*' the higher artists have done, both in 

 " their pictures and drawings:" a branch 

 of knowledge \diich I have always consi- 

 dered to be not less essential to my pro- 

 fession than hydraulics or surveying; and 

 without which I should never have pre- 

 sumed to arrogate to myself the title of 

 *^ Landscape Gaj^dener" which, in allusion 

 to my having adopted it, you observe is, 

 " a title of no small pretension.'" 



It is difficult to define good taste in 

 any of the polite arts; and amongst the 

 respective professors of them, I am sorry 

 to observe that it is seldom allowed in a 

 rival ; while those who are not professors, 

 but, being free from the business or dis- 

 sipation of life, find leisure to excel in 

 any one of these arts, generally find time 

 also to cultivate the others ; and because 

 there really does exist some affinity be- 

 twixt them, they are apt to suppose it 

 still greater. Thus Music and Poetry are 

 often coupled together, although few in- 

 stances occur in which they are made to 

 assimilate; because the melody of an air 

 is seldom adapted either to the rhyme or 



