163 



the character of Mr. Brown's school of im- 

 provement. There is, indeed, a very false 

 idea with respect to originality which may 

 ha ve influenced Mr. Brown, — that of reject- 

 ing all study and imitation of what others 

 have done, for fear of being suspected of 

 want of invention. Sir Joshua Reynolds 

 has admirably pointed out the fallacy of 

 this notion, and the truth of a seeming pa* 

 radox, namely that imitation (of course not 

 of a servile kind) is often a source of origi- 

 nality ; and he has very happily remarked, 

 that by ceasing to study the works of others, 

 an artist is reduced to the poorest of all imi- 

 tations — that of his own works. This seem? 

 precisely the case with Mr. Brown, and 

 might possibly be owing to his ill-directed 

 aim at originality, 



Were iny arguments jp. favour of many 

 parts of the old style of garderiing ever so 

 convincing, the most I could hope from 

 them at present would be to produce some 

 caution; and to assist in preserving some of 

 the few remains of old magnificence that 

 still exist, by making the, owner \m rs»4y 



