The gardening of the Romans was copied in France and Britain, with little variations, beyond those dictated by ne cessity and the difference of climate. It was found to be perfectly beautiful and agreeable ; and would have continu ed to prevail, had Britain continued in similar circumstan ces to those in which she was in at the time of its introduc tion. But such has been the progress of improvement in this country, that the general face of nature became as it were an ancient garden, and every estate was lined out, bounded, and sub-divided, by stripes of wood, rows of trees, canals, ponds, walls, and hedges. The credit or distinction to be obtained here, by continuing to employ the ancient style, could be no greater than what the Romans would have obtained by imitating nature. In their case all the country was one scene of uncultivated, in ours it was one scene of cultivated, beauty. In this state of things the mo dern style was adopted, not solely from a wish to imitate the gardening of the Chinese, or a high degree of refine ment in taste, but from the steady operation of the same motives which produced and continued the ancient style— a desire of distinction. The Chinese style, if introduced, would never have become purified, or ended in our simple style, had England remained an open country like France or Italy, or a thickly wooded one like Poland or America. On this principle it may be affirmed, that the English style can not please in these countries, otherwise than from its novel ty, or as giving rise to certain associations with the people, whose name it bears. What delight or distinction can he produced by the English style in Poland, for example, where the whole country is one forest, and the cultivated spots only so many open glades, with the most irregular and picturesque boundaries ? But let a proprietor there dispose of the scenery around his residence in the Roman or French manner ; let him display a fruit or kitchen gar den, bounded by high stone walls ; a farm subdivided by clipped hedges and ditches, and a pleasure ground of ave nues, stars, circles, fountains, statues, temples, and pros pect towers, and he will gratify every spectator. The view of so much art, industry, and magnificence, amid so much wild and rude scenery, awake so many social ideas of com fort and happiness, and so much admiration at the wealth and skill employed, that a mind of the greatest refinement, and the justest taste, would feel the highest sensation of pleasure, and approve as much of such a country residence in the wilds of Poland or America, as he would of the most natural and picturesque residence of England, amid its highly artificial scenery.
We trust we have said enough to prove, that every style of gardening must be considered relatively to the state of society, and of the country where it is employed ; and that the ancient and modern styles, viewed in this light, are each perfectly natural, and equally meriting adoption, according to relative circumstances; less than from any positive beau ty, or advantages of either manner. We are consequently of opinion, that the ancient style, divested of some ingre dients which relate to wa...rn climates, and purified from the extravagances of extremes in decoration, would be in much better taste in some situations in the Highlands of Scotland, and the south of Ireland, than the modern style ; and that this style cannot, for a long series of years, afford any other satisfaction on the continent, than what arises from the tem porary interest of novelty and accidental association. It may never be altogether lost sight of, in subsequent ar rangements ; but whenever the influence of fashion has subsided, the beauties of the ancient style will be desired, as fulfilling better the objects in view, till landed property, in these countries, becomes enclosed, subdivided, and culti vated, as it is in England.
Part of the prevailing antipathy to the ancient style pro ceeds from a generally entertained idea, that the modern is an improvement on it ; but the truth is, the two styles are as essentially and entirely different in principle, as painting and architecture, the one being an imitative, and the other an inventive art.
Landscape gardening agrees with ancient gardening in no other circumstance, than as employing the same mate -ials: It is an imitative art, like painting or poetry, and is governed by the same laws. The ancient style is an inven
tive and mixed art, like architecture, and governed by the same principles. The beauties which architecture and geometric gardening aimed at, were those of art and utility, in which art was every where avowed. The modern style of gardening, and the arts of poetry and painting, imitate na ture ; and, in doing so, the art employed is studiously con cealed. Those arts, therefore, can never be compared, whose means are so different ; and to say that landscape gardening is an improvement on geometric gardening, is a similar misapplication of language, as to say that a lawn is an improvement of a corn-field, because it is substituted in its place. It is absurd, therefore, to despise the ancient style, because it has not the same beauties as the modern, to which it never aspired. It has beauties of a different kind, equally perfect in their kind as those of the modern style. The question therefore is not, whether we shall admit occa sional specimens of obsolete gardening, for the sake of an tiquity, but whether we shall admit specimens of a different style, from that in general use, but equally perfect in its kind.
If we have extended this chapter to a length that may seem uncalled for in a work of this kind, we are not, as we think, without weighty arguments in our justification. The disgust excited in men of taste, first by the excess of build ings, which distinguished our imitations of the Chinese style. and subsequently by the tame insipidity of that of Brown and his followers, which nothing but their novelty and the overcoming force of fashion could render tolerable, has given rise to a number of critical works on the subject, of great merit and taste. These, especially the writings of Mr. Price, have been very generally circulated ; and while they have produced a salutary scepticism in the minds of the patrons of art, have excited, in almost every description of artists, such an indiscriminate and exclusive admiration of the picturesque, as is scarcely compatible with admitting that there is any other species of beauty, or any occasion, in matters Of taste, for the assistance of good sense. The retired country gentleman, puzzled with se many different opinions, is thus deterred from improving. lest he expose himself to the critical severities of a pictu resque traveller, or to the ridicule of the common sense of his neighbours.
The historical view we have now given, points out the picturesque as only one beauty among a number; and though of a superior' class, yet not to be adopted indiscri minately or exclusively. Another motive with us has been, to expose and root out, if possible, the strong and most un philosophical opinions which are entertained of the ancient style, by sheaving, that they are founded in prejudice and a limited view of the subject. Proprietors we know to be fre quently deterred from the improvement of their seats, be cause to do so in such a way as to obtain the approbation of the popular taste, the first step would be, to remove certain terraces, avenues, and other remains of the ancient style, which they justly venerate. A third reason is, to prevent our forming erroneous expectations of our continental neighbours on the subject of English gardening. It is al most the universal practice at present, to criticise the gar dens of the continent, with a reference to general nature, or the English style ; and thus to condemn the whole of them as absurd and in bad taste. We have, we think, shewn, that the contrary is true, and that the imitation of the Eng lish style, in many parts of the continent, displays a worse taste than the continuation of the ancient system of. im provement. A fourth reason is, to account for the share of attention which we mean to bestow on the ancient style in the succeeding chapters of this article ; convinced, as we are, that it merits occasional adoption in this country. If what we have submitted has the intended effect, the result will be a greater harmony of opinion among artists and pro fessors, greater decision of judgment in matters of taste among country gentlemen, and more liberal views towards our continental neighbours.