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ture therefore, in her large works, neglects these properties; and in copying nature the artist ought to neglect them.

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Having thus far carried on a comparison betwixt gardening and architecture, I proceed to rules peculiar to each; and I begin with gardening. The fimpleft idea of a garden, is that of a spot embel lifhed with a number of natural objects, trees, walks, polish'd parterres, flowers, ftreams, &c. One more complex comprehends ftatues and buildings, that nature and art may be mutually ornamental. A third approaching nearer perfection, is of objects affembled together, in order to produce, not only an emotion of beauty, effential to gardens of every kind, but also some other particular emotion, grandeur for example, gaiety, or any other of those above mentioned. The moft perfect idea of a garden is an improvement upon the third, requiring the adjustment of the several parts, in fuch a manner as to infpire all the different emotions that can be raised by gardening. In this idea of a garden, the arrangement is an important circumftance; for it has been shown, that fome emotions figure beft in conjunction, and that others ought always to appear in fucceffion and never in conjunci on, I have had occafion to observe above,✶ that when the moft oppofite emotions, fuch as gloominess and gaiety, ftillness and activity, follow each other in fucceffion, the pleasure on the whole will be the greateft; but that oppofite or diffimilar emotions ought not to be united, because they produce an unpleasant mixture. For that reafon, a ruin, affording a fort of melancholy pleafure, ought not to be feen from a flower-parterre, which is gay and chearful. But to pafs immediately from an exhilarating object to a ruin, has a glorious effect; for each of the emotions is the

* Chap, 8.

+ Chap. 2. part 4.

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more fenfibly felt by being contrafted with the other. Similar emotions, on the other hand, fuch as gaiety and sweetness, ftillness and gloominess, motion and grandeur, ought to be raised together; for their effects upon the mind are greatly heightened by their conjunction.*

Kent's method of embellishing a field, is admirable. It is painting a field with beautiful objects, natural and artificial, difpofed like colours upon a canvas. It requires indeed more genius to paint in the gardening way. In forming a landscape upon a canvas, no more is required but to adjust the figures to each other: an artist who lays out ground in Kent's manner, has an additional tafk, which is. to adjust his figures to the feveral varieties of the field.

One garden must be diftinguished from a plurality; and yet it is not obvious wherein the unity of a garden confifts. A notion of unity is indeed fuggefted from viewing a garden furrounding a palace, with views from each window, and walks leading to every corner. But there may be a garden without a house. In this cafe, I muft pronounce, that what makes it one garden, is the unity of defign, every single spot appearing part of a whole. The gardens of Verfailles, properly expreffed in the plural number, being no fewer than fixteen, are indeed all of them connected with the palace, but have scarce any mutual connection: they appear not like parts of one whole, but rather like fmall gardens in contiguity. Were these gardens at fome diftance from each other, they would have a better effect. Their junction breeds confufion of ideas, and upon the whole gives lefs pleasure than would be felt in a flower fucceffion.

Regularity

See the place immediately above cited,

Regularity is required in that part of a garden which joins the dwelling-houfe; for being confidered as a more immediate acceffory, it ought to partake the regularity of the principal object.* But in proportion to the diftance from the house confidered as the centre, regularity ought less and lefs to be studied. In an extenfive plan, it hath a fine effect to lead the mind infenfibly from regularity to a bold variety giving an impreffion of grandeur. And grandeur ought to be ftudied as much as poffible, even in a more confined plan, by avoiding à multiplicity of small parts.† Nothing contributes more to grandeur, than a right difpofition of trees. Let them be scattered extremely thin near the dwelling-house, and thickened in proportion to their distance: diftant eminences to be filled with trees,

and:

The influence of this connection furpaffing all bounds, is vifible in many gardens, left in their original form of horizontal plains forc'd with great labour and expence, perpendicular faces of earth fupported with maffy ftone walls, terrace-walks in ftages one above another, regular ponds and canals without the leaft motion, and the whole furrounded, like a prifon, with high walls, excluding every external object. At first view it may puzzle one to account for a tafte running cross to nature in every particular. But nothing happens without a caufe. Perfect regularity and uniformity are required in a houfe; and this idea is extended to its acceffory the garden, especially if it be a fmall spot incapable of grandeur or much variety. The houfe is regular, fo muft the garden be: the floors of the house are horizontal, and the garden muft have the fame pofition: in the house we are protected from every intruding eye, fo muft we be in the garden. This, it must be confeffed, is carrying the notion of resemblance very far. But where reafon and taste are laid afleep, nothing is more common than to carry refemblance beyond proper bounds.

+ See chap. 4.

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and laid open to view. A fmall garden, on the other hand which admits not grandeur, ought to be ftrictly regular.

Milton, defcribing the garden of Eden, prefers juftly the grand tafte to that of regularity.

Flowers worthy of paradife which not nice art
In beds and curious knots, but nature boon
Pour'd forth profufe on hill, and dale, and plain;
Both where the morning fun first warmly fmote
The open field, and where the unpierc'd shade
Imbrown'd the noontide-bow'rs.

Paradife Loft, b. 4r

In the manner of planting a wood or thicket, much art may be display'd, A common centre of walks, termed a ftar, from whence are feen a number of remarkable objects, appears too artificial to be agreeable. The crowding withal fo many objects together, leffens the pleasure that would be felt in a flower fucceffion. Abandoning there-fore the ftar, being ftiff and formal, let us try to fubftitute fome form more natural, that will lay open all the remarkable objects in the neighbourhood. This may be done by openings in the wood. at various distances, which, in walking, bring fucceffively under the eye every object as by accident. Some openings display fingle objects, fome a plurality in a line, and fome a rapid fucceffion of them. In this plan, the mind at intervals is roused and cheared by agreeable objects; and the scene is greatly heightened by the furprise it occafions when we ftumble, as it were, upon objects of which we had no expectation.

As gardening is not an inventive art, but an imitation of nature, or rather nature itself ornamented; it follows neceffarily, that every thing unnatural ought to be rejected with difdain. Statues

of

of wild beafts vomiting water, a common ornament in gardens, prevails in thofe of Verfailles. Is this ornament in a good tafte? A jet d'eau, being purely artificial, may, without disgust, be tortured into a thoufand fhapes: but a representation of what really exists in nature, admits not any unnatural circumstance. These ftatues therefore in the gardens of Verfailles must be condemned and yet fo infenfible has the artist been to juft imitation, as to have difplay'd his vicious tafte without the leaft colour or disguise. A lifelefs ftatue of an animal pouring out water, may be endured without much difguft. But here the lions and wolves are put in violent action: each has feized its prey, a deer of a lamb, in act to devour. And yet, inftead of extended claws and open mouth, the whole, as by a hocus-pocus trick, is converted into a different fcene: the lion, forgetting his prey, pours out water plentifully; and the deer, forgetting its danger performs the fame operation; a representation not lefs abfurd than that in the opera, where Alexander the Great, after mounting the wall of a town befieged, turns about and entertains his army with a fong.

In gardening, every lively exhibition of what is beautiful in nature has a fine effect: on the other hand, diftant and faint imitations are difpleafing to every one of tafte. The cutting evergreens in the fhape of animals, is a very ancient practice; as appears from the epiftles of Pliny, who seems to be a great admirer of this puerile conceit. The propenfity to imitation gave birth to this practice; and has fupported it wonderfully long, confidering how faint and infipid the imitation is. But the vulgar, great and small, devoid of tafte, are entertained with the oddness and fingularity of a refemblance, however diftant, betwixt a tree and an animal. An attempt in the gardens of Versailles,

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