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THE VILLA GARDENER. 



be treated in such a manner as to give them the appearance of a winding 

 lake ; which, being seen in successive portions, each of these ought to have 

 an agreeable shape. These shapes are produced on the principles already 

 laid down, viz., of displaying some obvious figure as a whole, and concealing 

 the water altogether by wood wherever the desired form is interfered with by 

 the opposite shores of the lake or canal approaching, or seeming to approach, 

 each other too nearly. When a winding sheet of water is at such a distance 

 from the eye as to be seen all at once, then all that can be done is, to cause it 

 to wind agreeably, either by directing its bends in a manner more or less 

 regular or symmetrical, or by creating an obvious allusion to some recognised 

 figure. Thus, the general tendency of the winding may be to produce a 

 crescent-like form ; or it may be serpentine ; or there maybe one conspicuous 

 bend in some regular form, and the subordinate bends may be comparatively 

 indistinct. The safe guide in this case is, the principre already laid down, of 

 producing some form which may take the lead, and be recognised at once ; 

 and trusting for variety to the subordinate forms, and to the details. 



488. As there is no such thing in nature as a piece of water without an outlet, 

 or as a lake from which there does not issue a brook ; so, in landscape- 

 gardening, no piece of still water ought to be formed, in which there is not 

 some point indicated, which the brook might be supposed to flow from. In 

 the geometrical style of forming pieces of watei', the brook is represented by 

 a formal cascade ; and, in natural-looking shapes, there is commonly also a 

 cascade, or something of the kind, in the way of outlet ; or, if there is not, a 



