470 Landscape-Garde7iing, 



where the architect left off, the gardener, assisted by the 

 sculptor, began. Consequently, every thing done by way of 

 embellishment near the house, partook of its regularity. 

 Hence the straight avenue, the polygonal arbour, ranks of 

 orange and myrtle trees, quadrangular flower-plots, and, lest 

 any plant should present its natural form, it was reduced to 

 the desired shape by the hedge-shears. The gardener vied 

 with the sculptor and architect, in his fanciful imitations of 

 their art. In this case, and at this time, art completely 

 triumphed over nature ; and it is somewhat surprising, that, 

 during this period, while the gardener was driving nature from 

 his parterre, the painter was busy in the forest, studying her 

 wiklest scenes. 



This style was the fashion for ages, and was adopted all 

 over Europe. Few seats of princes, nobles, or chieftains, but 

 were embellished in this manner ; more, perhaps, from neces- 

 sity, than as a matter of taste. In those days, "every man's 

 house was his castle; " and it could be only on the ramparts of 

 a fortified house, that any kind of ornamental gardening could 

 be enjoyed : hence, the public malls of cities are still called 

 boulevards, i. e. bulwarks. 



"When Italian gardening was introduced into Hollan4^ 

 which was always famous for its horticultural improvemeri'ts, 

 the right-lined canals of the latter, suited admirably with the 

 regular style of the former country. Indeed, in topiary work, 

 clipped plants and ranks of trees, terraces and stairs, levels and 

 slopes of naked turf, were carried to greater extremes by the 

 Dutch and northern French, than such things had ever been 

 by the Italians ; but with a great drawback, the want of the 

 splendid sculpture of Italy. 



The British palaces' and country seats were also enriched 

 by this style of gardening. From Henry VIII. down to Wil- 

 liam III., it was in high reputation. Remains of such gardens 

 are still to be seen ; but soon afterwards, as the state of society 

 improved, walls, moats, and other expedients for domestic 

 security, were no longer necessary ; the barrier, which had 

 hitherto separated the fields from the garden, was cleared 

 away. The formality of pleasure-gardens was destroyed along 

 with the boundaries which had previously imposed their cha- 

 racter. The front terrace was no longer the only place whence 

 a prospect could be seen ; extensive views were required on all 

 sides. Thus, incidental combinations were presented to the 

 eye ; the painter's ideas of landscape were appreciated, admired, 

 and at last imitated. 



In the transition from the old to the new system, there was 

 hai'dly any pause ; a needful moderation had little or no influ- 



