muft always be particularly confidered; to force
it is hazardous ; and an attempt to cpntradid it
is always unfuccefsful. The beauties peculiar
to one charafter, catinot be transferred to its
oppoHte^ even where the charafters are the
fame, it is difficult to copy direftly from the
one into the other; and by endeavouring to
produce a refemblance of a fcene which is juftly
admired.
1
F
t i5l J
idmired, the proper advantages of the pkecij
are often negledled for an imitation much in«
fcrior to the original. The excellence of thtf
latter probably depends on the happy applica-
tion of the circumflances to the fubjed ^ and
the fubjeds of both are never exaiaiy alike*
The art of gardening therefore is not to be ftu*
died in thofe fpots only where it has been exer*
fcifcd \ though they are in this country very nu^
merousj and very various j yet all together they
. contain but a fmall proportion of the beauties
which nature exhibits ; and unlefs the gardener
has ftored his mind with ideas^ from the infinite
variety of the country at large, he will feel thcJ
want of that number^ which is neceflary iot
choice ; he will have none ready to apply to
the fubjedt immediately before him j and will
be reduced to copy an imitation* But improved
places are of Angular ufe to direft the judgment
in the choice^ and the combinations of the beau-
ties of nature : an extenfive knowledge of them
is to be acquired in the country where they ca-
fually occur 5 difcernment of their excellencies,
and a taftc for the difpofition of them, is to be
formed in places where they have been fele6tedj^
and arranged with defign.
FINIS;
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