22 



attract it towards the most interesting ob* 

 jects, or at least not towards those of an. 

 opposite character. 



After he had settled the principal points, 

 where he would either add, or take away 

 earth for the sake of picturesque effect, he 

 would then begin to dig out the soil that 

 might be necessary for completing the 

 form and size he wished to give his lake. 

 In the management of this part, which 

 must be entirely formed by digging, lies 

 the great difficulty; for if the line be ex- 

 actly staked out, and the bank every where 

 sloped down in that direction to the edge 

 of the future water, perfect monotony will, 

 as usual, be the consequence. The art 

 here consists, and it is by no means an easy 

 one, in preserving a general play and con- 

 nection of outline, yet varied by breaks and 

 inlets of different heights and characters : 

 it consists in avoiding sameness and insi- 

 pid curves, yet in no less carefully avoiding 

 such frequent and distinct breaks, as, from 

 a different cause, would disfigure the out- 

 line. 



