1 88 THE PRAISE OF GARDENS 



OLIVER n^HE English have not yet brought the art of gardening to the 



POT nmviiTH I ^ o DO 



(1728-1774) ^^^^^ perfection with the Chinese, but have lately begun to 



imitate them ; Nature is now followed with greater assiduity than 

 formerly; the trees are suffered to shoot out into the utmost 

 luxuriance ; the streams no longer forced from their native beds, 

 are permitted to wind along the vallies : spontaneous flowers take 

 the place of the finished parterre, and the enamelled meadow of 

 the shaven green. 



Yet still the English are far behind us in this charming art: 

 their designers have not yet attained a power of uniting instruction 

 wnth beauty. An European will scarcely conceive my meaning, 

 when I say, that there is scarce a garden in China which does not 

 ^^^ontain some fine moral, couch'd under the general design, where 

 one is not taught wisdom as he walks, and feels the force of some 

 noble truth or delicate precept resulting from the disposition of 

 the groves, streams or grotto's. 



Permit me to illustrate what I mean by a description of my 

 gardens at Quamsi. My heart still hovers round those scenes 

 of former happiness with pleasure ; and I find satisfaction in 

 enjoying them at this distance, though but in imagination. 



You descended from the house between two groves of trees, 

 planted in such a manner that they were impenetrable to the 

 eye : while on each hand the way was adorned with all that was 

 beautiful in porcelaine, statuary and painting. 



This passage from the house opened into an area surrounded 

 with rocks, flowers, trees and shrubs, but all so disposed as if each 

 was the spontaneous production of nature. As you proceeded 

 forward on this lawn, to your right and left hand were two gates, 

 opposite each other, of very different architecture and design ; 

 and before you lay a temple built rather with minute elegance 

 than ostentation. 



The right-hand gate was planned with the utmost simplicity or 

 rather rudeness ; ivy clasp'd round the pillars, the baleful Cyprus 

 hung over it ; time seemed to have destroyed all the smoothness 

 and regularity of the stone : two champions with lifted clubs 

 appeared in the act of guarding its access ; dragons and serpents 



