75 



however, from recommending frequent and 

 wanton attempts to change the surface of 

 ground, as I hold them to be very dan- 

 gerous on naauy accounts : for besides the 

 danger of their having an unnatural cha- 

 racter if not judiciously managed, heaps 

 of earth might sometimes affect the drain- 

 age of the land ; a point of equal conse- 

 quence both to beauty and profit: but I 

 wished to shew by what means the differ- 

 ent varieties in ground, whether natural 

 or artificial, abrupt or gradual, connected 

 or disjoined, may at once be disguised 

 and set off to the greatest advantage. I 

 wished also to suggest, that when a quan- 

 tity of mould must somehow be disposed 

 of, it had better be employed in creating 

 and increasing variety, than (according to 

 the usual practice) in destroying that 

 which does exist, by filling up all inequa- 

 lities without distinction, and reducing the 

 whole to the strictest and stiffest mono- 

 tony.* 



* The folly of attempting to create variety and pic- 

 turesque effect, by means of single objects without con nec- 



