are formally uniform, and unvaried----but with regard to nature, it seems as much avoided, as in the fquares and oblongs, and ftrait lines of our ancestors. An artificial perpendicular rock farting out of a flat plain, and connected with nothing, often pierced through in various places with oval hollows, has no more pretenfion to be deemed natural than a lineal terrass or a parterre. The late Mr. Jofeph Spence, who had both taste and zeal for the prefent ftyle, was fo perfuaded of the Chinese emperor's pleasure-ground being laid out on principles refembling ours, that he tranflated and published, under the name of fir Harry Beaumont, a particular account of that inclosure from the collection of the letters of the Jefuits. I have looked it over, and except a determined irregularity, can find nothing in it that gives me any idea of attention being paid to nature. It is of vaft circumference and contains 200 palaces, befides as many contiguous for the eunuchs, all gilt, painted and varnished. There are raised hills from 20 to 60 feet high, ftreams and lakes, and one of the latter five miles round. Thefe waters are paffed by bridges---but even their bridges must not be ftrait---they ferpentize as much as the rivulets, and are fometimes fo long as to be furnished with

refting

1

notones. Mais quant au naturel, ils en paroiffent auffi éloignés que les compartimens quarrés ou oblongs & les lignes droites de nos ancêtres. Un rocher artificiel élevé perpendiculairement fur un plateau uni fans fe lier à rien, & fouvent percé en différens endroits par des enfoncemens ovales, ne peut pas plus prétendre au naturel qu'une terrasse en ligne droite ou un parterre. Feu Mr. Jofeph Spence * qui avoit le goût & le zèle de notre ftyle préfent, étoit fi perfuadé que les jardins de plaifance des empereurs Chinois étoient difpofés fur des principes femblables aux notres, qu'il a traduit & publié fous le nom d'Henry Beaumont la description particuliére d'un de ces enclos tirée du recueil de lettres des Jéfuites. J'ai jetté les yeux deffus & à l'exception de la conftante irrégularité je n'ai pu y trouver rien qui me donnât la moindre idée de quelque attention pour les procédés de la nature. C'est une vafte enceinte qui contient deux cent palais & nombre de bâtimens contigûs pour les eunuques; le tout doré, peint & verni. On y a élevé des montagnes hautes depuis vingt jusqu'à foixante pieds; il y a auffi des ruiffeaux, des lacs, & un de ces derniers a cinq mille de tour. On traverse toutes ces eaux fur des ponts, mais même ces ponts ne doivent jamais être en ligne droite. Ils ferpentent comme les ruiffeaux & font quelquefois fi longs

*

N

Jofeph Spence étoit un fçavant, homme d'efprit & de goût. Il a fait un ouvrage fort eftimé fur les médailles antiques. Henry Beaumont est un nom fuppofé.

(Note du Traducteur.)

In

refting places, and begin and end with triumphal arches. Methinks a ftrait canal is as rational at least as a maandring bridge. The colonades undulate in the fame manner. Short, this pretty gaudy Scene is the work of caprice and whim; and when we reflect on their buildings, presents no image but that of unfubftantial tawdrinefs. Nor is this all. Within this fantastic Paradife is a square town, each fide a mile long. Here the eunuchs of the court, to entertain his imperial majefty with the bustle and business of the capital in which he refides, but which it is not of his dignity ever to fee, act merchants and all forts of trades, and even defignedly exercife for his royal amusement every art of knavery that is practiced under his aufpicious government. Methinks this is the childish folace and repofe of grandeur, not a tirement from affairs to the delights of rural life. Here too his majefty plays at agriculture; there is a quarter set apart for that purpose; the eunuchs fow, reap, and carry in their barveft in the imperial prefence; and his majesty returns to Pekin perfuaded that he has been in the country.

re

Having thus cleared my way by afcertaining what have been the ideas on gardening in all ages, as far as we have materials to judge by, it remains to shew to what degree

Mr.

longs qu'on y pratique des places pour se repofer. Les deux extrêmités font décorées d'arcs de triomphe. Je m'imagine qu'un canal en droite ligne eft au moins auffi raisonable qu'un pont qui ferpente comme le Meandre. Les colonades font également tortueuses; en un mot cette fcène ridiculement enjolivée eft l'ouvrage du caprice & de la fantaifie. Quand on fe représente ces fortes de fabriques, elles ne donnent d'autre idée que celle d'une affectation frivole. Mais ce n'eft pas tout. Il y a dans ce Paradis bizarre une ville quarrée dont chaque côté a un mille de long. Là, les eunuques de la cour amusent fa majesté impériale par le mouvement & les occupations de la capitale où il réfide, mais où il n'eft pas de fa dignité de faire attention à celà. Ils y font la marchandise & toute forte de commerces, & même ils y exercent nommément tous les métiers que pratiquent les efclaves fous les aufpices de fon bénin gouvernement. Je regarde celà comme un enfantillage pour se délaffer du trouble de la grandeur, & non comme une retraite des affaires aux délices de la vie champêtre. Là cependant fa majesté s'amuse de l'agriculture; il y a un quartier destiné pour celà. Les eunuques fément, moiffonnent, charrient la récolte en préfence de l'empereur, & sa majesté retourne à Pekin persuadée d'avoir été à la campagne.

Après avoir ainfi éclairci ma route en établissant quel a été le ftyle des Jardins dans tous les tems, autant qu'il nous eft permis d'en juger, il me reste à montrer jufqu'à quel point

Mr.

Mr. Kent invented the new style, and what hints he had received to fuggeft and conduct his undertaking.

*

We have Jeen what Moor-park was, when pronounced a ftandard. But as no fucceeding generation in an opulent and luxurious country contents itself with the perfection established by its ancestors, more perfect perfection was still fought; and improvements had gone on, till London and Wife had flocked our gardens with giants, animals, monsters, coats of arms and mottoes in yew, box and holly. Abfurdity could go no farther, and the tide turned. Bridgman, the next fashionable defigner of gardens, was far more chafte; and whether from good fenfe, or that the nation had been ftruck and reformed by the admirable paper in the Guardian, No 173, be banished verdant Sculpture, and did not even revert to the fquare precifion of the foregoing age. He enlarged his plans, difdained to make every divifion tally to its oppofite, and though he ftill adhered much to ftrait walks with high clipped hedges, they were only his great lines; the reft he diverfified by wilderness, and with loose groves of oak, though ftill within furrounding hedges. I have obferved in the garden

* On the piers of a garden-gate not far from Paris I obferved two very coquet fphinxes. These lady monsters had ftraw hats gracefully smart on one fide of their heads, and filken cloaks half veiling their necks; all executed in ftone.