Hagley seems to have been improved about the same time as Pains Hill, in effecting which, Lord Lyttleton might probably receive some hints from the poet Thomson, who was then his guest. The grounds are much varied, and the distant prospects picturesque. A very small rill, which passed through the grounds in a sort of dell, was surround ed with shrubbery and walks, from which the park scenery formed a sort of fore ground, and sometimes a middle dis tance to the offscape; thus, in the language of Wheatley, " blending the excellencies of the park and a garden." The -fine trees, the distant prospects, and the principal buildings, still remain ; but the garden scenery has been long since choked by the growth of the forest trees ; and at last the fence was removed, and the whole thrown into the park.
Soon after the improvements of Hamilton and Lyttleton, " the great Pitt," Mr. G. Mason informs us, " turned his mind to the embellishment of rural nature," and exercised his talent at the South Lodge upon Enfield Chace. " The first ground surrounding the enclosure was then wild and woody, and is diversified with hill and dale. He entertain ed the idea (and admirably realized it) of making the in terior correspond with the exterior scenery. His temple of Pan is mentioned in Observations. But the singular effort of his genius was a successful imitation of the pic turesque appearance of a bye-lane, on the very principles Mr. Price supposes it might be practicable." The Lcasowes were improved about the same time. It was literally a grazing farm, with a walk, in imitation of a common field, conducted through the several enclosures. Much taste and ingenuity was displayed, in forming so many points of view in so confined an extent, and with so few advantages in point of distance. But toot-houses, seats, urns, and inscriptions, were too frequent for the whole to be classed with a common, or even an improved or orna mented English farm. It was in fact intended as an em blematical scene, in which constant allusion was made to pastoral poetry ; and if we consider it in this light—in that of a serviniental farm,—it was just what it ought to have been. We regret to find that Mr. Repton should attack the taste of this amiable man, from a misconception, as we presume, of his intentions, by blaming him for not " sur rounding his house with such a quantity of ornamental lawn or park only, as might be consistent with the size of the mansion, or the extent of the property." 'We fear that
if Shenstone had adopted this mode of improvement, the Leasowes had never been distinguished from places got up by the common routine of professorship. Shenstone broke his heart, through the infamous conduct of a Birmingham attorney, in whose hand he had placed the title-deeds of his estate. The farm is now much neglected, though the paths, and many of the urns, seats, and root-houses, still re main.
Persfield was laid out so late as 1750. It is a small park, with an interesting walk, carried along the brow of a romantic rocky bank of the river Wye, perhaps as faultless as the nature of the place admits of. " I cannot recollect," says Mr. G. Mason, writing of this place in 1768, "that any of the scenes on the Wye are the least adulterated by the introduction of any puerile appendage whatever." As Pope and Kent introduced English gardening, so these are the principal voluntary artists, whose works ex hibited and established its character. We shall now enu merate the principal authors.
Pope's Epistle to Lord Burlington has been already re ferred to, as well as Shenstone's Unconnected Thoughts ; the former published in 1716, the latter in 1764. Mr. George Mason's Essay on Design in Gardening, from which we have so frequently quoted, was first published in 1768, and afterwards greatly enlarged in 1795. It is more a historical and critical work than a didactic perform ance.
The grand fundamental and standard work on English gardening, is the well known " Observations on Modern Gardening ;" published in 1770, by Wheatley. It is en tirely analytical, treating, first, of the materials, then of the scenes, and lastly, of the subjects of gardening. Its style has been pronounced by Ensor, inimitable ; and the de scriptions with which his investigations are accompanied, have been copied and praised by Mr. Alison in the first edition of his work on taste. The book was soon translated into the continental languages, and is judiciously praised in the Mercure de France, Journal Encyclopedigue, and Wie land's Journal. Mr. G Mason alone dissents from the ge neral opinion, enlarging on the very few faults or peculiari ties which are to be found in the book. Mr. Wheatley was secretary to Lord Grenville, and published only this work, soon after which he died. After his death, some remarks on Shakespeare, from his pen, were published in a small 12mo. volume.