207 



take off from beauty, what it gave to cha- 

 racter and picturesqueness. If we go one 

 step farther, and increase the eyebrows to 

 a preposterous size ; the cast into a squint; 

 make the skin scarred, and deeply pitted 

 with the small-pox ; the complexion full of 

 spots; and increase the moles into excre- 

 scences — it will plainly appear how close 

 the connection is between beauty and in- 

 sipidity, and between picturesqueness and 

 deformity, and what " thin partitions do 

 their bounds divide." 



The whole of this applies most exactly 

 to improvements. The general features of 

 a place remain the same ; the accompani- 

 ments only are changed, but with them its 

 character. If the improver, as it usually 

 happens, attend solely to verdure, smooth- 

 ness, undulation G f ground, and flowing 

 lines, the whole will be insipid. If the 

 opposite, and niuch rarer taste should pre- 

 vail; should an improver, by way of being 

 picturesque, make broken ground, pits, and 

 quarries all about his place ; encourage nq- 

 thing but furze, briars, and thistles; heap 

 quantities of rude stones on his banks ; or, 



