50 The Art of Landscape Gardening 



the approach to a palace must be made along a ditch. 

 In other places, I have seen what is called a grass 

 approach, which is a broad, hard road, thinly covered 

 with bad verdure, or even moss, to hide it from the 

 sight ; and thus, in a dusky evening, after wandering 

 about the park in search of a road, we suddenly find 

 ourselves upon grass, at the door of the mansion, with- 

 out any appearance of mortals ever having before 

 approached its solitary entrance. 



Thus do improvers seem to have mistaken the most 

 obvious meaning of an approach, which is simply this 

 — a road to the house. If that road be greatly cir- 

 cuitous, no one will use it when a much nearer is dis- 

 covered : but if there be two roads of nearly the same 

 length, and one be more beautiful than the other, the 

 man of taste will certainly prefer it ; while, perhaps, 

 the clown, insensible to every object around him, will 

 indifferently use either. 



The requisites to a good approach may be thus 

 enumerated : 



First. An approach is a road to the house ; and to 

 that principally. 



Secondly. If it is not naturally the nearest road 

 possible, it ought artificially to be made impossible to 

 go a nearer. 



Thirdly. The artificial obstacles which make this 

 road the nearest ought to appear natural. 



Fourthly. Where an approach quits the highroad, 

 it ought not to break from it at right angles, or in such 

 a manner as robs the entrance of importance ; but 

 rather at some bend of the public road, from whence 

 a lodge, or gate, may be more conspicuous ; and where 

 the highroad may appear to branch from the approach, 

 rather than the approach from the highroad. 



