WHETHER we consider its extent, its magnificence, or its comfort, there are few places which can vie with Cobham, in Kent, the seat of the Earl of Darnley; and none which I can mention, where so much has been done, both to the house and grounds, under my direction, for so long a series of years; yet, as the general principles in the improvements originated in the good taste of its noble proprietor, they may be referred to, without incurring the imputation of vanity. It is now twenty-five years since I first visited Cobham, where a large and splendid palace, of the date of Queen Elizabeth, formed the three sides of a quadrangle, the fourth side being open to the west. The centre building had been altered by INIGO JONES, who had added four pilastres, without any attention to the original style, and without extending his improvements to the two long sides of the quadrangle.
