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dry simplicity in his figures, and a neglect 

 of what have been called the meretricious 

 parts of the art, from the same turn of 

 mind, sometimes introduced both temples 

 and houses of regular and perfect architec- 

 ture, and totally detached and unaccom- 

 panied, into his landscapes ; where, from 

 his judgment in placing them, they have a 

 grand, though a lonely, cheerless aspect, 

 and unsuited to ideas of habitation : but 

 more commonly his buildings also, are 

 richly blended with trees. The examples 

 of naked buildings in pictures, bear indeed 

 no proportion to those which are more or 

 less accompanied by trees ; the exact 

 reverse is true with respect to improved 

 places, and this difference has so material 

 an influence on the beauty and character 

 of every place, that the reasons of it are 

 well worth examining : but as the intro- 

 duction of such accompaniments might be 

 thought to arise merely from the fancy of 

 painters, I will first observe, that a fond- 

 ness for trees near the house is not confined 



