STEPHEN SWITZER 133 



Professional gardener and seedsman in the reign of Anne and George /., STEPHEN 

 and for several years a pzipil of London and Wise, under the for?ner of whom ^Wl 1 Z.iiK 

 he was employed in 1 706 in laying out the grounds at Blenheim. His own ^ ^' '^^'' 

 garden was at Milbank. {See G. W. Johnson' s 'History of English Gaj'detzing,^ 

 for a long analysis of his chief work ' Ichnographia Rustica.^) 



IF a little Regularity is allow'd near the main Building and as 

 soon as the Designer has stroke out by Art some of the 

 roughest and boldest of his strokes, he ought to pursue Nature 

 afterwards, and by as many Twinings and Windings as his 

 Villa will allow, will endeavour to diversify his Views, always 

 striving that they may be so intermixt, as not to be all discover'd 

 at once ; but that there should be as much as possible, some- 

 thing appearing new and diverting, while the whole should corre- 

 spond together by the magic Error of its natural Avenues and 

 Meanders. . . . And to the End that he may know the better, 

 how to make the best use of natural Advantage, he ought to make 

 himself Master of all Rural Scenes : And the Writings of the 

 Poets on this Subject, will give him considerable Hints, for in 

 Design the Designer as well as the Poet should take as much Pains 

 in forming his Imagination^ as a Philosopher in cultivating his 

 Understanding. — Ichnographia Rustica, 1742 {first edition 17 18). 



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I WISH I were iust now in my little garden at Laracor. I JONATHAN 

 would set out for Dublin early on Monday and bring you (1667.174O 

 an account of my young trees, which you are better acquainted 

 with than the ministry, and so am I. 



It is now high cherry time with us; take notice is it so 

 soon with you ? And we have early apricots ; and gooseberries 

 are ripe. — {Kensington, July i, 17 12.) 



^ Swift had an odd humour of making extempore proverbs. Observing 

 that a gentleman, in whose garden he walked with some friends, seemed to 

 have no intention to request them to eat any of the fruit, Swift observed, 

 ' It was a saying of his dear grandmother, 



Always pull a peach 

 When it is within your reach ' ; 



and helping himself accordingly, his example was followed by the whole 

 company. — Sir W. Scott: Memoirs 0^ Jonathan Swift, 



