52 



insipid, the whole scene is disgraced ; but 

 where they are interesting, their influence 

 seems to extend over the whole scenery, 

 which thence assumes a character of beauty 

 that does not naturally belong to it. 



This strong attractive power of water, 

 while it shews how much the immediate 

 banks ought to be studied, Suggests like- 

 wise another consideration with regard to 

 its position in the general view from the 

 house. In places where the views are con- 

 Jin ed to the nearer objects, the water, as at 

 Blenheim, frequently occupies a very con- 

 siderable portion of the scenery, and mixes 

 with almost every part of it : but where from 

 a high station the eye surveys a more ex- 

 tended country, the appearance of water 

 which may be produced by art, bears no 

 proportion to that extent, though it may 

 greatly enliven parts of it. In such situ- 

 ations, therefore, the placing of the water 

 ought very much to be guided by the ob- 

 jects, whether near or distant, to which it 

 will serve as a sort of focus. It may happen, 

 for instance, that the parts which would be 

 most easily floated are placed amidst open 



