Of rural and ey^t en five G ardening. 107 



ufe in natural Gard'ning, the loofe Serpen- 

 tine Line feem to be the moft entertaining 5 

 becaiife thereby the Owner does not fee all 

 his bufinefs at once, but is infenfibly led from 

 one Place to another, and from a Lawn to a 

 Hill, or a Dale, which he is not apt to per- 

 ceive, till he is juft upon it ; this 1 have made 

 great ufe of,- but not fo much to be ofFenfive, 

 by this means. The Perfon that Walks over 

 this Eflate in a Corn field, fometimes in a 

 little Thicket of Wood, and fometimes in a 

 plain twirling about, and palling thro' all 

 thefe Beauties, which furprizingly fucceed 

 each other, while at the lame time thofe En- 

 clofures, and little Fields of Corn, Paflure, 

 &c. are in the middle, and divided thereby* 



But this Winding, and twifting of the 

 Lines, both upon the main Levels, and on 

 the brows of the Hill, has an unfpeakable ef- 

 fedl on thefe Valleys, and rifmg Theatres of 

 Wood on each fide, involv'd, as they will ap^ 

 pear one with another. 



There is certainly nothing, either in Na- 

 ture, or Art, that excels luch Defigns and 

 Improvements 5 and mud be efteem'd at le^ft 

 a flint Effay, and Copy of the fublirtie 

 Thoughts of ancient and modern Poets on 

 this Subject-, How fweetly is Virgifs Mufe 

 delighted, with a winding Valley, and a lof- 

 ty Hillo And wheni delighted amidft the 

 Croud of rural and happy Thoughts, even 

 UU he was quite fatiated^ makes thefe his Af^ 



