264 



whole system of planting, pruning, and 

 thinning, for the purpose of ornament, de- 

 pends, I must be allowed to dwell a little 

 longer on them. 



In a tree, of which the foliage is every 

 where full and unbroken, there can be but 

 little variety of form : then as the sun strikes 

 only on the surface, neither can there be 

 much variety of light and shade: and as 

 the apparent colour of objects changes 

 according to the different degrees of light 

 or of shade in which they are placed, there 

 can be as little variety of tint*: and 

 lastly, as there are none of those openings 

 that excite and nourish curiosity, but the 

 eye is every where opposed by one uniform 

 leafy skreen, there can be as little intricacy 

 as variety. What is here said of a single 

 tree is equally true of every massy combina- 

 tion of them, and appears to me to account 

 perfectly for the bad effect of clumps, and 

 of all plantations and woods where the 

 trees grow close together ; in all these cases 



* Lux varium vivumque dabit, nullum umbra colorem. 



Pu Fresnoy. 



