Thefe paffages we fhould have cited with more pleasure in the original words of the author; but that we were defirous to give more circulation to the judicious conduct and opinions of Wyttenbach, by prefenting them in a form which would attract a greater number of readers. To fpecify the various readings which appear to be of the greatest value in this edition, would lead us into too ample a field. Suffice it to fay, that the editor employs conjecture very fparingly, and not without ftrong reafons for fupporting his opinion and carefully fpecifies the authorities for every variation admitted into the text. One inftance of conjectural emendation, to which he himself refers, is certainly well calculated to afford a specimen both of his exactness and his modefty. In the tract de liberis educandis, all the editions, &c. have πολλάκις ὁ Κράλης ἐκεινος ὁ παλαιὸς ἔλεγεν. This he correats πολλάκις Zungans, and refers for authority to the Clitophon of Plato. On turning to that Dialogue, we find the words cited in the tract, with very little variation, attributed to Socrates. Ὑμεῖς τοῖ φέρεσθε, ἄνθρωποι; καὶ ἀγνοεῖτε, ἐδὲν τῶν δεόντων πράττοντες οἵτινες χρημάτων μὲν πέρι τὴν πᾶσαν σπεδὴν ἔχείε, ὅπως ὑμῖν ἔται· τῶν δ' vitav, &c. where the expreffions are changed; but, in the former part, the citation of the tract runs 'n avogi, moï Pégeode, οἵτινες χρηματὼν μὲν κλήσεως πέρι πᾶσαν ποιεισθε σποδὴν, τῶν δ ̓ εἴεων, &c. Nothing, therefore, can be more certain than the emendation; yet, because the tract is of uncertain authority, and its unknown author might have quoted falfely, he leaves the old reading unchanged in the text, and only notices the new one in the margin and the verfion. Such an editor will be exempt from all fufpicion of changing wantonly, and attacking the text of his author right or wrong, as we fee practifed by fome modern critics, wherever a paffage may not meet his ideas, or pervade his understanding. The learned world will of courfe expect with eagerness the completion of this edition. ART. XIII. Sketches and Hints on Landscape Gardening, collected from Defigns and Obfervations now in the Poffeffion of the different Noblemen and Gentlemen, for whofe Ufe they were originally made; the whole tending to establish fixed Principles in the Art of laying out Ground. By H. Repton, Efq. Printed by Bulmer, for Boydell and Nicol. 31. 3. 1795. FROM the endlefs diverfities of the human mind it arifes, that few subjects employ its contemplations which do not alfo become the occafion of controverfy. Ornamental gar dening, dening, the peculiar honour, if not abfolutely the invention, of our own country, is by no means excepted from this remark; and the opinions avowed by the author of this elegant publication, have been ftrongly contefted by men of confiderable tafte and ability. Without, however, returning to the difpute which we have noticed in fome former articles, we fhall fuffer Mr. Repton, in the prefent inftance, to deliver his fentiments. without any remarks, except fuch as may originate in our own minds, from the careful examination of this book. The name of Brown, whofe genius has left many ftriking monuments of its excellence, is feldom mentioned without acknowledgment of his original merit in this pleafing art. In his fteps, but in a far more comprehensive field, in a field which combines all that is lovely in nature, with all the chaite ornaments of science and of art, Mr. Repton profeffes to tread. The very principles of his profeffion imply no moderate de gree of enthufiafm, and making allowance for his going occafionally beyond the limits which a more cool and temperate admirer of the art would require, there are few who will not thank him for what he has already done; or who, from the fpecimens here exhibited of his tafle, will not allow a great part of what he claims, and will not exult, that there exift among us individuals who have the fenfibility to admite, and the munificence to reward talents fo improved and fo exercifed. The title of Mr. Repton's book, in fome meafure explains his purpose; left, however, it should not be thought to do it fufficiently, we fhall lay before our readers a further explanation in his own words. "To improve the scenery of a country, and to difplay its native beauties with advantage, is an art which originated in England, and has therefore been called English Gardening; yet as this expreffion is not fufficiently appropriate, especially fince gardening, in its more confined fenfe of Horticulture, has been likewife brought to the greatest perfection in this country*, I have adopted the term Landscape-Gardening as most proper, because the art can only be advanced and perfected by the united powers of the Landscape-Painter and the Practital Gardener, The former must conceive a plan, which the latter may be able to execute; for though a painter may represent a beautiful This appears from the many valuable works on that fubject; particularly the well-known labours of the ingenious Mr. Speechly, gardener to the Duke of Portland, and from many other useful books produced by English kitchen-gardeners. F BRIT. CRIT. VOL. VII. JAN. 1796, landscape landscape on his canvas, and even furpafs nature by the combination of her choiceft materials, yet the luxuriant imagination of the Painter must be objected to the Gardener's practical knowledge in planting, digging, and moving earth; that the fimpleft and readiest means of accomplishing each defign may be digefted; fince it is not by vaft labour, or great expence, that nature is generally to be improved; on the contrary, "Ce noble emploi demande un artiste qui penfe, Prodigue de genie, mais non pas de depense." If the knowledge of painting be infufficient without that of gardening, on the other hand the mere gardener, without some skill in painting, will feldom be able to form a juft idea of effects, before th are carried into execution. This faculty of foreknowing effects conftitutes the mafter in every branch of the polite arts; and can only be the refult of a correct eye, a ready conception, and a fertility of invention, to which the profeffor adds practical experience. But of this art, painting and gardening are not the only foundations; the artift muft poflefs a competent knowledge of furveying, mechanics, hydraulics, agriculture, botany, and the general principles of architecture. It can hardly be expected, that a man bred, and conftantly living, in the kitchen-garden, hould poffefs all these requifites; yet, because the immortal Brown was originally a kitchen-gardener, it is too common to find every man, who can handle a rake or fpade, pretending to give his opinion on the most difficult points of improve. ment. It may perhaps be asked from whence Mr. Brown derived his knowledge? The answer is obvious: that being at firft patronized by a few perfons of rank and acknowledged tafte, he acquired by degrees the faculty of prejudging effects; partly from repeated trials, and partly from the experience of thofe to whofe converfation and intimacy his genius had introduced him: although he could not defign himself, there exift many pictures of fcenery, made under his inftruction, which his imagination alone had painted*. "Since the art of Landscape-Gardening requires the combination of certain portions of knowledge in fo many different arts, it is no wonder that the profeffion of each fhould refpectively foggeft what is moft obvious to their own experience; and thus the painter, the kitchen-gardener, the engineer, the land-agent, and the architect, will frequently propofe expedients different from thofe which the landfcape-gardener may think proper to adopt. The difficulties which I have occafionally experienced from thefe contending interefts, induced me to make a complete digeft of each fubject proposed to my confide ration, affixing the reafons on which my opinion was founded, and I muft not in this place omit to acknowledge my obligations to Launcelot Brown, Efq. late member for Huntingdonfhire, the son of my predeceflor, for having prefented me with the maps of the greate works in which his late father had been confulted, both in their orig al and improved ftates. flating ftating the comparative advantages to the whole, of adopting or refecting certain parts of any plan. To make my designs intelligible, I found that a mere map was infufficient, as being no more capable of conveying an idea of the landfcape, than the ground-plan of a houfe does of its elevation. To remedy this deficiency, I delivered my opinions in writing, that they might not be misconceived or mifreprefented, and I invented the peculiar kind of flides to my sketches, which are here imitated by the engraver. Such drawings, to show the propofed effects, can be useful but in a very few inftances; yet I have often remarked, with fome mortification, that it is the only part of my labours which the common obferver has time or leifure to examine although it is the leaft part of that perfection in the art to which thefe Hints and Sketches will, I hope, contribute. "I confefs, that the great object of my ambition is, not merely to produce a book of pictures, but to furnish fome hints for establishing the fact, that true tafte in Landscape-Gardening, as well as in all the other polite arts, is not an accidental effect operating on the outward fenfes; but an appeal to the understanding, which is able to compare, to feparate, and to combine the various fources of pleasure derived from exteral objects, and to trace them to fome pre-exifting caufes in the ftructure of the human mind,*" Mr. Repton proceeds, in the accomplishment of his purpofe, to divide his work into feven chapters, in which he feverally dif cuffes the fituations of places, their influence on improvement, architecture, water, park-fconery, and fuch other fubjects as neceffarily prefent themfelves. Great ingenuity is apparent through the whole of his book; but it will fometimes be thought, that his devotion to his original hypothefis carries him too far. It will not eafily be allowed, that the art of landfcape-gardening can be reduced to a complete fyftem, claffed under general rules, to which it shall be as much fubject as architecture, mufic, or any of the polite arts. True it is, that fome axioms may be allowed to the art, which may be confidered as incontrovertible; but it is no lefs fo, that the genius of a place may imperiously fet all rules at defiance; and, after all art can only be the hand-maid of nature, whofe beauties prefent an endless and inexhaustible variety, difdainful alike of confinement and controul. The following remarks on Grecian and Gothic architecture are perfectly in unifon with our fentiments. * Where difpofition, where decorum, where congruity, are concerned; in fhort, wherever the best tafte differs from the worst, I am convinced that the understanding operates, and nothing else." Burke's Preface to the Sublime and Beautiful. "The characters of Grecian and Gothic architecture are better diftinguished by an attention to their general effects, than to the minute parts peculiar to each. It is in architecture as in painting, beauty depends on light and fhade, and thefe are caufed by the openings or projections in the furface. If thefe tend to produce horizontal lines, the building must be deemed Grecian, however whimfically the doors and windows may be conftructed. If, on the contrary, the shadows give a prevalence of perpendicular lines, the general character of the building will be Gothic; and this is evident from the large houses built in Queen Elizabeth's reign, where Grecian columns are introduced; nevertheless, we always confider them as Gothic buildings. "In Grecian architecture we expect large cornices, windows ranged perfectly on the fame line, and that line often more ftrongly marked by a horizontal facia; but there are few breaks of any great depth; and if there be a portico, the fhadow made by the column is very trifling, compared with that broad horizontal shadow proceeding from the foffit; and the only ornament its roof will admit, is either a flat pediment, departing very little from the horizontal tendency, or a dome ftill rifing from a horizontal bafe. With fuch buildings it may often be obferved, that trees of a pointed or conic shape, have a beautiful effect; I believe chiefly from the circumftance of contraft, though an affociation with the idea of Italian paintings, where we often fee Grecian edifices blended with firs and cypreffes, may also have fome influence on the mind. "Trees of a conic fhape, mixed with Gothic buildings, difpleafe, from their affinity with the prevalent lines of the architecture; fince the play of light and fhadow in Gothic structures must proceed from the bold projections either of towers or buttreffes, which cause strong thadows in a perpendicular direction: at the fame time the horizontal line of roof is broken into an irregular furface by the pinnacles, turrets, and battlements, that form the principal enrichment of Gothic architecture, which becomes, therefore, peculiarly adapted to thofe fituations where the fhape of the ground occafionally hides the lower part of the building, while its roof is relieved by trees, whofe forms contraft with thofe of the Gothic outline." Mr. Repton illuftrates his obfervations by a plate, where the contraft of Grecian and Gothic buildings, with conic and round-headed trees, is reprefented to the eye. The concluding portion of this elegant volume is employed in the refutation of the argument introduced againft our author and his art, by Mr. Knight and Mr. Price; in which, if he has not fucceeded to the conviction of his opponents, he has very fuccefsfully explained his own opinion, that the object of his profeffion is not to confine nature within the trammels of art, but to difclofe her beauties which are concealed, to heighten thofe which are already apparent, by easy and obvious embellishments; by preventing her fimplicity from degenerating into rude and barren nakedness, or her more rich and |