120 



thods were to be tried, l^ut whatever might 

 fdllow, destruction must precede. 



I remember, that even this garden (so 

 infinitely inferior to those of Italy) had an 

 air of decclration and of gaiety, arising from ' 

 that decoration ; «;i air parS, a distinction 

 froitt mere unembellished nature, which, 

 whatever the advocates for extreme sim- = 

 plicit}' may allege, is surely essential to an ' 

 ornamented garden : all the beauties of un- 

 dulating groimd, of shrubs, and of verdure, 

 are to be found in places where no art has' 

 ever been employed, and consequently can- 

 not besto^v a distinction which they do not 

 possess : for, as I have before remarked,* 

 they must themselves in some respects be 

 considered as unembellished nature. 



Among other circumstances, I have a 

 strong recollection of a raised terrace, seen 

 sideways from that in front of the house, in 

 the middle of which was a flight of steps 

 with iron rails, and an arched recess below 

 it, backed by a wood: these steps conr 



* XiCtter to Mr. Reptou, p. 91, 1st edit.—lOS, 2d edit. 



