HENRY SOTHERAN & CO., Booksellers to the King, 146, Strand, London, W.C. ARTES 1837 SCIENTIA VERITAS LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN E PLURIBUS UNUM JUEBOR S-QUAERIS PENINSULAM AMOENAME CIRCUMSPICE SB 97 .598 1718 Ichnographia Ruftica: OR, THE Nobleman, Gentleman,and Gardener's 4. Hard RECREATION CONTAINING DIRECTIONS for the general Di- ftribution of a Country Seat, into Rural and Extenſive Gardens, Parks, Paddocks, &c. And a General Syftem of AGRICULTURE ILLUSTRATED With great Variety of COPPER - PLATES, done by the beft Hands, from the AUTHOR's Drawings. VOL. I. BY STEPHEN SWITZER, Gardener, Several Years Servant to Mr. London and Mr. Wife. Inceptumq; una decurre laborem: O decus! O fama! merito pars maxima nofire, Mecenas pelagoq; volans da vela petenti. Virg. Georg. 2. LONDON, Printed for D Erowne without Temple Bar, B. Ea ler and C. King in Westmin fter-Hall, W. Mears without Temple-Ear, and R. Gofing in Fleet Street, 1718. 16. To the Moft Noble the 7. Marques of LINDSEY, Lord Great-Chamberlain of ENGLA N D, And one of the LORDS of his Ma- jeſty's Moſt Honourable PRIVY- COUNCIL, &c. This TREATISE of GARDENING Is humbly Dedicated By his LORDSHIP'S Moft obedient, Humble Servant, .: Stephen Switzer. * t 11-4-36 THE 遊​遊​遊 ​નડિયા PREFACE. T HAT the Politure and Be- nignity of Apollo (the Patron of Refined Pleaſure) was more eligible than the furly Aſpects and tragical Attri- butes of Mars, the tempeftu- ous Surges of Neptune, or the amazing Thun- ders of Imperial Jove; and (as Phoebus) by his benign Beams, took GARD'NING into his Protection more immediately than any of the reft, not excepting the Delightful Muſes, otherwiſe the darling Favourites of his Em- pire. That Minerva fhone brighter in her Paci- fick and Emolumental Drefs, than in her moſt poliſh'd Habiliments of War; and the beautiful and chafte Diana was eclips'd by the more dazling Rays of (her own felf) in Cynthia and Phabe, by whofe Monthly Re- volution the whole Scene of Nature, and VOL. I. Vege- a Reclass, MI, ii The PREFACE. Vegetation in particular, was by them ſuppo- fed to be directed. That Ceres and Pomona prefided o'er the Deities of their reſpective Countries ; and that Flora (before the Attraction of thoſe in- delible Spots of Proſtitution, with which ſhe is fince tainted) was more amiable than Venus herſelf; is not rational, but delightful to fup- pofe, from the Benefit and Happineſs that accrued to Mankind from thoſe benign Pow- ers, more than many of that numberleſs train of Deities (many of them the imperious Vaffals of Ambition, Cruelty, and Revenge,) and rather ador❜d out of Fear than Love by thofe deluded Heathens. The Medicinal and Salutary Virtues of Kitchen-Vegetables are fo univerfally known, that all Mankind daily receive bounteous Affiftance therefrom; being fuch as mix themſelves with, and qualifie the violent Ferment of the Blood, purifying and ſweet- ning the Chylous Spirits of the Body, &c. But the happy (I had almoft ſaid Supernatu- ral) Power of the Vine, and the Ambrofial Juices of Fruits, are fuch, that all, both Ancient and Modern, feem very ready to confefs its Virtue, how Reviving to the drooping Spirits of the fatigued Stateſman and Senator, how Quickning to the Studious and Learned, and Refreſhing to the laborious Artizan and Mechanick: The fovereign Qualities of this is fo great, that all feem willing to join in Wreathing the Temples of that The PREFACE. iii -4% that cheerful Deity with his beauteous Pro- duce, and in elevating his Statue above the Rabble of thofe fictitious and bloody Damons, rather than Deities, common amongſt the Antients. But that Agriculture and Gard'ning, ab- ftracted from the Profits of it, was fo very folid, durable, and delightful an Employ, plac'd above the moſt refined Pleaſures of An- tiquity (not inferior to the Seraphick Enter- tainments of Mufick and Poetry) ancient Hiſtory undeniably proves; and that the ancienteft and politeft Heathens form'd the greateft Conceptions, and the moſt elevated Notions they had of Heaven and a Future State, from the incomparable Beauties of the Garden; the Writings of their Poets and Hiftorians do every-where declare; their Elyzium being no other than the happy and regular Diſtribution, and cheerful Afpect of pleaſant Gardens, Meadows, and Fields, and had its Original and Etymological Deri- vation from the ſeveral Roots out of the Ori- ental Languages, implying the exalted No- tions of Joy, Happineſs, and Pleaſure, and the other unbounded Felicities of Nature, in her greateſt Glory, the fublimeft Height thoſe adumbrated Minds could at that time poffibly amount to. Of the like Import doubtless was Paradife, which properly fignifies Gardens of Pleaſure, the Refidence of Angelick and Happy Souls, unfullied with Guilt, and of Duration equal with a 2 iv The PREFACE. with Time: And tho' the Original Compact between God and Man was after that inva- lidated and broke, yet we may gather from After-Hiftory, how great a Share Gard'ning, and the Pleaſures of the Country, had in the Minds and Practice of the moft Virtuous in all the fucceffive Centuries of the World. The ancient Attick and Roman Worthies erected magnificent Statues, and decreed Annual Honours to be paid to their Rural and Hortenfial Deities; and the Great Au- guftus, after that long Scene of Mifery, and the difmal Devaftation of his Country, thought it a Matter worthy of a Publick Infcription: Rediit Cultus in Agris. And as he worthily efteemed it, fo he order- ed it to be placed amongst the greateſt Glories of his Reign. But that Eternal Honour (Gard'ning) has receiv'd from the peculiar Act, the fole and manual Operation and Contrivance of Omni- potence, in the beautiful Portraiture and har- monious Diftribution of Paradife, carries with it fuch a kind of Divine Revelation, as is fufficient to filence its Enemies (were it poffibly that fo innocent an Employ cou'd have any) and to raiſe Idea's far above, and never to be raz'd out of the Minds of that part of Mankind who purfue Pleaſures, and expend their Time and Treaſure in Matters of a lefs refined Nature. And ci The PREFACE. And indeed, Gard'ning, and the other Bu- fineſs and Pleaſures of a Country Life, being Subjects of ſo noble and fublime a Tafte, be- yond any one Art (I might fay the col- lective Body of Arts) carries with it its own Recommendation, were there no Examples or Precepts of this kind either in Sacred or Civil Writ. 'Tis in the quiet Enjoyment of Rural De- lights, the refreſhing and odoriferous Breezes of Garden Air, that That Deluge of Vapours and thoſe Terrors of Hypocondraiſm, which croud and oppreſs the Head, are difpell'd, and that divine kind of Halitus there drawn, perfpi- ring the Organs of the Body, which regulates the precipitate Palpitation of the Heart, and the irregular Pulfation of the whole Machine : 'Tis there Reafon Judgment, and Hands are fo bufily employed, as to leave no room for any vain or trifling Thoughts to interrupt their fweet Retirement: And 'tis from the Admiration of theſe that the Soul is elevated to unlimited Heights above, and modell'd and prepar'd for the fweet Reception and happy Enjoyment of Felicities, the durableft as well as happieft that Omnifcience has created. And confidering to what a pitch the Practice and Efteem of Gard'ning is with- in theſe thirty Years laft paft arriv'd, it may not improbably be matter of fome Obferva- tion in the Nobility and Gentry of Great- Britain, the Encouragers and Promoters of it, that fo few Books have been originally a 3 pub- The PREFACE. : publiſh'd in their own Native Language, for the Illuftration of the prefent Methods, and. making fuch farther Additions and Improve- ments, as upon mature Confideration may appear to be neceffary. There feems nothing, certainly, fo much wanting to compleat its clear and folid Foun dations, as a fuccinct Collection of the feve ral Rules made uſe of in our prefent Practice, fo methodically and intelligibly difpos'd, that all Learners may not be to feek at Noon- day, and wander at a time when this Art is in its higheſt Meridian. And not only this, but likewife Agricul ture (with which Gard'ning is inextricably wove) and alfo all the Bufinefs and Pleafures of a Country Life (fcatter'd up and down as they are in looſe irregular Papers and Books ;) I fay, if theſe were all collected together into Order and Method, 'twould poffibly be a Work not unworthy fome laborious Pen: And fince 'twould make too large a Volume in one, it might be better to divide them into feveral Parts, into Books of this Size, which would not only make a handſome Sett in the Study, but would likewiſe be compleat Pocket Com- panions in the Field, eafily pull'd out and read on any Occafion. Towards this I have collated fome Materials, but their Publica- tion will entirely depend on the Succeſs this meets with in the World. But to return nearer to our preſent Pur- poſe: Whatever helps it may be thought that ज्ञ The PREFACE. vii that Books of this kind already publiſhed may afford, (the greateſt part of them being Tran- flations from other Languages, and calcula- ted for Soils and Regions quite different from ours) they have been complain'd of as very deficient; and what Succeſs thoſe Gentlemen have had, after all their Care and Pains in Abridging, &c. they themſelves beſt know. And perhaps it might have been more eafy for them, as well as more inſtructive to the World, if they had begun de novo, if on a Rafa Tabula, and an original Bafis of their own laying, they had fuperſtructed the pleafing Rules of Gard'ning; for tho' Inven- tion may not be put fo much to the Stretch in compofing, yet 'tis certain, Labour and Judgment are much more fo, by extricating the effential parts of thoſe circumlocutory and confus'd Rules that abound in one, and by making fuch Remarks as would be of any great Ufe in the other. The Theory and Pra- Etice of Gard'ning, lately Tranflated by Mr. Fames of Greenwich, is efteemed, in its way, the beft that has appeared in this or any other Language, and feems to be the beſt-laid De- fign, and carried on with the moft Judg- ment; but that being writ in a Country much differing, and very far inferior to this, in re- fpect of the Natural Embelliſhments of our Gardens, as good Graſs, Gravel, &c. makes a great Alteration in point of Defign. Be- fides, there are fome confiderable Defects in that way of Gard'ning, as well as in the Defigns a 4 1 V111 The PREFACE. Defigns themſelves, which I fhall take more notice of in due Time and Place. As for feveral other Books that have been printed in our own Language, I have neither the Vanity nor Ill-will of cenfuring or con- demning any thing that is contained in them; but rather pay a great deal of Refpect to the Memory of their Editors, and fhall make uſe of thofe Writings where-ever they agree with our prefent Method: But many of them be- ing writ fome Years ago, before Gard'ning was fo well known as 'tis now; and others being of fo mean a Tafte as fcarce to bear Read- ing at all; I cann't but after much Thought be of an humble Opinion, that the prefent Undertaking will be of fome Ufe to the World. The Reafon of this Omiffion I have been hinting at, I mean the want of more and better Garden Originals, feems to be that great Hurry which thoſe (4) Gentlemen have been always in, to whofe Share the chief Practice (as well as Profit) of Gard'ning has fallen; fince had their Leifure been equal to their Experience, the World might from them have reaſonably expected the compleat- eft Syftem of Gard'ning that any Age or Country has produc'd: "Tis to them we owe many of thoſe valuable Precepts in Gard'ning now in ufe, and their Memory ought to be tranfmitted to Pofterity with the fame Care (a) Mr. London and Wife. E Î 3% as The PREFACE. ix * as thoſe of the greateſt and moſt laborious Philofophers and Heroes, who by their Writ- ing and Practice have deferv'd fo well of the World. But fince they have not been pleafed (or indeed, as their Bufinefs may not yet have permitted them) to anſwer the juft Expecta- tions of the World (b), and fuch as they have given Hopes of themſelves, and which may now probably be farther off than before, by the Lofs Gard'ning has fuftain'd in the Death of one of the greateſt Members of that Un- dertaking; it will, I hope, excuſe the Pre- fumption of this Defign, and of any other that may tend to the Recording and Impro- ving this truly Innocent, Noble, and Emolu. mental Employ. Every Man is at liberty, or rather he is indifpenfably oblig'd to make what Advances he can in the Art he is brought up to, and in the Age he lives; and whoever does not this, anſwers not one End of his Creation, and but little exceeds the Beaſt that periſhes. And in this reſpect, as no one's Meanneſs of State can excufe him for his Neglect, fo it can be no cauſe for others in a more flouriſh- ing Condition to malign or envy his Labours or Endeavours, much lefs to uſe them with that ſcurvy Treatment that too often attends fuch Works. (b) Vid. Preface to the Retir'd Gard'ner. I muſt x PREFACE. The I muſt confeſs, the Undertaking and Well- managing this Matter is a very arduous and difficult Point, not to be attain'd to without Diligence, Application, and tolerable Expe- rience, and a full Refolution of purſuing it with Vigour fince this is an Age abounding with Wit, Learning, and Judgment too pe- netrating to be any-way impofed on; and that Perſon who dare affume it without thoſe Qualifications and Refolves, is certainly guil- ty of an unpardonable Folly. う ​I hope I fhall not be altogether unfit for this Work, by the Happineſs I have had in an Education none of the meaneft for one of my Profeffion, and of having a confiderable Share in all parts of the greateſt Works of this Kingdom, and under the greateſt Ma- fters, and even that which fome may proba- bly reckon otherwiſe, I mean fome fmall Re- volutions and Meanneſs of Fortune, as it has fometimes thrown me upon the greateſt Sla- very, fo it has at other times amongſt the beſt Men and Books; by which means, and I hope an allowable Induſtry and Ambition, and an eager Defire of being acquainted with all parts of this Nation, as well as all the uſeful parts of Gardening, I have tafted both rough and fmooth (as we plainly call it) from the beſt Bufinefs and Books, to the meaneft Labours of the Scythe, Spade, and Wheel-barrow. The Misfortune that moſt of my Profeffion are under, in not having been Abroad, is cer- tainly great; that noble Taſte with which Gardens The PREFACE. Gardens in France and other Countries a- bound, is in fome meaſure diſcoverable from thoſe Plans and Perfpectives that are brought over from thence; but this I hope amply to fupply in fome fhort time, and to draw the magnificent Idea's of thofe Nations into a Vo- lume by it felf. In the mean time, I proceed on a kind of Extenfive Gard'ning, not yet much us'd with us, to which I fuppofe thoſe Obferva- tions I fhall there make will be very proper Addenda's, the chief Benefit accruing from thence being in Water-works and Statues, Fruits, &c. This being premis'd, I proceed to the Book itſelf: And that I might the better in- troduce what I had to fay in Gard'ning, I have commenc'd my Difcourfe from its Öri- ginal, from the Beginning of the World, and the firſt Date of Time itſelf, and by a fuc- cinct Deduction brought it down to this pre- fent Time, a Time very memorable for the Figure Gard'ning makes amongſt other Arts and Sciences. In the Buſineſs of Gard'ning, to proceed methodically. I have laid down plainly the Nature of Earth, Water, the Sun and Air, (the Operative, Meteorological Powers of Nature) and the Method by which they con- fpire together in the Growth of Trees, and the ftupendous Arcana of Vegetation: This is intermixt with Directions for making Ma- gazines for the Improvement of thoſe two kinds xii The PREFACE. རྟ། 2 kinds of Earth in which we generally a- bound, (viz.) Heavy and Light, or Cold and Hot Lands; and alfo the manner of impreg- nating Water, and how to affift Nature in the Extremities either of Cold or Heat. per- When theſe things are well known, I have fuppos'd the Practice of Raiſing Trees might be the eaſier and better attained to: But haps it may be thought that Mr. Evelyn, in his Philofophical Difcourfe on Earth, has abundantly provided for this Matter, and con- fequently there is no occafion of writing more on this Subject. And indeed it muſt be own'd, that among all the elaborate Works of that Author, none is more charming or fuller of good Philofo- phy than that is; but it is withal fo nicely drawn, that 'twould be hard for an honeft plain Country Planter to extract Rules for the compo- fing of Earths proper for his fimple Purpoſe: So exquifitely fine are his Compofitions, fit chiefly for Flowres and choice Exotics, ra- ther than the more Ruftical and Plain Ways of Tilling and Improving Country Lands. I have therefore followed a more fimple and plain Method: Having firft divided the Earths I would improve, into two Parts, Light and Heavy, and the Materials for Im- provement of a very few kinds, fuch as are proper for theſe two forts of Land, and eaſy to be got at every Husbandman's Door; to which I have added a third Advice, in rela- tion to Earth exhaufted and worn out; and thus The PREF a ce. xiii thus I have (I hope) fully provided my Rea- der with Magazines of Earth fit for the Pur- poſe of Raifing Trees. My next, is the Raifing Wood and Foreſt- Trees in Nurſeries, or otherwife more pro- mifcuouſly in Coppices, &c. This likewiſe has been already handled by Mr. Evelyn in his Sylva, and Others. But befides that we have now much better Methods of Rai- . fing Trees than they had then, at leaſt they are more univerfally known; (the Rules there deliver'd, being chiefly extracted out of the ancient Writings of Pliny, Columella, &c.) Neither is his Method fo Inftructive to a young Country Beginner as could be wifh'd; fince the Courfe of his Direction is often broke off by Digreffions concerning the Mechanical, and very often the Medicinal Ufes of the Plant he is teaching to raiſe; and has alfo taught the Propagation of every kind of Tree ſeparately: Whereas one and the fame Method raiſes a great many kinds of Plants an Oak is rais'd of Maft or Seed, like the Chefnut, Beach, Hornbeam, &c. ; On the contrary, I have follow'd and enlarg❜d on the Method laid down by Virgil in his 2d Georgick, who has reduced all that are rais'd by Seed into one Clafs, and thoſe that are rais'd by Arcuation or Laying into another; which avoids a great deal of Re- petition, and makes the raifing Trees much more eafie and intelligible. I have likewife, as it were, chain'd all my Directions one to another; xiv The PREFACE. another; ſo that a Learner leaving off, may have a quick recourfe to his Inftructions again; which is not fo eafie to be done in Voluminous Works: but this is fo difpos'd, that the Thread is never broke 'till he is gor quite through the whole Proceſs. In fine, theſe plain Directions, how compendious foever they may at firſt fight feem to be, contain the moſt material Things to be learn'd in that Matter. And it must be obſerv'd, whatever Value we put upon the Works of that great Author juft mention'd, that his Writings abound rather with the Marks of an excellent Scho- lar, than an intelligible and practical Gar→ dener. But to proceed: Having thus provided the Country Gen- tleman with Directions for Raifing of Wood, the great Beauty and Security of his Villas I go on, next of all, to fpeak of Water; by which I mean, not altogether that defign'd for Ufe, but Beauty, and without which .the best Country-Seat is very deficient; wherein I have enlarg'd on the Original of Springs, the manner of bringing them home, and the beſt way of ufing them in Fountains, Cafcades, and the like. Then follow Statues, one of the nobleft Or→ naments of our beſt Gardens and Plantations, which not only make a magnificent Appear- ance; but 'tis there alfo we hieroglyphically read the great Idea's of Valour and Renown, that particularly diftinguiſhed thoſe Antients above The PREFACE. XV above the reft of their fellow-Creatures, and is of continual Ufe and Amuſement to the ſerious Beholders: Tis there, befides the Lineaments and Portraitures of Rational Beings, we read the true Lineaments of Heroifm and Virtue, and other Attributes which deify'd thoſe never-dying Hero's. And that they might the more effectually ſtrike the Imagination, I have endeavour'd to promote their proper Magnitude, Dimen- fions, and Diſtribution in the feveral Quar- ters, Centres, Lawns, and Receffes of our Defigns: To all which is added a ſhort Ad- dition on Grafs, Gravel, &c. This being a fhort Abſtract of the Con- tents of this Volume; I fhall, for the Satif faction of my Readers, give fome Account of the next I intend to publiſh, (if Providence permits, and this find Acceptance in the World) which I couch under the general Title of ICHNOGRAPHIA RUSTICA ; by which is meant, the general Defigning and and Diſtributing of Country-Seats into Gar- dens, Woods, Parks, Paddocks, &c. which I therefore call Foreft, or, in a more eaſie Stile, Rural Gard'ning. I fhall not mention the particular Method in which I intend to handle that Subject, but proceed to fay fomething of Defign in General, and the Reaſons that have induc'd me to that way of thinking, which is, in fhort, from that Magnificence that is eafily diſcoverable from the French Deſigns, which certainly xvi The PREFACE. certainly yet very much excel Ours, not- withſtanding thoſe confiderable Advantages we have by Nature beyond what they have. But becauſe Perfons differ in their Opi- nions about Defign, it may be requifite I fhould lay down thofe Rules that are the Standard of my Judgment and Procedure in this Matter; fince whoever endeavours to enforce a Belief of thofe Things he can give no Reaſon for, impoſes on the World, and inſtead of Inftructing, highly Affronts his Reader. The Precepts of the Cultivating part of Gardening, depend on Obfervation and Ex- perience; but this of Defigning, on a noble and correct Judgment and Taſte of Things: And where-ever Rules drawn from One's own Knowledge, or the Writings of indubitable An- tiquity, are wanting, 'tis then one muſt have recourſe to parallel Cafes for the Informa- tion, and indeed the Determination of Judg- ment, to Architecture Civil and Military, to Nature, nay fometimes to Divinity, Mo- rality, Poetry, and the like. This is the Method I have taken in the purſuit of Deſign; and the Theſes I have drawn for my Directions therein, are fumm'd up in this Ruftick Vèrſe, Utile qui dulci mifcens, ingentia Rura, Simplex Munditiis ornat, punctum hic tulit omne. And The PREFACE. xvii And for that no body has yet enlarg'd on this Matter, but every one makes what Judgment he pleaſes, and thereby leaves Defign in Confufion, I fhall take theſe three Motto's in their Courſe, being fuch as have in other Cafes had the Approbation of all Mankind, and may not improperly be applied to this. Utile dulci is what may not be thought a proper Theme for Princes, whofe Riches and Powers are very great; but there ſeems to be a fecret Pleaſure in the very Words, and I believe there are few of the greateſt Nobi- lity, whoſe Wealth overflows fo much as to have no regard to them: By this is not im- probably meant a judicious Mixture and Incor- poration of the Pleaſures of the Country, with the Profits; this I fhall ftudiouſly endeavour to follow, and for the preſent fhall only obferve, that all my Deſigns tend that Way: And by mixing the uſeful and profitable Parts of Gar- dening with the pleaſurable in the Interior Parts of my Deſigns, and Paddocks, obfcure Enclofures, &c. in the Outward: My De- figns are thereby vaftly enlarged, and both Profit and Pleafure may be faid to be agree- ably mix'd together: For I cann't but think the Perſon that barters the firft for the fake of the fineſt Garden in the World, makes a very bad Exchange; but if they can be well thrown one amongſt another, it muſt be very fatisfactory. And if under this Head be underſtood a Frugality in the Manage- VOL. I. b ment xviii The PREFACE. ment and Performance, this will appear in the Direction that will be found in this Trea tife, and in the other much more fo. By Ingentia Rura (apply'd to Gard'ning) we may underftand that Extenfive Way of Gard'ning that I have already hinted at, and fhall more fully handle; this the French call La Grand Manier, and is oppos'd to thofe crimping, diminutive, and wretched Perfor- mances we every-where meet with, fo bad, and withal fo expenfive, that other Parts of a Gentleman's Care is often, by unavoidable Neceflity, left undone; the Top of thefe Deſigns being in Clipt Plants, Flowers, and other trifling Decorations (which I ſhall ſpeak more of by and by) fit only for little Town- Gardens, and not for the expanfive Tracts of the Country. This then confifts rightly in large pro- lated Gardens and Plantations, adorn'd with magnificent Statues and Water-works, full of long extended, fhady Walks and Groves; neither does it altogether exclude the Ufe private Receffes, and fome little retired Ca- binets; this feems to be the general Idea of the Plan or Ichnography of a well-contrived Seat; but when we confider the Elevation, it requires that every thing appears tall, ftately, and bold, and all of it contrary to that narrow and mean-fpiritednefs with which Defigns generally abound. It alfo directs, that all the adjacent Country be laid open to View, and that the Eye fhould The PREFACE. xix fhould not be bounded with high Walls, Woods mifplac'd, and feveral Obftructions that are feen in too many Places, by which the Eye is at it were imprifoned, and the Feet et fetter'd in the midſt of the extenfive Charms of Nature, and the voluminous Tracts of a pleaſant Country. Simplex Munditiis is well known to be a comprehenſive as well as compendious Theme; and is, if well underſtood, of Ufe in all the Material Actions and Buſineſs of human Life; and as it denotes an unaffected Sim- plicity and Neatnefs in the Words, Actions, and Dreſs of a Man or Woman; fo in Gar- ; dening, and all the whole Cycle of Arts, it fignifies a noble Elegance and Decency, a due Proportion and clear Majeftick Mien in the ſeveral correſponding Parts thereof; and without ftraining it too hard, may very well demonftrate the beautiful and harmonious Rules of Symmetry and Variety. However, 'tis a well-govern'd purſuit of Nature, whofe Rules, tho' often fortuitous, are not the leſs beauteous, but rather the more admirable. And if this was more followed, if the Beau- ties of Nature were not corrupted by Art, Gardens would be much more valuable. But above all, it cafhiers thoſe Interla- cings of Box-work, and fuch-like trifling Ornaments, and fubftitutes the plain but no- bler Embelliſhments of Grafs, Gravel, and the like, in which we fo much excel other Countries. In ſhort, 'tis the uſefulleſt Mark b 2 any XX The PREFACE. any Defigner can fteer by, both for Frugali- ty in the Execution, and Nobleneſs of Gar- dens when they are actually accomplished. I cann't better take my leave of this im- perfect Effay on Defign, than by Quotations out of thofe celebrated Authors, the Right Honourable the Earl of Rofcommon, in his Tranflation of Horace's Art of Poetry; and Mr. Pope, in his inimitable Efay on Criti- cifm. Thefe Authors probably had no Thoughts of applying them to Gard'ning; but from them are deducible fome of the beſt Strokes conceivable for our prefent Purpofe; the firft, inculcating the Grounds of true De- figns in Poetry, and the Faults generally committed for want of a thorough Under- ſtanding and folid Judgment in that Art; contrary to a mean-fpirited and trifling man- ner, common enough in Poetry as well as Gard'ning, fays, The meanest Workman in th' Æmilian Square May grave the Nails, and imitate the Hair, But cannot finish what he has begun. What is there more ridiculous than he? For one or two good Features in a Face, Where all the reft are fcandaloufly ill, Make it but more remarkably deform'd. E. of Rofcommon. And the other moſt excellent Critick: First follow Nature, and your Judgment frame By her juft Standard, which is still the fame; Unerring The PREFACE. XXIX Unerring Nature ftill divinely bright, One clear, unchang'd, and univerfal Light; Life, Force, and Beauty muft to all impart At once the Source, and End, and Teft of Art. That Art is beft which most resembles her, And ftill prefides, yet never does appear. And in the 13th Page gives us the moſt inimitable and general Ideas of good Defign, drawn both from Nature and Art. In Gard'ns, as Nature, what affects our Hearts The Origi- Is not th' Exactness of peculiar Parts : 'Tis not a Lip or Eye we Beauty call, But the joint Force and full Refult of all. Thus when we view fome well-proportion'd Dome, (The World's juft Wonder, and ev'n thine, O Rome!) No fingle Parts unequally furprize, All comes united to th' admiring Eyes ; No monftrous Height, or Breadth, or Length appear, The whole at once is bold and regular. Pope's Eſſay on Criticiſm. But I leave the farther purſuit of this to fome better Pen: And indeed the Pleafures of Gard'ning in all its Parts are fuch, that were it poffible to dive into and difplay the utmoft Recéffes of its Beauty, one would not do it, but leave it amongst the delightful Amufe- b 3 nalis, In Wic. xxii The PREFACE. Amuſements of Providence, for the continu- al Entertainment of the Ingenious in this as well as fucceeding Generations. Field-room there is enough Go on and profper, ye illuftrious Lovers of Gard'ning; Exercife there will be enough, till this and all other Arts ſhall be ſwallowed up in the Ruins of this tottering World, and Nature herſelf fhall breathe out her laft Gafp till you, happy Souls, fhall every one have received the Reward of your Virtuous Labour. And this which has been the utmoſt of your Am- bition Here, fhall be fully compleated in the more durable and unbounded Felicities of a joyful Hereafter. But however diverting and noble a Subject Gard'ning is, like all fublunary Affairs, it is not free from feveral Misfortunes that tire fome in Performance, and deterr others from ever meddling with: Theſe Mifhaps I fhall next trace from their Original Source, and endeavour to give fuch general Advice as will help to reform them. And the firft is, the too great Hafte we aften obferve Gentlemen to be in; and fome- times, on a miſtaken Notion of their own Judgment, lay hold of the firft Opportunity that offers in making their Gardens, with out confulting fome experienc'd Workman, whofe Judgment may be depended on and to make the Matter yet worse, there is too often fome awkard, ignorant, I might add diſhoneſt Perſon and Pretender to a great deal of The PREFACE. xxiii of Knowledge in this Matter at hand, and ready to offer their Advice, tho' never fo weak and falfe. werd Of which Perfons, amongst others, are ſome who call themſelves Gardeners, who having wrought a little while at fome or other of the great Works of this Kingdom, immediately put on an Apron, get a Rule and pair of Com- paffes, with other things belonging to this Work; thus equipt, what Wonders are we not to expect from fo profound a Set of Ma- thematicians and Defigners! However, by the Help and Recommenda- tion of ſome as knowing as themſelves, they are introduced into a Service with an Afſu- rance of doing mighty Things. ; If the Gardens are to make, the firſt thing they fall on is probably fome little Court- yard, or other fmall Divifion of the Garden for by the Largenefs of their Scale, and the Narrowness of their Genius, their Sheet of Demy and Heads are both fo wonderfully fill'd with the Contrivance of thofe minute Parts, that 'tis impoffible they ſhould lay fuch a general Scheme, as that the Part now making, may any-way correfpond or agree with what may follow after: In short, when their Defigns come to their intended Perfe- tion, they are often full of an indigefted heap of Abfurdities, fcarce ever reducible (without a total Revolution) into any tole- rable Figure, tho' they happen afterwards a b 4 to xxiv PREFACE. The to fall under the Direction of the moſt Skib- ful in this Way. Add to this the Round-about Ways, and confequently Expences, Gentlemen, in this unhappy Method, are put to; for theſe Per- fons being fhrewd Calculators of Line and Level, have perhaps as much Earth to bring in, or carry out, as, befides the Expences, has no other Effect but to make the Matter yet worſe. By this time the Gentleman may fee the Errors into which he is infenfibly drawn, but the Mifery of it is, 'tis perhaps fo late, that hé thanks neither his Fortune nor his Friend for making him thus dear and experimentally wife, and the farther purſuit of Gard'ning is entirely laid aſide. To compleat this Matter, there are like- wife feveral Artizans or Mechanicks that e lope their own Province, and by pretending to give Deſigns in Gard'ning, are guilty of a great Crime; Gard'ning being in all its Circunftances the moſt extenfive Art of any, and therefore not ſo eaſily to be meddled with as they think.adleyan ru and There are likewife feveral Northern Lads, which whether they have ferv'd any time in this Art, or not, very few of us know any thing of; yet by the help of a little Learn ing, and a great deal of Impudence, they in- vade thefe, Southern Provinces and the nat tural Benignity (of this Warmer Climate has fuch a wonderful Influence on them, that ope of them knows (or at leaft pretends to know) The OPREFACE. XXV know) more in one Twelve-month, than a laborious, honeft South Countryman does in feven Years. And indeed, however polite and gallant Perfons of the firft Rank, whofe Il- luftrious Birth and Virtues give them place amongſt the greateft of the Quality, and whofe Knowledge in thoſe Matters is very good; the meaner fort of that People, by a canting Artifice, áffifted with a little Learning, make them an Over-match with their Tongues for any honeſt, induftrious Gardener amongft us, how skilful foever he be: And in fhort, this Perfon, among others, is one that helps to compleat what I have been complaining of. Thefe might have been included in my firft Divifion; but I could not but beſtow a Pa- ragraph on purpoſe to paint out the Poifon of I to and Laying out thefe audacious Empiricks in this Way. I with it poffible for me to excufe fome o- thers that pretend to Defigning and Laying out Gardens, which are, by their ferving Ap- prenticeſhips, better entitled to theſe Matters But Gard'ning is known to be very extenſive in its Nature; and tho' a Man may probably be a good Kitchen or Flower Gardner, he may yet mifs of this and other Parts, by ei- ther not being furniſhed with proper Talents, or having had no Advantage of improving himfelf: Thefe, by undertaking this of De- fign, &c. commit an Error they cannot eafily atone for, are very much concern'd in the Charge I am here bringing againſt Pretenders; but I fpare them, for the fake of their being of xxvi PREFACE. The of my own Profeffion, and only with them to examine well, before they begin on this difficult Province. I fhall finiſh this Subject with that ſerious Advice of Rapin's, it being perhaps not in the Hands of all that begin Gard'ning. Villa's and Gardens you will beft command, If timely you engage a Master's Hand, Whofe artful Pencil ball on Paper trace The whole Deſign, and figure out the Place. Review the Plan yourself, you may defcry Errors efcaping the Defigner's Eye. With Eafe reliev'd, while yet to each new Thought The flighteft Touch reforms th' obedient Draught. Mr. Gardiner. It may be thought I have dwelt too long, and been too fevere on this Subject; but the Cafe is fo very bad, that I hope to be excus'd, if I have; the Diſeaſe feems to be Lethar- gick, and for want of Caution, and fo re- quires the fharper Medicines for its Prevention and Cure. And fince I have been juft fpeaking of Draughts, I cann't but throw in a Caution againſt the too much depending on them; in- afmuch as they may appear very fine, and yet be no-way ſuitable to the Place. And I will be bold to affirm, that regular fine Schemes have fpoiled as many Gardens, as any other Fault, except there be a great deal of Judg ment and Confideration with it: am Thus The PREFACE. · xxvii Thus do we often fee many a noble Oak, or fometimes whole Lines of theſe and other umbragious Trees, fell'd, to humour the re- gular and delufive Schemes of fome Paper Engineers; and fuch a Medley of Clipt Plants, Embroidery, &c. introduced in their room, that 'tis hard how to think of it, whether with Pity or Difdain. 'Tis alſo to them ow- ing, that all Eminences or Pits are levelled, tho' at never-fo-great an Expence, when with good Management they might prove the great- eft Beauties in Gard'ning. But perhaps, and I know it is very often urged by fome Gentlemen, when they firft enter upon Gard'ning; We intend (fay they) to lay out but a little Money; and our Gar- dens are not fo much for Pleaſure as Profit. To which I anſwer, That in this whole Mat- ter there feems to be the more Reaſon for Advice; for if the Room be but fmall, there requires the more Judgment in laying it out well; but if Saving Money is the Cafe, they may afſure themſelves it will coft them rather ten times more than any thing elſe: And even in the leaſt and meaneft Deſign there is fome Judgment, Thought, Frugality, and Contri- vance. But if any fhould think I prefs this becauſe it is my Bufinefs, and that they are refolved to lay out their Money as they pleaſe; I have done, and muft only take leave to de- clare the contrary, and that 'tis nothing but an honeft Meaning; and confefs 'tis the great- eft Grief in the World for me to fee Bufi- neſs xxviii The PREFACE. nels ill defigned, and really afterwards worfe managed. I am fure 'tis not Vanity nor Ill-will that makes me thus expoſe theſe wrong Methods, having had too great a Share in the Frowns of an ill-natur❜d World, to take pleaſure in the publiſhing and triumphing in the Faults and Miſtakes of any Part of Mankind, much leſs Men of my own Profeffion. And I hope the whole Courſe of my Life, and the unguard- ed Openneſs and Freedom with which I fhall- deliver my following Undertakings, will make the contrary appear; and tho' it be my Pro- feffion, I fhall endeavour to acquit myſelf faithfully, and without Mercenarinefs or Re- ferve. But an officious Adviſer is one of the unwelcomeft Gueſts that can come to many Perfons (what Occafion foever they may have of it;) for which Reafon I fhall be the fhort- er to them. And to Gentlemen of a more lenitive and ingenious Nature, who are pleafed to pardon the Unworthinefs as well as officious Boldneſs of a well-meaning Man, how contrary foever it may be to any former Miftakes, I hope the foregoing Remarks may be of ufe; and to make them have the more Effect, I beg leave to add the following Advice. First then, After the Defign is well laid and confider'd by the Gentleman, and fome ho- neft and experienc'd Workman, that fuch a Perfon be choſe for a Servant, as is Sober, In- genious, and Good-natur'd, (I may call him a Fel- The PREFACE. xxix* a Fellow-Companion in this delightful Em- ploy) the more he knows is certainly the better; but of the two, the firft is the beſt Qualification; becauſe if he abounds in the one, a little Experience and good Ufage will foon make him capable of the other: but an ignorant, conceited Perfon is one of the moft incorrigible of Mortals; and God knows there are too many of theſe that ftrole about with this unhappy Mark; and the greateſt Mif- fortune of all is, the older they grow, the worſe they are. He ought to be one that has fome Senſe of Religion, Virtue and good Manners; this, if well encouraged, will in time be of great Uſe to the Mafter; and from fuch a Servant he may expect all reaſonable Duty. To this End his Stipend ought to be equal to that of the beſt Servant, and above all, that he be well paid; fo that he may have no Reafon to take indirect Means to maintain his pri- vate Affairs, (free from the Domineering of fuch haughty, imperious Fellow-Servants as are too often found in great Families.) All theſe put together, cann't but be of excellent Ufe towards the fettling him eaſily and qui- etly in his Service, and encouraging him in the purſuit of that which he has an honou rable Affurance of long enjoying, in fome meaſure, as well as his Lord and Mafter. I have obferv'd the contrary Ufage to have the contrary Effects; and the toffing of Gar- deners about from one Place to another, is the XXX The PREFACE. the greatest Blemish that is charg'd upon the Memory of one of our greateſt Maſter-Gar- deners; for thoſe Perfons, fuppofing they are to be going away, and to hold their Places by a precarious Tenure, care not what they do: And tho' this holds good in all Cafes, yet in Gardening 'tis attended with Confequences more pernicious than in any other Bufinefs. The Author and Abridger of The Com- pleat Gardener wou'd have him not to be too Old, nor too Young. In this, every Gentleman's own Cafe is his beft Director. But this wou'd be hard upon a great part of this Profeffion, whofe Misfortune "twou'd be to live too long. در شورا That after they have fpent the Vigour of their Lives in Service, (and perhaps fuch as were not profitable enough to lay up much Money in) to be turn'd out to beg in their Old Age, and after a long Scene of Buſineſs and Slavery, that has brought them to a more helpleſs State than any other People, are miferable Thoughts. But the farther profecution of this I leave to the Management of thoſe pious and charitable Divines, whofe Difcourfes on Subjects of this kind will appear very bright in the Hiſtory of theſe Times. I need fay little of other Qualifications, as to Learning, &c. it being what is not fo generally miſtaken as other Things are; but fhall only remark on this Head, That too many Gentlemen are very fparing to theſe Servants, टुं The PREFACE. Servants, and think that Fifteen or Twenty Pounds per Annum is extraordinary, or too much to give a Gardener; when in truth their very Livery-Servants are as great or a greater Charge; tho' both their Learning and Pains is or ought to be equal to the beſt Servant in their Families; and what with Books, Mathematical Inftruments, and the like, their Rewards ought to be the more. To make a good Ingenious Gardener, as much Learning is required, perhaps, as the Steward, or any other Artizan or Servant which Perfons of Quality or Others have attending them: And were this more en- couraged, what might not be expected in a Country whofe known Character is, Inventis addere. And how much to the Advantage of Gar- dening it might be, if Young Perfans, de- figned for this Employ, were not only in- ftructed in Mathematical and Grammatical, but alſo in Philoſophical Knowledge, I leave to the Determination of the Ingenious in that way. My next Advice is, To fet apart fuch a portion out of the Revenue as can be con- veniently fpar'd, and that the fame be Week- ly applied to the Diſcharge of the Expence ; for that Labourers Unpaid, are of courſe the moft Impertinent, Troubleſome Perſons that may be, and by their Clamour, Noife and Thievery, occafion a very large Alloy in and Diſcount from the Pleaſures of a Coun try Life. Two, xxxi : : xxxii The PREFACE Two, Three, or Four Hundred Pounds per Annum will do great Things in fmall Un- dertakings; and Six, Seven, or Eight Hun- dred will be fufficient in the greateſt of all; in this Manner and Method I am advancing. Befides, the Pleaſure of Gardening is not in Finiſhing them in too great Hafte; but after a general Scheme is laid, to make Annual Ad- vances, 'till the Whole is compleated. Nei- ther can this be call'd Money altogether ex- pended; becauſe the Kitchen-Garden, Fiſh- Ponds, &c. about a Seat, are not only a great Ornament, but will make a great Abatement in the Expences of Houfe-keeping. The laft, and which is the Refult, or ra- ther the Subftance of the former Advices, is, That Gentlemen Confider well before they Begin, and Proceed Leifurely; That the Motives that induce them to theſe Un- dertakings be Solid and Virtuous, and not the fudden ſtart of an impètuous Fancy, which too often finks and vanifhes immedi- ately, and leaves a Mark of Infamy and Difgrace on the Undertaker, rather than a Credit and Repute. 'Tis to this, in a great degree, is owing the many Unfiniſh'd and Confus'd Deſigns to be feen in many Places of theſe Kingdoms. 3 Gardening is doubt lefs in itſelf very Di- verting but when it has is commencement from Raſhneſs, or any other unwarrantable Temper, and irrational Sally, no wonder if its End be Difcontent, and thofe unhappy, Reflexions The PREFACE. xxxiii flexions on paſt Things, that are the natural Confequences of the moſt innocent Pleaſures, as well as the moft guilty and flagrant Vices now reigning in the World. But when carried on in a well-regulated Manner, what folid Pleaſure is there that is not to be found therein? Its Purfuit is eafy quiet, and fuch as put neither the Body nor Mind into thofe violent Agitation or pre- cipitate and imminent Dangers that many other Exerciſes (in themſelves very warrant- able) do. The End of this is Health, Peace, and Plenty, and the happy Profpect of Feli- cities more durable than any thing in theſe fublunary Regions, and to which this is (next to the Duties of Religion) the fureft Path. 'Twas the Encouragement and Practice of theſe and fuch-like Virtuous and Emolumen- tal Employs, that in a great meaſure rais'd the Splendor, and ftill helps to maintain the Brightneſs of the Hiftories of thoſe Ancient and Univerfal Monarchies of Perfia, Greece, and Rome: And the Neglect, that, amongſt fome other Reaſons, portended their fatal and unhappy Diffolutions. And the innumerable Plans, Profpectives, and Hiftorical Account of the magnificent Gardens of France and Italy, as they draw the Eyes of all Europe upon them, fo they will hereafter make as com- pleat a Sett, and appear as glorious as the mi- litary Ichnographies of thofe auguft Nations. But to return, that I might the better per- form my Duty in thefe Undertakings, and VOL. I. C correct xxxiv PREFACE The correct what has been obferv'd to be amifs in Gard'ning, I have in that Treatife firft fet down the Errors that have occur'd to me ei- ther in Books or Practice; and from the Me- thods I have propofed to my felf, and from the Practice of the beft in theſe Matters, I have put in their room fuch things as I thought would be more proper. With the fame Care I have trac'd the Round-about Ways and Needlefs Expences which I have obferv'd in the Making and Planting of Gardens, in which there is gene- rally twice as much as is neceffary, and fhall reduce it into fuch a Method, as that any Per- fon, upon common Confideration, may know if he is well or ill uſed. The laft, and no lefs momentous piece of Advice, fhall be, to fix fuch Meafu.es for the Extent of Gardens, as will, I hope, very much reduce the Expence of Keeping as well as Making. And 'tis here to be obferv'd, that for want of fixing at firft on a general Scheme, and drawing all the Pleaſures of the Situation into one Table, Gardens have gradually, in- fenfibly, and at laft even neceffarily fwell'd to a greater Extent than the Owner at first defigned them, fo great indeed as to fink un- der their own Weight, and to be a Burden too heavy for the greateſt Eſtates; by which means they came often to be neglected, and to be rather a Vexation and a Trouble, than any real Pleaſure and Satisfaction to the Owner: And this I take to be another great Hindrance The PREFACE. XXXV 1 Hindrance and Diſcount from the true Plea- fures of Gardening. I am very far, by this, from limiting the Extent of Outer Plantations, which, as the Prices now are, and by the Methods hereaf- ter to be delivered, will be no great Charge. Theſe might reach as far as Liberty of Plant- ing will allow, an Employ fo diverting that it ought to terminate but with Life itſelf, and to be plac'd amongst the greateſt Diverſions of it; all others are fubject to Diſappoint- ments, but in this, not a Day, Hour, or Minute in the whole Year but what courts our Admiration, or requires our Care. What I have been fpeaking of is in relation to what may properly be called Gardning, I mean thoſe Interior Parts, that ought by fome means or other to be fenc'd from the Trampling and Croppings of Cattle, and re- quire our more immediate Care in Keeping and Dreffing. And fince all agree, that the Pleaſures of a Country Life cann't poffibly be contained within the narrow Limits of the greateſt Garden; Woods, Fields, and diftant Inclo- fures ſhould have the Care of the induftrious and laborious Planter: Neither would I (as I have already hinted) advife the immuring, or, as it were, the imprifoning by Walls, (however expenſive they are in making) too much us'd of late; but where-ever Liberty will allow, would throw my Garden open to all View, to the unbounded Felicities of di- ftant C 2 A xxxvi The PREFACE. : ftant Profpect, and the expanfive Volumes of Nature herſelf. In the mean time I preferve fome private Walks and Cabinets of Retirement, fome felect Places of Recefs for Reading and Contemplati- on, where the Mind may privately exult and breathe out thofe Seraphick Thoughts and Strains, by which Man is known and diftin- guifh'd as an Intelligent Being, and elevated above the common Level of Irrational Crea- tures. And that I might the better effect my De- fign, I have promoted, as is already practis'd (tho' not well) in feveral Places, the fowing of Coppices and Woods, it being much more Rural and Beautiful in Country-Seats than new fine Gard'ning, (too much run into by fome) fince from this Proceſs, in four or five Years time, one may expect to find Woods or Coppices eight or ten Foot high. Befides, thoſe Exterior Lines are kept by a Scythe fix- ed into a ſtrong Handle or a long Pole, as there is occafion to uſe it, without the Ex- pence and tinkling Noife of Sheers in Clip- ping. And I have purfu'd this Method yet far- ther, by Directions in this Book for a more fpeedy Raifing Woods, than I have any-where feen; and in the other, the manner of cut- ting Gardens and Interior Plantations out of the infide; and laying the Exterior Parts ranging and correfponding with them in fuch a manner, as that they may appear as a part, and The PREFACE. xxxvii and add to the Beauty and Magnificence of the Garden in the View, tho' not in the Ex- pence of Keeping; fince I would never adviſe above twenty Acres of Ground in the inner- moft parts of the largeſt Gardens, let the Exterior be what they will, to appear, if poffible, two or three hundred. The man- ner that I have taken in doing this, will, I dare affure my felf, appear pleafing, if not furprizing, to moft that have not been fo great Drudges to Thoughts of this kind as I have been. This Method I have propos'd, well ma- nag'd, will, I hope, very much abridge the Expence of Making and Keeping Gardens, and will yet add very much to their Magnificence, when, for the Enlargement of their View, all the neighbouring Fields, Paddocks, &c. fhall make an additional Beauty to the Garden, and by an eaſy, unaffected manner of Fencing, fhall appear to be a part of it, and look as if the adjacent Country were all a Garden. b It may probably be fuppofed, by this PRE- FACE, that I am fetting up new Schemes in Gard'ning, which may, 'till the Prints come out, caufe divers Reflections, as the Readers are difpos'd to think; but, on the contrary, I can affirm, that 'tis much the fame as has been us'd already in fome parts of this King- dom, tho' I hope to make confiderable Im- provements; and for Antiquity, 'tis above 2500 Years, fince it appears to be of the ſame kind as the Gardens of Epicurus in the Su- burbs c 3 xxxviii The PREFACE. i V burbs of Athens; a Perfon (if Pliny fpeaks right) that firſt us'd this Extenfive way of Gard'ning, and of bringing the Pleaſures and Produce of the Woods and Fields under the general Title of Hortus, of which I ſhall ſay more by and by. This may likewife be fuppos'd was and is the manner of Gard'ning amongst the Chineſe, who, as an ingenious Author of our own Country obferves, ridicule the Europeans on account of that Mathematical Exactnefs and crimping Stiffneſs that appears in our Way of Gard'ning. And the Defigns that tend the Way I am fpeaking are certainly the moſt va- luable; fuch is that incomparable Wood of my Lord Carlifle's at Caftle-howard, the Wood at New-Park belonging to the Right Honourable the Earl of Rochester, the Woods at Cafbiobury, the Defign of Busby-Park, &c. The Romans had doubtlefs the fame Exten- five kind of Gardens; and till of late Years it has not been the Cuſtom to immure and wall them in, except in fuch Places where the Owner is circumfcrib'd and bounded in by contentious Neighbours; this being, befides the Expence, a great Confinement, and be reaves One of the greateſt Pleaſures of a Gar- den, I mean Prospect. Nor would I be underſtood to condemn all Encloſed and Flower-Gardens, fince they are abfolutely neceffary in Cities, Towns, and other bounded Places, where the Owner is hemm'd in on each Side: But what I am fpeaking The PREFACE. xxxix fpeaking of, is in large Country-Seats, where the Owner has 2, 3, or 400 Acres of Land, more or lefs, in Pafture, Park, or other Lands, 'tis here fuppos'd that the Extent furniſhes him with Bufinefs enough in plant- ing and improving of his Eftate, and more, than to fpend his Time in the more trifing and fading Beauties of Flowers; whilft, on the other hand, he could pot poffibly employ himſelf in the narrow Limits of a City-Gar- den, without fuch little bufy Employs. :.... Befides, Gentlemens Affairs conmonly di- viding their Time between the Town and Country, they spending the latter part of the Winter, and the Spring, and fometimes longer in Town, and the reft of their Time in the Country: The firft anfwers by the Beauty of Flowers in the Spring, which is over by the latter end of May; whilft in the latter part of the Year the nobler Diverfions of the Country take place, at which time, in truth, the Beauty of Flowers is gone, and Borders are like Graves, and rather a Blemiſh than a Beauty to our fineft Gardens. In the aforefaid Cafes then this Extenſive Way of Defign will be of Ufe: The manner of doing which, will, I hope, appear delight- ful, befides the Cheapneſs in Performance will (I doubt not) but be very agreeable to the frugal Planter. And for the latter, I mean Town-Gardens, compos'd of Flowers, Greens, and choice Exoticks, is hop'd fome future Time will give C 4 " xl The PREFACE. : give an Opportunity of humbly publiſhing more Thoughts to the World on that Subject, and reducing that into a correcter Method than has yet appear'd. But when Town- Gardens are mention'd, 'tis not thereby meant Gardens in or very near London, but thoſe that are four, five, fix, or feven Miles out out of Town, whither the Fatigues of the Court and Senate often force the illuftrious Patriots of their Country to retreat, and breathe the ſweet and fragrant Air of Gart and thefe are generally too much dens; nent up. By which means Gardening may be fup- ros'd to be divided into two kinds, viz. City, and Country; the firft for Flowers, &c. and the laft, Woods, Coppices, Groves, and the bufie and laborious Employs of Agri- culture, with which Gardening is unavoidably as well as pleaſantly mix'd. ad to I am apprehenfive this will meet with, different Acceptation in the World, as it fuits with the Humours or Interefts of many of my own Profeflion, who (amongſt other Reaſons too long here to name) not being willing to take fo much Pains themſelves, or being, perhaps, naturally averfe to fuch Publications, 'tis no wonder if they malign both, the Work and its Author. But as on the one hand, I have tafted too feverely af the Lafhes of Fortune, to take any great Satisfaction in any thing but doing my Dutys fo, on the other, I am prepar'd to contema any The PREFACE. xli any Ill Uſage I may poffibly receive on this account, being very fure that I have not any- way betray'd a Truft that is incumbent on Perfons of all Profeffions; and that tho there is a Frugality propofed in the Making and Planting Gardens, yet the Gardener and and Nurſery-man will find their Account as much in the Extent, as they did before in the elaborate Exactnefs and Expenfive way of Making Gardens. And 'tis the happineſs of prefent Authors, to write in an Age wherein Virtue and honeft Induſtry are very much countenanc'd and encourag'd, and Perfons of too great Sagacity to be any-ways impos'd on, Perfons who fee through the Artifices of Defign- ing People, fo much indeed, that I fhould have had no occafion to mention this, but that thoſe I fuppos'd to be Concerned have too much Power, and are too much uſed to things of this kind, to efcape this No- tice; and they will, without doubt, foon apply it to themſelves. However, if after all the Care taken of giving any reaſonable Offence, it fhould be my, misfortune to meet with any Ill Ufage, tis what was long fince the fate of one of the greateſt Gardeners, as well as Poets, I mean Virgil, in whofe company I fhall (were I but worthy) be content to fuffer; and fhall give the fame Anfwer as that learned and ingenious Author did, when he was told how bafely he had been treated, (as follows:) An, xlii The PREFACE. : An, inquit, Hefiodi fententia non miniftri, ubi ait, Architectum Architecto invidere, & Poëtam Poëta? De malis, inquit, Gracus ille intellexit, nam boni eruditiores amant: fed magna cum mea Laude & Gloria vindictam in manu habeo: Majore enim cura virtuti inten- dam, atque quo elegantior ego fiam, eo vehe- mentius invidia rumpeter. And a little farther : Nam qui contendit, & an contentionis finis utilis fit non novit, ftultis illum innumerandum fapientes putant. Ruæus. Which I leave them to Engliſh, and to make fuch Ufe of as is moft proper. Without doubt, the Circumſtances of an Author, how immaterial foever, will by theſe Wits be immediately brought on the Stage. And indeed, it would be too idle and im pertinent for me, or any One in fuch a Cafe, to recriminate on Fortune or Ill Ufage, much leſs on Perfons and Things; for which reafon I fhall fubmit to the Ill-will of fome and the Miſtake of a great many in this Affair. Iw ni bank some To what is already faid, there feems to be little occafion to add more of the Uſefulneſs of this Subject, or to vindicate the Reafon- ablenefs and Advantage it may be to fo Polite and The PREFACE. xliii and Ingenious a Nobility and Gentry as at prefent Great-Britain abounds with. The Performance itfelf is what's of more Concern, and for which, I am now too fure, I ought to Apologize. I muft confefs my felf at prefent, upon fome accounts, fomewhat unequal to the Management of fo weighty and uſeful a Province: But the favourable Reception of this, will, I hope, diſpell thoſe Clouds that may any-ways hinder my next Performance, as well as purchaſe that Cou- rage that all young Authors want. In general; I ought to addrefs the No- bility and Gentry, eſpecially that Noble and Uſeful Society Incorporated for the Advance- ment of Natural Knowledge, as Tibullus did Apollo, (Eleg. 5. Lib. 2.) Let me quote him in his own Words, without any other Verfification: Phœbe, fave, novus ingreditur tua Templa facerdos. But more particularly; The Gentlemen des Belles Lettres, (collected as they are out of the feveral Claffes and Degrees amongst Mankind) who will, I dare hope, fee fome reaſonable Caufe of Excufing the Deficiency of this Work, when I affure them, That the Nobleneſs of the Subject, rather than any opinion of my own Performance, infenfibly carry'd me into Lengths in which I could hope for little Succefs: But this being an Introduction • xliv The PREFACE. Introduction to one of the Nobleft as well as Uſefulleft Subjects in the World, it feem'd abfolutely requifite I fhou'd begin with fome- thing of this nature. True it is, that that Author's Works are moft acceptable, who undertakes it rather out of Choice than Neceffity. ذ Some judge of Authors Names, not Works and then Nor praiſe nor damn the Writings, but the Men, are the Lines of one of our greateſt Judges of modern Criticifm. Yet as this was not altogether my Cafe, it being done, the great- eft part of it, Nobilis Otii, (as the Poet phrafes it) during the Leifure I enjoy'd in a very Indulgent as well as Noble Family; I hope there is nothing fo culpable in it, as the putting it together, which I muſt own was done in fome Hafte. P But what's moſt afflicting, is, that it was not begun fooner. If the great Roman Em- peror (whofe continual Care of his People in general, might be thought to be a fuffi cient Discharge of his Duty) lamented the Jols of one Day, wherein he did not fome particular Act of Service and Good: How much more ought a great part of Mankind, (who have no fuch Charge, and can do no- thing that is of Ufe in the Age they live in, but by fuch ways as thefe) and my felf in The PREFA CE. xlv in particular, how unworthy foever I may ſeem to be, that we have loft fo loft ſo many Years! 'Tis therefore Time (tho' I hope not too late) for every Perfon, in theſe Cafes, to re- pair to their Pofts, and to make the beſt Uſe poffible of thofe Talents Providence has intruſted them with, ſeeing daily and diſmal Experience, as well as the Authority of the Wifeft of Kings in Sacred Writ, affures us, that as to this material Part of us, There is Ecclef. ix. no Work, nor Device, nor Knowledge, nor Wif- dom in the Grave whither we are going. Therefore I fhall endeavour to acquit my felf with the Temper and Satisfaction of an Honeft Man, at leaſt, in the Words of the aforefaid Ingenious Gentleman : [view, Content, if hence th' Unlearn'd their Wants may The Learn'd reflect on what before they knew, Careless of Cenfure, nor too fond of Fame; Still pleas'd to Praiſe, yet not afraid to Blame : Averfe alike to Flatter or Offend; Nor free from Faults, nor yet too vain to Mend. Mr. Pope. 12. THE THE CONTENTS. T CHAP. I. HE Hiftory of Gardening, from its Original: WithMemoirs of the greateſt Virtuofo's, both Ancient and Modern, Page 1 CHA P. II. An Ellay concerning Earth; and the Improve- ment of Land defign'd to raiſe Foreft-Trees in, CHA P. III. p. 98 An Eſſay concerning Water, Rain, Snow, &c. and their Efficacy in Vegetation, CHA P. IV. P. 114 An Eſſay concerning the Power of the Sun, and his Effect in Vegetation, p. 133 CHAP. The CONTENTS. *.* CHAP. V. An Effay concerning the Power of the Air, and its Effect in Vegetation, CHAP. VI. P. 144 An Effay concerning the Effect of thofe Co-efficient Powers in the work of Vegetation, CHA P. VII. Directions for Raifing Foreft-Trees. Sect. 1. The Introduction, P. 153 Sect. 2. Of the Spontaneous Production of Trees, p. 191 p. 204 Sect. 3. Of the Method of Raifing Trees by Seed, Sect. 4. Of Raifing Trees from the Exuberances of the Mother-Roots, P. 206 p. 219 p. 221 Sect. 5. Of the Raifing Trees by Artificial Me- thods of Avulfion, Arcuation, &c. Sect. 6. Of Raiſing Trees by Layers, p. 224 Sect. 7. Of Raifing Trees by Cuttings and Sets, P. 228 Sect. 8. The Summary of all that has been de- liver'd concerning Raifing Trees, p. 230 Sect. 9. Directions for Planting in Open Nur- Series, Sect. 10. Directions for Pruning and Dreſſing of Foreft-Trees in Open Nurferies, Sect. 11. Of Planting Trees in the Open Park, P. 231 p. 234 P. 239 Sect. 12. Directions for the feveral forts of Soil on The CONTENTS. : on which Trees thrive beft, p. 248 Şect. 13. Tabular Directions for every Soil P. 255 Sect. 14. General Aphorifms or Maxims of Planting, drawn from the foregoing Chap- ters, p. 258 Directions for Raifing Woods and Coppices, CHAP. VIII. Addenda, p. 264 p. 271 CHAP. IX. Of Springs, their Original, and the Method of bringing them home, for the Ufe and Beauty of Gardens, CHAP. X. P. 288 Of Statues, and other Ornaments of Decorations of noble Gardens, CHAP. XI. p. 310 Of Grafs and Gravel, the natural Embellifb- ments of our Engliſh Gardens, CHA P. XII. P. 319 The General Conclufion of this Book, p. 325 THE THE HISTORY OF GARD'NING, &c. CHA P. I T does not, at firft fight, ſeem Introdu- neceffary to write an Introdu- dion. &tion to a Hiftory which is but an Introduction itfelf: But confidering that it is the firſt that has appear'd in this kind, it may not be improper to give a fhort Account of its Ufes to the World. 'Tis certain, there is na kind of Hiſtory fo eagerly catch'd at, as the valiant Atchieve- ments, Heroick Examples and Lives of Great Soldiers, and the folemn Debates and Councils of Learned Stateſmen and Senators : Yet the Lives of thoſe that have been emi- B nent 2. Chap. 1. The HISTORY nent for their Proficiency in other Parts of Learning and Bufinefs, are or ought to be read with a peculiar Delight. In the first we meet with great Examples, which 'tis poffible but for few to reach; and Schemes of Government, which Perfons of a lower Sphere may never be likely to have any Share in; whereas in this there is a ge- neral-Entertainment to every bufy and intel- ligent Perſon; and an Imitation of the Pra- &tices of thoſe great Virtuofo's, is in fome meaſure or other in the Power of every Rank or Degree of Mankind: In their Writings we read the intricate and amazing Laws of Eternal Providence prefiding over thefe fub- lunary Regions, far more entertaining than all the Volumes of Zeno the Law-giver, or Plutarch the Hiftorian. So that the History as well as the Practice of Gardening may not be an unwelcome Subject; and we are affured the Romans (whofe Judgment theſe modern Ages are de- fervedly fond of copying) had as great a va- lue for the Memoirs of Men of Wit, Lite- rature, or any other private Accomplish- ments, as they had for the greateſt Politici- ans and Captains. Pliny, no doubt, made as great a Figure in the Quality of a Philofopher and Gard'ner, as he did at the Head of the Roman Legions; and the Natural Hiftory he has left, is of as much Value as that of all the Germanick Wars. ros 'Tis Chap. 1. of GARD'NING, &c. 3 'Tis certain, one is too often, inftead of true Heroifm, the unwarrantable Sallies of Am- bition, Cruelty, and Bloodshed; whilft the other is an innocent Amufement, and a Com- panion for Humility, Moderation, and other commendable Virtues. Since then the earlieft and beft Accounts we have of Gard'ning are collected from (a) Holy Writ, there is no room left to doubt of its Antiquity, as being very near coeval with the World, and Beginning of Time itself. That God Almighty was not only the First Pater Om- Author and Founder, but alſo the Regulator nipotens. and Planter of Gardens and Gard'ning, is no leſs evident from the (b) Text, which faith, The Lord God planted a Garden Eastward in Eden, and there he put the Man whom he had form'd. And if (as (c) fome think) that the Icno- graphy or Plan of this Garden, or, to fpeak more plainly, the Garden itſelf, was the Work of the Third Day; it may from thence be fup- pos'd, that Gardens were before Gardeners, (and therefore the immediate Work of God) and that Horoſcopy had not been uſed. That it commences its Date but a few Adam. Hours after the Formation of the World, and before the Accounts receiv'd of any other Art, is evident from the latter end of the afore mention'd Chapter (d), where that Operati- (4) Gen. 1. (b) Gen. 2.8. (c) Sir T. Brown's Gardens of Cyrus. (d) Gen. 2. 22, c. B 2 on 4 Chap. 1. The HISTORY . on is recorded of taking the Rib from Adam, wherewith the Woman was made; yet tho' from this, Chirurgery may plead high, yet the very Current of the Scripture determines in favour of Gard'ning. What was the Mathematical Diftribution, or how Geographically fituated Paradife was, is fomething uncertain, tho' fome affirm it to be (e) near the Mountains of Armenia, where the Ark refted after the Univerſal Deluge, where Gard'ning probably took its ſecond Rife. Others pretend it to be elevated above the common Level of the Earth, and to have been a Pattern to the fo-much-celebrated Gar- dens of Babylon. The Advances Gard'ning made, from A- dam's Expulfion to the General Deluge, is dubious, there being little left of it, only that he was a (f) Tiller of the Ground: And tho' fome of our Divines have piouſly believ'd that Adam was, upon his fincere Re- pentance, re-admitted into Paradife; yet fince the Scriptures mention no fuch thing, we may more reaſonably conclude that the unal- terable Decree of Heaven lay heavy upon him: And 'tis more than probable the Reflexion on his unhappy Lapfe might deterr him from any Purſuits of this kind, any more than the Neceffaries of Life, which he was, by the direful Command of his Maker, deftin'd by. the Sweat of his Brow to provide for; nor (e) Sir T. Brown's Gardens of Cyrus. (f) Gen. 3. 23. does Chap. 1. of GARD'NING, &c. does the Sacred Text mention any otherwiſe of his Sons. But affoon as that great Inundation was a- Noah. bated, and Noah and the reft of his Family were brought out of the Ark, (g) they began to Colonize themſelves; and the fame Sacred Text relates, that Noah began to be an Huf- bandman, and he planted a Vineyard. And doubtless from that Time Gard'ning began to flouriſh, eſpecially thofe Parts which ferv'd either for the Nouriſhment or Luxury of their reſpective Times; and if Zoroafter zoroafter, were either Ham, Chus, or Mizraim, they were Ham,Chus, early Proficients in Gard'ning, and, as Pliny raim. relates, left a Treatiſe of it. or Miz- Tho' Abraham is recorded to have planted Abraham. a Grove (b) at Beer-fbeba for his more par- ticular Worſhip, yet moft of his fucceeding Generations, as well as himſelf, living a Pa- ftoral Life in open Fields and moveable Tents, beſides their Sojourn in Egypt,, and long Jour- ney thro' the Wilderneſs, Gard'ning was doubtless little known or practis'd by them, till the Time that they were fix'd in the Pro- mis'd Land, and not perhaps till David, or rather Solomon, was anointed over them, to raiſe the Puiffance and Splendor of that Na- tion. Which laſt being, by Divine Appointment, Solomon. chofen for the Eſtabliſhment and Quiet of the Jews, and to erect their fo-much-deſired (6) Gen. 9. 20. (h) Gen. 21. 33. B 3 Temple, 6 Chap. 1. The HISTORY onozor. Temple, together with a Royal Palace, it may rationally be fuppofed (however filent the Hiftorical part of the Scriptures are) that Gard'ning had a great fhare in his Thoughts, fince he is reprefented for ſo emi- nent a Botanick; and this is confirm'd by his own Words on another Occafion, (i) I made me great Works, I planted me Vine- yards, I made me Gardens and Orchards, and I planted Trees in them of all kinds of Fruit; I made me Pools of Water, to water therewith the Wood that bringeth forth Trees. From thefe People, and their unhappy Ca- taftrophe of being carried into ftrange Coun- tries, Gard'ning might be remov'd likewiſe. For tho' fome attribute the Horti Penfiles of Semiramis. Babylon to Semiramis (k) the third or fourth from Nimrod; yet others, with more Proba- Nebuchad- bility of Truth, to Nebuchadonozor the fa- mous King of Diodorus, upon which walking and viewing his great Metropolis, and other diftant Regions of his Monarchy, elevated his unbounded, ambitious Soul above his Ma- ker, and, by forgetting he was a Man, in- currd the Stroke of Divine Vengeance, which drove him amongst the Beafts into the con- trary Habitations of Deferted Wilderneffes and Uncultivated Fields. Egyptians. The Egytians were certainly very early in Gardening, as may be collected from their (*) Ecclef. 2.4. (k) Sir T. Brown's Gardens of Cyrus. Writings; Chap. 17 r. of GARD'NING, &c. . Writings; but how judicious, is not cer- tain. Whether the Gardens of Adonis and the Adonis. Hefperides be fabulous or not, or what was the Time they were fuppofed to be in their Glory, I fhall not examine; they were how- ever Subjects for the loftieft Strains in Poetry, a Theme from which they have drawn the beautiful Idea's they had of the Pleaſures of Gard'ning. From the firft is deduc'd an additional Name to none of the meaneft of Flora's (1) Train, and a Royal Stamp to the Name of (m) Gardens themſelves. rides. From the fecond, the Hiftory of thoſe beau- The Hefpe- tiful Ladies,who (together with their Gardens of Golden Apples, were under the Care of a watchful, Dragon) perhaps an Intimation, that Innocence, Vertue, and Veftal Honour could be no-where fo well preferv'd as there; and that the Beauty of thoſe Abodes would make a fufficient Compenfation for the Lofs of all other enlarged Pleaſures. This Gar- Mr. Rowe has elegantly deſcrib'd: Near the Tritonian Lake, Where, by the watchful Dragon kept of old, Hefperian Plants grew rich with living Gold; Long fince the Fruit was from the Branches torn, And now the Gardens their loft Honours mourn. (1) Flos Adonidis, the Anemone. (m) Horti Adonidis, Gardens of Pleasure. B 4 Such The HISTORY Chap. 1. Such was, in ancient Time, the Tale receiv'd, Such by our good Forefathers were believ’d. Nor let Enquirers the Tradition wrong, Or dare to queftion now the facred Poet's Song, Then take it for a Truth, The wealthy Wood Here, under Golden Boughs low bending, flood: On fome large Tree his Folds the Serpent wound, The fair Hefperian Virgin watch'd around, And joind❜d to guard the rich Forbidden Ground. But Great Alcydes came to end their Care, Strip the gay Grove, and left the Branches bare. Then back returning, fought the Argive Shore, And the bright Spoil to proud Eryftheus bore. Rowe Luc. Homer. It is not material whether Homer or Heftod Hefiod. preceded each other; they were both fup- pos'd to be near Cotemporaries with Elias the Prophet; and the Grecians were not the laft in this delightful Employ, but both of them left Marks of the Efteem they had for our Subject; one, by a Treatife on Agriculture, from which Virgil is fuppos'd to have copied the Marrow of his Georgicks ; and the other, by a Defcription of the Gardens Alcinous. of Aleinous (n), which he reprefents to the View of the Wandring Prince Ulyffes. Thus English'd by Mr. Eufden: Close by the Gates a fpacious Garden lies, From Storms defended, and inclement Skies (n) Homer. Odyff, 7. ; Four Chap. 1. of GARD'NING, &c. ୨ Four Acres was th'allotted Space of Ground, Fenc'd with a Green Enclosure all around. Tall-thriving Trees confefs' d the thriving Mold; The Red'ning Apple ripens here to Gold. Here the Blue Figs with luscious fuice o'erflows; With deeper Red the full Pomegranate grows: The Branch here bends beneath the weighty Pear, And verdant Olives flourish all the Year. The balmy Spirit of the Western Gale Eternal breaths on Flow'rs untaught to fail ; Each dropping Pear a following Pear ſupplies, On Apples, Apples; Figs on Figs arife. The fame mild Seafon gives the Blooms to blow, The Buds to harden, and the Fruit to grow. Here, order'd Vines in equal Ranks appear With all th'united Labours of the Year. Some to unload the fertile Branches run, Some dry the black ning Clufters in the Sun: Others to tread the liquid Harveft join ; The groaning Preffes foam with Floods of Wine. Here are the Vines in early Flow'rs defcry'd, Here Grapes difcolour'd on the Sunny-fide: Beds of all various Herbs for ever Green, In beauteous Order, terminate the Scene. Two plenteous Fountains the whole Profpelt crown'd? This thro' the Garden leads its Streams the round Vifits each Plant, and waters all the Ground ; While That in Pipes beneath the Palace flows, And thence in Current on the Town beftows, To various Ufe the various Streams they bring, the People one, and one fupplies the King. But 10 Chap. 1. The HISTORY Cyrus. manus. But to follow the Words of Sir Thomas Brown, in his Gardens of Cyrus: "The Perfian Gallants who deftroy'd the Babylonish Monarchy, maintain'd their Bo- "tanical Bravery, and unto them we owe "the very Name of Paradife, wherewith we "meet not in Scripture 'till the very Time "of Solomon, and conceived originally Per- fian: The Word for that diſputed Garden, expreffing in the Hebrew no more than an Inclos'd Field, which, from the fame "Root, is content to derive a Garden and a "Buckler. 66 (C e "Cyrus the Elder, brought up in Woods "and Mountains, when Time and Power en- abled, purfu'd the Dictates of his Edu- cation, and brought the Treaſures of the "Field into Rule and Circumfcription; ſo nobly beautifying the Hanging-Gardens of "Babylon, that he was by fome thought the "Author thereof. CC t Ahafuerus, Abafuerus, (whom many conceive to Artaxerx- cc have been Artaxerxes Longimanus) in the es Longi- (c Country and City of Flowers, and in "an Open Garden, Entertain'd his Prince and People, whilft his Royal Bride Treated the Ladies in the Palace. «Ε $ But if (as others think) King Ahafuerus was Artaxerxes Memnon, that found a Life and Reign equal to his great Memory, our "magnify'd Cyrus was his Second Brother, "who gave the Occafion to that memorable Work, and almoft miraculous Retrait of " Xeno- Chap. 1. of GARD'NING,&c. 11 ແ (C Xenophon, a Perfon of high Spirit and Honour, naturally a King, tho' fatally prevented by the harmleſs Chance of Poſt- geniture not only a Lord of Gardens, but t a manual Planter thereof, difpofing his "Trees, like his Armies, in regular Ordinati- ..