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THE CHOICE OF A SITUATION BOOK III, 



3. The display of wealth is a very common object in 

 view, whether we look at the petty villa or white box of the 

 tradesman ; the fanciful cottage, decorated villa, and gothic 

 (in the original sense of the word) lodges of the merchant or 

 banker; or the more extensive elevations, deer park, and large 

 garden, of the wealthy and independent gentleman. In all 

 cases, the site should be as conspicuous as circumstances will 

 permit. On a small scale, this may be done by choosing a situ- 

 ation near town, and close by the highway; in more enlarged 

 plans, by fixing on naked hills or parks, and cutting down such 

 trees as hinder them from being well seen from the road. The 

 house should always be made as large as possible, and in par- 

 ticular should have an extensive front; it should be very high, 

 and either coloured bright red, pure white, or yellow, or painted 

 of various colours, good examples of which may be seen in 

 many of the fancy villas around London*. The form should 

 be singular as well as the colour; hence every device which 

 can be fallen upon to invent and execute fanciful cottages, 

 gates, or lodges, is entitled to praise; and hence also a house, 

 or even the offices of different kinds, may be made to assume 

 the appearance of gothic churches, towers, or castles, or of 

 Chinese pagodas, or moresque temples or refectories, &c; they 

 may even be painted in the style of ruins, and some of the glass 

 of the windows broke, and some cracks made in the walls and 



* See the description of Confucio's palace, in Cowper's Letters on Taste, 



