more a 



GAR 



when the fields arc unpleafant or unfafe to walk over, 

 thcfe dry walks in gardens become ufdiil and pleafanti 

 and fuch walks, if laid either v/ith gravel or fand, 

 may lead through the difFcrcnt plantations, gently 

 winding about in an eaiy natural way, v/hich will be 



"o-reeabk than tliofe long flrait walks, which 

 are too frequently ken m gardens. 

 But as the tafte of defigning gardens has of late al- 

 tered from the former method, there are many per- 

 fons who have gone into the oppofitc extreme ^ and 

 in the forming of what they term ferpcntine walks, 

 have twilled them about in lb many lliort turns, as to 

 render it very difagreeable to walk on them ; and at 

 the fame time they ftrike the fight with as much ftiiT- 

 nefs and appearance of art, as any of the methods 

 formerly pradifcd. In Pnort, thiC fewer turns thei-e 

 are in thefc walks, and the more they are concealed, 

 the better they will pleafe ^ and yet the turns being 

 eafy, and at great diltances, will take off all the ap- 

 pearance of ftraitnefs. And here let me obfcrve, that 

 there can be no better, or more cafy or natural me- 

 thod of laying out thefe walks, than by tracing th 

 cafy turns made on a road, where it bends by the 

 track of the coach wheels. 



Thefe walks fiiould be fo contrived, as to lead into 

 ihade as foon as poffible^, as alfo into fome planta- 

 tions of Ihrubs, where perfons may walk in private, 

 and be fheltered from the wind ^ for no garden can 

 be pleafing where there is want of fhade and flielter. 

 Another thing abfolutely neceflary is, where the 

 boundaries of the garden are fenced with walls or 

 pales, they fliould be hid by plantations of flowering 

 Ihrubs, intermixed with Laurels, and fome other 

 Evergreens, which will have a good effe6l, and at 

 ' the fame time conceal the fences, which are difagree- 

 . able, when left naked and expofed to the fight. 

 , In lituations where there is a good fupply of water, 

 "the defisner has room for adding; one of the greateft: 



^ 

 ^ 



admit of a 





beauties to the garden, efpecially if it v/ill 

 conftant flream ; for in fuch places, if the water is 

 properly conduced through tlie garden, it will afford 

 infinite pleafu re; for although thefe ftreams may not 

 be fufficient to fupply a large furface, yet if thefe 

 narrow rivulets are judicioully led about the garden, 

 they will have a better effect than many of the large 

 ftagnating ponds or canals, fo frequently made in 

 large gardens ^ for where thefe pieces of water ar 

 large, if all the boundaries can be feen from one point 

 of view, they cannot be efteemed by perfons of 

 judgment; and frequently thefe {landing waters are 

 brought fo near the houfe, as to render the air damp 

 and unhealthy; and many times they are fo fituated, 

 as to occafion this inconvenience, and at the fame 



. time are not feen to any advantage from the houfe. 



. Where wilderneffes are intended, thefe fliould not be 

 cut into flars, and other ridiculous figures, nor formed 

 into mazes or labyrinths, which in a great defign is 

 trifling, but the walks Ihould be noble, and fhaded 

 by taU trees ; and the fpaces of the quarters planted 

 with flowering flirubs and Evergreens, whereby they 



. will be rendered pleafant at all feafons of the year ; 

 and if there are hardy forts of flowers (which will 

 thrive with little care) fcattered about near the fides 



■ of the walks, they will have a very good effedr, in 



. making a variety of natural beauties almoft through 

 the year. 



The fituation of thefe wildernefi!es fhould not be too 

 near the houfe, left they fhould occafion damps ; 

 therefore it is mvich better to contrive fome open 

 groves, through which there may be a communica- 

 tion under fhade, from the houfe to thefe wilderneffes; 

 which are much the beft when they are planted at the 

 farthefl: part of the garden, provided they do not ob- 

 ftruft the view of fine objedls. 



Buildings are alfo very great ornaments to a garden, 

 if they are well defigned and properly placed ; but 

 the modern tafle of crowding gardens with large ufe- 

 lefs buildings, I prefume to think is cenfurable, with 

 regard as well to propriety as expence. 

 Statues and vafes are alfo very beautiful objefts, but 



GAR 



thefe fliGukl by no means be placed too near each 



other; for when fcveral of them appear at once, they 

 fill and confound the eye, ami lofc the beautiful cf- 

 fcft which they would have, if now and then one pro- 

 perly fituated engage:.;,- tiie fi^^ht. 



What an expcncx; might bcT ipared, and applied to 



more of nature, than what wc aiifcali grandeur. 



Fountains are alfo very ornamental to a garden, if 

 they are magnificently built, and where a conftant 

 fupply of v/ater can' be obtained; but if they are 

 meanly ercfted, or have not v/atcr to keep them con- 

 flantly running, they faould never be introduced, into 

 gardens, for j^jQthing can be more ridiculous tl^^ to 

 iee a dry fountain ; which, perhaps, at a great ex- 

 pence, may have w^ater forced up, to fupply it for an 

 hour or tv/o, and no more ; and this perhaps not in 

 dry feafons, w^hen there is a general fcarcity of water. 

 The fame may alfo be obfervcd of cafcades, and other 

 falls of water, which ought never to be contrived in 

 gardens, where there cannot be a conftant run of 

 water; but where the fituation of a garden is. fo 

 happy, as to be naturally fupplied with water, thefe 

 falls and jet's d'eau, may be rendered very great 

 beauties, efpecially if they are v/ell defigned, and not 

 -made in the low; mean tafte, in which too miany of 

 thofe now in being appear, and where the wateV is 

 made to fall over a parcel of regular fteps of ftone ; 

 but the fall fhould be in one fliect from top to bottom, 

 where fliould be placed many large rough ftones to 

 break and difperfe the v/ater, and to increafe the noife 

 of the fall. 



Where the ground is naturally uneven, and has gen- 

 tle rifes and falls, thefe may be fo humoured in the 

 laying out of the ground, as to be rendered very 

 great beauties ; but thefe inequalities of the ground 

 muft by no means be cut into regular ftiff flopes, nor 

 amphitheatres, as has been too much the praftice : 

 but if the knolls are prcpcrl}^ planted with clumps of 

 trees or flirubs, and the fioping fides fmoothed and 

 left in their natural pofirion, they v/ill have a much 

 better efFe6l, than can be given tliem by all the re- 

 gular angles, lines, and fiat Hopes, which have been 

 till of late, introduced by all the defigners of gardens. 

 The tafte in laying out of gardens has greatly altered, 

 and hd^ been as greatly improved in England, in the 

 compafs of a few years ; for,^ with the revolution, 

 the Dutch tafte of laying out gardens was introduced, 

 which confifted of little more than flower-borders laid 

 out in feveral fcrolls of Box-work, clipped Ever- 

 greens, and fuch low expenfive things ; as alfo the 

 walHng round, and dividing the feveral parts of gar- 

 dens By crofs walls ; fo that a garden confifting of 

 eight or ten acres, was generally divided by brick 

 walls, into three or four feparate gardens; and thefe 

 were reduced to exaft levels, having many gravel- 

 walks, and the borders on e^ch fide crowded with 

 clipped trees and. Evergreen hedges, dividing thefe 

 fmall inclofures again ; fo that the firft making and 

 planting of thefe fm.all gardens was attended with a 

 greater expence, as was the keeping of them afterward, 

 . than gardens of fix times the extent, when defigned 

 after nature. 



•^ t 



Whether this tafte fo univerfally prevailed in England, 

 in complaifance to his late Majefty King William, or 

 was owing to the low grovelling tafte of thofe perfons, 

 who had the defigning of moft of the Englifh gardens, 

 it is difficult to determine ; but it is very certain, that 

 the gentlemen, at that time, attended very little them- 

 felves, to the difpofition of their gardens, but were con- 

 tented to leave the w^hole diredlion of them to perfons 



^ ' 



of the mcaneft talents that ever profefled the art ; fo 

 that foon after, when another tafte prevailed, thefe 

 gardens were almoft totally demoliflied, and it would 

 have been well, if a good, that is to fay, a natural 

 tafte had fucceeded the other ; but this was not the 

 cafe ; for though a more open and extenfive way of 

 laying out gardens was introduced, yet thi^^v^aslit- 



5 Y r " : ..tie 



.' • 



