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fome garden or gardens he hadfeen — fo minutely do bis iieat 

 correjpond with the prefent jlandard. But what Jhaîl we 



fay for that intervenmg half century who could read that 

 plan and never attcmpt to put it in exécution^ 



Now îet us turn to an admired writer, pojierior to MiltoUf 

 and fee how coldy bow inftpid^ how taftelefs is bis account of 

 what he pronounced a perfeB garden, 1 fpeak not of bis Jiyle, 

 mohich it ivas ?iot necejfary for bim to animate with the 

 colouring and glow of poetry. It is bis want of ideas, of 

 imagination, of tajle, that I cenfure, when he diâiated on a, 

 fubjecî that is capable of ail the grâces that a knowîedge 

 of beautiful nature can bejîow. Sir William Temple was an 

 excellent man i Milton a genius of the firjl order, 



We cannot wonder that fir William déclares in fanjour of 



parterres, fountains and Jîatues, as necejfary to break the 



famenefs of large grafs-plats, which he thinks hâve an ill 



efeôl upon the eye, when he acknowledges that he difcovers 



faîicy in the garde?is of Alcinous. Milton Jîudied the ancients 



with equal enthifiafm, but no bigotry, and had judgtnent to 



dijîinguijlo between the want of invention and the beauttes of 



poety. Compare his Paradife with Homers garden, both af- 



cribed to a celefial defign. Forfr William, it isjujî to ob- 



ferve, that his ideas ccntured in afruit-garden* He had the 



bonour 



