114 THE MAGAZINE OF HORTICULTURE. 



one on smoothness, the other on roughness; one on gradual, 

 the other on sudden variation ; one on ideas of youth and 

 freshness, the other on that of age and decay. A qnahty 

 which in a peculiar manner belongs to the picturesque, and 

 distinguishes it from the beautiful, arises principally from 

 its two great characteristics, intricacy and variety, as pro- 

 duced by roughness and sudden deviation; and as opposed 

 to the comparative monotony of smoothness and flowing 

 lines. 



If, for instance, we take any smooth object whose lines 

 are flowing, such as a down of the finest turf, with gently 

 swelling knolls, and hillocks of every soft and undulating 

 form — though the eye may repose on this with pleasure, yet 

 the whole is seen at once, and no further curiosity is excited. 

 But let these swelling knolls be changed into bold broken 

 promontories, with wide overhanging rocks ; instead of the 

 smooth turf let there be furze, heath, or fern, with open 

 ])atches between, and fragments of rocks lying in irregular 

 masses, it is clear, if the two spots are of the same extent, 

 that the whole of the one may be comprehended immedi- 

 ately, and that if you traverse it in every direction, little 

 new can occur ; while in the other, every step changes the 

 whole of the composition. Then each of these broken 

 promontories and fragments have as many suddenly varying 

 forms and aspects as they have breaks, even without light 

 and shade ; but when the sun shines upon them, each break 

 is the occasion of some brilliant light, opposed to some sud- 

 den shadow. All deep coves, hollows and fissures invite 

 the eye to penetrate into their recesses, yet keep its curiosity 

 alive and unsatisfied ; whereas in the other, the light and 

 shadow have the same uniform, unbroken character, as the 

 .ground itself. 



After thus defining the picturesque, the author proceeds to 

 speak of that great connecting and harmonizing principle of 

 nature, breadth of light and shadow. What is called breadth 

 seems to bear nearly the same relation to light and shadow, 

 as smoothness does to material objects ; for as all uneven 

 surfaces cause more irritation than those which are smooth. 



