294 Gilpin's forest scenbrt. 



never suffered wood to grow near them, lest its 

 roots or seeds should insinuate themselves into 

 the crannies of the stone, and injure the work. 

 But there can be no impropriety, at this day, in 

 the introduction of a ruined aqueduct amidst a 

 woody scene, as trees of any magnitude may be 

 supposed to have grown up since it had fallen to 

 decay. The scenery about the celebrated ruins of 

 Pont-du-Gard in Languedoc is woody ; and the 

 immediate environs of it have all the rich furniture 

 — at least they had lately — that a painter would 

 desire. 



Besides forest trees, in which the dignity of 

 woodland scenery consists, it is enriched by a 

 variety of humble plants, which, filling up the 

 interstices, mass and connect the whole. These, 

 however rude, we only wish to remove when they 

 straggle too far from the clumps with which they 

 are connected, and appear as spots in the area or 

 middle space between different combination. 



A long catalogue might be given of these 

 humble plants, which are so useful in this har- 

 monizing work, but it would lead me into tedious 

 detail. The Holly, however, should be distin- 



