ON CHINESE GARDENS. 107 



ARTICLE VI. 

 ON CHINESE GARDENS. 

 (Continued from page 88.) 



These projections produce variety, by altering the apparent 

 figure of the open space from every point of view ; and by con- 

 stantly hiding parts of it, they create a mystery, which excites the 

 traveller's curiosity ; they likewise occasion, in many places, a 

 great depth in the thicket, which affords opportunities of making 

 recesses for buildings, seats, and other objects, as well as for 

 bold windings of the principal walks, and for several smaller 

 paths to branch off from the principal ones ; all which take off the 

 idea of a boundary, and furnish amusement to the passenger in 

 his course ; and as it is not easy to pursue all the turns of the 

 different lateral paths, there is still something left to desire, and a 

 field for the imagination to work upon. 



In their crooked walks, they carefully avoid all sudden or unna- 

 tural windings, particularly the regular serpentine curves, of which 

 our English gardeners are so fond ; observing, that these eter- 

 nal, uniform, undulating lines, are, of all things, the most unnatu- 

 ral, the most affected 3 and most tiresome to pursue. Having na- 

 ture in view, they seldom turn their walks, without some appa- 

 rent excuse ; either to avoid impediments, naturally existing, or 

 raised by art, to improve the scenery. A mountain, a precipice, 

 a deep valley, a marsh, a piece of rugged ground, a building, or 

 some old venerable plant, afford a striking reason for turning aside, 

 and if a river, the sea, a wide extended lake, or a terrace com- 

 manding rich prospects, present themselves, they hold it judi- 

 cious to follow them in all their windings; so to protract the 

 enjoyments which these noble objects procure: but on a plain, 

 either open, or formed into groves and thickets, where no impe- 

 diments oblige, nor no curiosity invites to follow a winding path, 

 they think it very absurd; saying that the road must either have 

 been made by art, or be worn by the constant passage of travellers: 

 in either of which cases, it cannot be supposed that men would go 

 by a crooked line, where they could arrive by a straight one. 

 In general, they are very sparing of their twists, which are al- 

 ways easy, and so managed, that never more than one curve is 

 perceptible at the same time. 



They likewise take care to avoid an exact parallelism in these 



