So / y?^^ PraBice Part IL 



biit the Theory of this Work, thofe Chapters would be of 

 no Service, without thcfe of the Second Part, which contain 

 the Praftice : La Theoria niente fenza la Pratica, is the 

 Italian Saying. 'Tis in this moft Authors fail, who are apt 

 to enlarge very amply upon the Speculative Part of a Science, 

 and fpeak but very little or nothing at all of the Pradtick ; 

 which renders their Work of no great Ufe, and makes one 

 regret the Time fpent in reading them, when 'tis not pof- 

 fible to reap any Advantage thereby. 



The Method of tracing Things out upon the Ground, 

 confifts in a great deal of Pradice, rather than in any Depth 

 of Science : There needs no more than to know fome few 

 Rules of Pra6lical Geometry, to capacitate a Man for this 

 Work in little Time. Experience, Tryal upon the Ground, 

 and a certain Rote, are more neceflary to this End, than 

 long Reflexion and Contemplation in the Clofet j Never- 

 thelefs, if a Man negled to inform himfelf of thefe Rules, 

 and apply himfelf ftraitway to work upon the Ground, be- 

 fore he has defigned upon Paper, or, at leaft, before he 

 knows the Relation the Paper has to the Ground, he cer- 

 tainly runs the Hazard of being oftentimes miftaken. I am 

 not faying that a Man muft needs be an excellent Geometri- 

 cian, to be capable of tracing out Defigns upon the Ground j 

 this is above the Reach of a Gardener i and, if it w«re ne- 

 ceflary, a Garden would lie a long Time uncultivated, were 

 it to wait its Matters rendering himfelf accomplilh'd in a 

 Science, for which the whole Life of Man is fcarcely fuf- 

 ficient. 



Nor would I impofe upon a Gardener the Neceffity of 

 T.pardies, reading anyTreatife of Pradical Geometry, though there 

 S. Le Cierc. jj^Q^e ^fj^^ j^j-g ygj-y good, and very Ihort. I would fpare 

 him that Trouble : For which Reafon I have carefully coi- 

 leded, from Pradical Geometry, all that can any ways re- 

 late to Defigns of Gardening, and from thence have compo- 

 fed thefe Preliminaries, or Elements of the Method of tra- 

 cing, which I have reduced to the twenty following Ex- 

 ■ercifes. 



There 



