148 



THE PRAISE OF GARDENS 



and present us with very agreeable Views, and different Scenes of 

 Things, if the Terrasses are not too frequent, and there be good 

 lengths of Level between them. — The Gardener^ s Dictionary {1st 

 edition 1724). 



— V\/\/\/V^— 



VOLTAIRE, A FTER having thus passed in review all the books, they 



{1694-177S). /\ descended into the garden. Candide praised all its beauties. 



I know nothing in such bad taste, said the master ; here are only 



gee-gaws : but I shall begin to-morrow to have one planted of a 



nobler design. — Candide ou F Optimis^ne^ chap. xxv. 



EARL OF 

 CHESTER- 

 FIELD 



(1694-1773). 



BATTY 

 LANGLEY 



(1696-1751), 

 Architect and 

 Garden De- 

 signer. 



— vWVv— 



I HAVE been a Country Gentleman a great while, for me, that is ; 

 for I have now been a fortnight together at Blackheath, and 

 stay three or four days longer. The fu7'or hortensis has seized 

 me, and my acre of ground here affords me more pleasure than 

 Kingdoms do to Kings; for my object is not to extend but to 

 enrich it. 



My Gardener calls me, and I must obey. — Letter to the Bishop 

 of Waterford. {Blackheath^ i75i-) 



— Ay\/\/v. — 



Of the Disposition of Gardens in General. 



NOW as the Beauty of Gardens in general depends upon an 

 elegant Disposition of all their Parts, which cannot be 

 determined without a perfect Knowledge of its several Ascend- 

 ings, Descendings, Views, etc., how is it possible that any Person 

 can make a good Design for any Garden, whose Situation they 

 never saw ? 



To draw a beautiful regular Draught, is not to the Purpose ; for 

 altho' it makes a handsome Figure on the paper, yet it has 

 quite a different Effect when executed on the ground : Nor is 

 there any Thing more ridiculous, and forbidding, than a Garden 

 which is regular j which, instead of entertaining the Eye with fresh 



