Jan.] FLOWER GARDEN. «jg 



ground surrounded with a good fence of some kind, as a defence 

 against cattle, &c, a foss being a kind of concealed fence, will 

 answer that purpose where it can conveniently be made, without 

 interrupting the view of such neighbouring parts as are beautified 

 by art or nature, and at the same time effect an appearance that 

 these are only a continuation of the pleasure-ground. Over the foM 

 in various parts may be made Chinese and other curious and fanci- 

 ful bridges, which will have a romantic and pleasing effect. 



Of Ancient Designs. 



Designs in ancient gardening for a pleasure-ground, consulted 

 uniformity in every part, exact levels, straight lines, parallels, 

 squares, angles, circles, and other geometrical figures, &c, all cor- 

 responding in the greatest regularity to effect an exact symmetry 

 and proportion. 



Straight walks were every where observed, and all arranged 

 parallel and crossing one another in regular intersections; generally 

 a grand one of gravel was extended in a straight line immediately 

 from the front of the main house, having each side verged either 

 with a regular straight border of earth, furnished with a variety of 

 flowers, &c.j and sometimes having a verge of grass three or four 

 feet wide, then a border, embellished as above with various plants; 

 this main walk beingoften intersected by others at regular distances, 

 so as sometimes to divide the spaces immediately in the front of the 

 house into four, six, or more equal squares, some of which were 

 sometimes formed into parterres, sometimes only naked grass-plats, 

 or other uniform divisions; and often the whole garden was thus 

 divided by straight, parallel, and intersecting walks, into many 

 regular squares and angles without any variation. 



Grand parterres were very commonly presented immediately on 

 the front of the main house, having a grand walk of grass or gravel 

 directly from the house through the middle, or dividing the parterre 

 ground into two divisions. 



A parterre is a spacious level spot of ground divided into many 

 partitions, of different figures and dimensions, by means of edgings 

 or lines of dwarf-box, &lc, or by verges of grass-turf and tracks ol 

 sand, fine gravel, shell, and scroll-work, &c. 



These works were in great estimation in ancient gardening, ami 

 were commonly situated directly in front of the house, generally 

 the whole width of the front, or sometimes more. 



The general figure of a parterre is an oblong or long square; 

 because by the rules of Perspective, or the natural declension of the 

 visual rays in optics, a long square sinks almost to a square, and 

 an exact square appears much less so than it really is, when viewed 

 at a distance; therefore parterres were generally made twice as 

 long as broad. 



These were bounded by a long bed, or border of earth, and the 

 internal space within divided into various little partitions or enclo- 

 sures, artfully disposed into different figures corresponding with 

 one another, such as long squares, triangles, circles, various scroll- 

 works, flourishes of embroidery, anil many other tanciiul devices: 

 K 



