6 



pieces of water, the first inquiry should 

 be, how those of natural lakes and rivers 

 are formed ; for I of course suppose, that 

 the most admired parts of them are the 

 proper objects of imitation. This is an 

 inquiry which I believe has never been 

 made with that view, and which I imagine 

 will throw great light upon the whole sub- 

 ject. 



It has been asked, indeed, by way of ri- 

 diculing the effect of time and accident in 

 producing those circumstances which are 

 generally called picturesque, ' whether na- 

 ' ture* is a more pleasing object in a 

 ' dwindled and shrivelled condition, than 

 ' when her vigour " is as great, her beauty 

 *' as fresh, and her looks as charming as if 

 " she newly came out of the forming 

 *' hands of her Creator?" I do not knov/ 

 in what manner Lord Shaftesbury, from 

 whom the latter part of this passage is 

 taken, may have applied it, but as it has 

 been made use of by Mr. G. Mason, i^ 



* Essay on Design in Gardening, page GG4. 



