55 
of it there arises a seeming difficulty; for the principal of the theory being, 
that the most brilliant colour will come foremost to the eye, how are we to 
manage when that colour must, as in this instance, be placed on a retiring , 
not on 1 prominent part ? for the vivid yellow green in the fern always appears 
in the young shoots in the very centre of the plant; while the older leaves 
„rowin« round it, and projecting much forwarder, lose with their growth their 
first vivid colour, and assume by degrees one of so dingy a cast, as more pio- 
perly to belong to the second table of colours than the first. 
We must consider, in this first place, that it is by contrast, or opposition, 
that even white is made either to advance or retire; and it is the same, in a 
certain decree, with all the other colours : although the power of a brilliant co- 
attract the eye first, .till remain, to be combated w.th ; and m this, 
and also in every similar caae, it most be done noth art and judgment 
c P then A to be the situation of the young central shoots of the 
buppos u green- let the next leaves behind at B, have a 
fern, and of a l ‘ next b eh ind them again broken with a bluish 
bluer and a fuller , ^ Qf tfae game tint> but darker, and lost in 
grey, and those beh ^ contrasting tint be faintly visible m 
a greyish ground, ^ are next to, and lost in the ground, 
those parts of these is ^ next forwarder from A, at C, have 
On the contrary, let os without departing from the natural 
as warm and full ^ gtrong a ’ body 0 f light rest on DDE) (which 
colour of the lea , d jecti leaves ), as their form will admit 
we will suppose to be thre p J * • n _ The parts un der each 
of, and their colour be f^^ontrasting tint flung into the shade beneath 
leaf, should have as much ground be a mixture of 
it, a. -11 no. h.« XhCld il each oihe,, so .. no, to in- 
red, grey, and green g &{ bt and colour that should mark 
terrupt the general effe Thc leaves grow i„ g at E E, on each 
the composition at tirst s g blending gradually from the cold 
side, should present a gra ation ^ d on the one side with shade, 
tint at C to the warmer one at B, darkened 
