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order to heighten contraft, much bolder ftrokes are rifked: they fometimes introduce rough rocks, dark caverns, trees ill formed and feemingly rent by tempefts or blafted by lightning, a building in ruins or half confumed by fire. But to relieve the mind from the harfhnefs of fuch objects, they are always fucceeded by the fweetest and most beautiful fcenes.

The Chinese study to give play to the imagination. They hide the termination of their lakes: the view of a cafcade is frequently interrupted by trees, through which are feen obfcurely the waters as they fall. The imagination once roufed, is difpofed to magnify every object.

Nothing is more ftudied in Chinese gardens. than to raise wonder or surprise. In fcenes calculated for that end, every thing appears like fairyland; a torrent, for example, convey'd under ground, puzzling a stranger by its uncommon found to guess what it may be; and, to multiply fuch uncommon founds, the rocks and buildings are contrived with cavities and interftices. Sometimes one is led infenfibly into a dark cavern, terminating unexpectedly in a landfcape inriched with all that nature affords the most delicious. At other times, beautiful walks infenfibly conduct us to a rough uncultivated, field, where bushes briers and ftones interrupt the paffage: when we look about for an outlet, fome rich profpect unexpectedly opens to view. Another artifice is, to obfcure fome capital part by trees

or

or other interpofed objects: our curiofity is rai. fed to know what lies beyond; and after a few steps, we are greatly furprised with fome fcene totally different from what was expected.

These curfory obfervations upon gardening, fhall be closed with fome reflections that must touch every reader. Rough uncultivated ground, difmal to the eye, infpires peevifhnefs and difcontent may not this be one cause of the harsh manners of favages? A field richly ornamented, containing beautiful objects of various kinds, difplays, in full luftre, the goodness of the Deity, and the ample provision he has made for our hap piness; which must fill every spectator with gra titude to his Maker, and with benevolence to his fellow-creatures. Other fine arts may be perverted to excite irregular, and even vicious, emotions: but gardening, which infpires the pureft and moft refined pleafures, cannot but promote every good affection. The gaiety and harmony of mind it produceth, inclining the spectator to communicate his fatisfaction to others, and to make them happy as he himself is, tend naturally to establish in him a habit of humanity and benevolence *.

• The manufactures of filk, flax, and cotton, in their prefem advance toward perfection, may be held as inferior branches of the fine arts; because their productions in dress and in furniture are beautiful like those of the fine arts, and infpire gay and kindly emotions favourable to morality, fimilar to what are infpired by a garden or other production of the fine arts.

It is not eafy to fupprefs a certain degree of enthusiasm when we reflect upon the advantages of gardening with respect to virtuous education. It is in early youth that lafting impreffions are made; and it is a fad truth, that by the dirtiness and diforder of many colleges, pent within narrow bounds in populous cities, the youth who refide there are familiarized to fuch deformities, and rendered in fome degree infenfible to the elegant beauties of art and nature. Would not every great man who loves his country, and wishes his countrymen to make a figure, be zealous to reform this evil? It feems to me far froin an exaggeration, that good profefors are not more ef fential to a college, than a spacious garden, fweetly ornamented, but without any thing glaring or bizarre, fo as upon the whole to infpire our youth with a taste not more for elegance than for fimplicity. In this refpect, the university of Oxford may justly be deemed a model.

Having finished what occurred on gardening, I proceed to rules and obfervations that more peculiarly concern architecture. Architecture, being an useful as well as a fine art, leads us to dif tinguish buildings and parts of buildings into three kinds, viz. what are intended for utility folely, what for ornament folely, and what for both. Buildings intended for utility folely, fuch as detached offices, ought in every part to correfpond precisely to that intention. The leaft de

viation

viation from ufe, though contributing to ornament, will be difagreeable: for every work of ufe being confidered as a means to an end, its perfection as a means is the capital circumftance; and every other beauty, in oppofition, is neglected as improper. In things again intended for ornament, fuch as pillars, obelisks, triumphal arches, beauty folely ought to be regarded: a Heathen temple must be confidered as merely ornamental; for being dedicated to fome deity, and not intended for habitation, it is fufceptible of any figure and any embellishment that fancy can fuggeft and beauty require. The great difficulty of contrivance, refpects buildings that are intended to be ufeful as well as ornamental. Thefe ends, employing different and often oppofite means, are feldom united in perfection; and therefore in fuch buildings the only practicable method is, to prefer the one end or the other, according to the character of the building: in palaces, and other buildings fufficiently extensive to admit a variety of useful contrivance, regularity justly takes the lead; but in dwellinghouses that are too small for variety of contrivance, utility ought to prevail, neglecting regularity as far as it ftands in oppofition to conve

nience.

Intrinfic and relative beauty being founded on different principles, muft be handled feparately; and I begin with relative beauty, as of the greater importance.

The

The proportions of a door, are determined by the use to which it is deftined. The door of a dwelling-house, which ought to correfpond to the human fize, is confined to feven or eight feet in height, and three or four in breadth. The proportions proper for the door of a barn or coach-house, are widely different. Another confideration enters: to study intrinfic beauty in a coach-house or barn, intended merely for use, is obviously improper: but a dwelling-house may admit ornaments: and the principal door of a palace demands all the grandeur that is confiftent with the foregoing proportions dictated by utility; it ought to be elevated, and approached by steps; and it may be adorned with pillars fupporting an architrave, or in any other beautiful manner. The door of a church ought to be wide, in order to afford an eafy paffage for a multitude the widenefs, at the fame time, regulates the height, as will appear by and by. The fize of windows ought to be proportioned to that of the room they ferve with light; for if the apertures be not fufficiently large to convey light to every corner, the room is unequally lighted, which is a great deformity. Steps of ftairs ought to be accommodated to the human figure, without regarding any other proportion: these steps accordingly are the fame in large and in finall buildings, because both are inhabited by men of the fame fize.

I proceed to confider intrinfic beauty blende
VOL. II.

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