2 8 THE PRAISE OF GARDENS 



Son plan bien symmetrique, ou, jamais solitaire, 

 Chaque allee a sa sceur, chaque berceau son frere ; 

 Ses sentiers ennuyes d'obeir au cordeau, 

 Son parterre brode, son maigre filet d'eau, 

 Ses buis tournes en globe, en pyramide, en vase, 

 Et ses petits bergers bien guindes sur leur base. 

 Laissez-le s'applaudir de son luxe mesquin ; 

 Je prefere un champ brut a son triste jardin. 



Les Jar dins. 



ARTHUR ' The Columella of the North? 1768, published ' A Six weeks' Tour through 



YOUNG the Southern Counties of England and Wales' ; 1771, 'A Six months' Tour 



(1741-1820). ffoough ^e North of England' ; ' The Farmer's Totir through the East of 



England' ; 1780, ' Tour in Ireland' ; 1792-4, ''Travels in France during 



1787-1790'; 'The Farmers Letters to the People of England' ; 'The 



Farmer's Guide, ' ' Rural Economy, ' and ' A Course of Experimental Agri- 



culture ' ; Agricultural Surveys, and many other works. 



His name is a 'household word' in France, while in England confined to 

 agricultural and literary circles. 



Chantilly. T HAD been so accustomed to the imitation in water of the 

 * waving and irregular lines of nature that I came to Chantilly 

 prepossessed against the idea of a canal, but the view of one 

 here is striking and had the effect which magnificent scenes 

 impress. It arises from extent and from the right lines of the 

 water uniting with the regularity of the objects in view. It is 

 Lord Kames, I think, who says the part of the garden contiguous 

 to the house should partake of the regularity of the building ; 

 with much magnificence about a place this is unavoidable. The 

 effect here, however, is lessened by the parterre before the Castle, 

 in which the division and the diminutive jets d'eau are not of a 

 size to correspond with the magnificence of the canal. The 

 hameau contains an imitation of an English garden ; the taste is 

 but just introduced into France, so that it will not stand a critical 

 examination. The most English idea I saw is the lawn in front 

 of the stables ; it is large, of a good verdure and well kept ; prov- 

 ing clearly that they may have as fine lawns in the North of 



