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a new and lively interest to woodland 

 scenery > and would afford opportunities of 

 trying a variety of picturesque embellisb- 

 iB^nts. 



Some of the most eminent painters* not 

 only of the Dutch and Elemish, but like- 

 wise of the Italian school, were particularly 

 fond of scenes of this kind ; and our own 

 Gainsborough, of whom we have so much 

 reason to be proud, no less delighted in 

 painting them. The esteem of such artists 

 is very much in favour of the scenes them- 

 selves; but the principle, on which they 

 give so much pleasure to those who have 

 learnt to observe effects in nature by means 

 of those which are expressed in painting, 

 has been often displayed in landscapes of 

 the highest style, and where the scenery is 

 far from rude ; * and I am glad to cite such 



* A very striking example of tlie effect of this principle 

 is displayed in a picture of the greatest of all landscape- 

 painters — Titian. Jt was in the Orleans collection, and 

 represents the bath of Diana, with the story of Acteon. 

 The figures, which are either in, or close to the bath, 

 bear the same kind 1 of proportion to it, as a tree of 

 Kuysdal or Gainsborough, does to the small pool over 



c 2 



