pieces of water, the first inquiry should 

 be, how those of natural lakes and rivers 

 are formed ; for I of course suppose, that 

 the most admired parts of them are the 

 proper objects of imitation. This is an 

 inquiry which I believe has never been 

 made with that view, and which I imagine 

 will throw great light upon the whole sub- 

 ject. 



It has been asked, indeed, by way of ri- 

 diculing the effect of time and accident in 

 producing those circumstances which are 

 generally called picturesque, 6 whether na- 

 ' ture* is a more pleasing object in a 

 r dwindled and shrivelled condition, than 

 ' when her vigour " is as great, her beauty 

 " as fresh, and her looks as charming as if 

 " she newly came out of the forming 

 " hands of her Creator?" I do not know 

 in what manner Lord Shaftesbury, from 

 whom the latter part of this passage is 

 taken, may have applied it, but as it has 

 been made use of by Mr. G. Mason, it 



* Essay on Design in- Gardening, page 204. 



