164 The Art of Landscape Gardening 



and destroy its effect as a natural landscape : in its 

 present situation it is merely a foreground or frame 

 to a pleasing picture, and the view from hence is so 

 fine, so varied, and so interesting that the spectator 

 must be fastidious indeed who could turn away dis- 

 gusted, because it is seen over a dipt hedge, or with 

 a broad flat walk in its foreground. A beautiful scene 

 will always be beautiful, whether we view it from an 

 alcove, a window, or a formal terrace: and the latter, 

 in the height of summer, may sometimes answer the 

 purpose of an additional room or gallery when there 

 is much company, who delight to saunter on such an 

 esplanade ; while the intricacies of a winding path are 

 better calculated for a soHtary walk. 



The ancient dignity of character in the house at 

 Cobham would be violated by the too near intrusion 

 of that gay prettiness which generally accompanies a 

 garden-walk; yet convenience and comfort require such 

 a walk at no great distance from the house.^* I shall, 

 perhaps, astonish some of the improvers in modern 

 serpentine gardening by declaring that, as an appendage 

 to this ancient mansion, I would prefer the broad and 

 stately mall along a straight line of terrace to their too 

 frequently repeated waving line of beauty. 



This sort of walk may, I think, be still further en- 

 couraged, where it already in some degree exists, to 

 the north of the kitchen-garden, which, falling from 

 the eye, might easily be concealed from the park by a 

 shrubbery kept low ; not to intercept the view towards 

 the opposite bank in the park, while it would give an 

 imaginary increase of depth to the vale beneath. And 

 to remove the objection of returning by the same walk, 

 a second terrace might be carried still higher on the 

 bank, and by the style and accompaniment of its planta- 



