SEPTEMBER. 403 



of English gardening. Scott is not willing to accord to him 

 the praises which he formerly received, being no friend to 

 his system. Kent, he remarks, too much extolled in his life, 

 and perhaps too much dispraised since his death, was the first 

 to devise a system of laying out grounds different from the 

 prevailing one for a century and a half. It occurred to him, 

 that instead of the marked distinction which was made by 

 the old system, between the garden and its accompaniments, 

 on the one hand, and the surrounding country on the other, 

 it might be possible to give the former some of the simplicity 

 of the country, and invest that, on the other hand, with 

 somewhat of the refinement of the garden. With this view 

 all, or nearly all the ancient domestic ornaments of the plai- 

 sance were placed under ban. The garden was banished to 

 as great a distance as possible, and the plaisance was changed 

 into a pleasure ground. Down went many a trophy of old 

 magnificence, court-yard, ornamented enclosure, foss, avenue, 

 barbican, and every external muniment of battled wall and 

 flanking tower, out of the midst of which, the ancient dome, 

 rising high above its characteristic accompaniments, and 

 seemingly girt round by its appropriate defences, looked the 

 queen and mistress of the surrounding country. 



The ruling principle, continues Sir Walter, that dictated 

 Kent's innovations, was in itself excellent. The improver 

 was considered a painter, the landscape as the canvas, on 

 which, with such materials as he possessed, he was to dis- 

 play his power. Had he but approached in execution the 

 principle which he adopted in theory, he would have been 

 the great man that his admirers accounted him. But this 

 father of English landscape, though an artist (a painter) by 

 profession, was tame and cold of spirit. His experience had 

 not made him acquainted with the grander scenes of nature, 

 or the poverty of his soul had not enabled him to compre- 

 hend and relish them. Even the nature, whom he pretend* 

 ed to choose for his exclusive guide, seemed to have disap- 

 peared from him. 



While Kent's system banished Art from the province 

 which might in some degree be considered her own, he in- 



