DEDICATION. 



I freely own it; hut fince I could not find any of tfoat 

 Profejion had fuch a Tafie of the Performance^ as was 

 like to produce a Publication of it in Englilli, I refohed 

 to attempt it^ upon the Knowledge I had of Tour good 

 Opinion of the Original^ and the noble Gufto that ap- 

 peared in all the Defgns of the Book. 



Defigns that fo far outdo all that has hitherto been 

 fublijhed in Books of Gardenings that if the Precepts 

 keep equal pace with them^ as 'tis likely they do^ 

 we may hope to fee^ ere long^ our EngliQi Pleafure- 

 Gardens in greater PerfeBion^ than any the moji re^ 

 novpned^ in France, or Italy, fince our Woods and 

 Groms^ our Grafs and Gravely which are the great 

 SubjeBs of this Work^ are allowed to furpafs in 

 Verdure and natural Beauty^ whatever is to be found 

 in thofe Countries. 



Whether the Author himfelf were a Gardener by 

 Profefionj is a Quefiion of no .great Importance to be 

 determined : 'Tis probable he was notj as well for that 

 he has ofeBed to be Anonymous^ as that his Terms of 

 Art feem to faz'our much of the ArchiteB^ whom he 

 introduces in two or three Places as One chiefly con^ 

 €ernd in giving the Defign of a Garden. Many of 

 thefe Terms are fuch., as we ham no Words appro- 

 priate to in the Englifll, nor indeed haue we in ufe 

 feueral of the Things they figntfy^ efpecially in what 

 relates to Water-works., &c. For which Reafon I haw 

 generally fet them in the Margin with fuch Ezplana^ 

 tions as are taken from the Authority of other French 

 Writers, 



A a I might 



