General principles, or general designs, which may be applicable to all situations, would be alike impossible. The painter copies, in their respective places, the eyes, the nose, and mouth, of the individual, but, without adding character, his picture will not be interesting. The landscape gardener finds ground, wood, and water, but with little more power than the painter, of changing their relative position; he adds character, by the point of view in which he displays them, or by the ornaments of art with which they are embellished. To describe by words the various characters and situations of all the places in which I have been consulted, would be tedious, and to give views of each would alter the design of this work: I shall, therefore, dedicate this chapter to a miscellaneous assemblage of extracts from different Red Books, without aiming at connexion or arrangement. These may furnish examples of variety in the treatment of various subjects; while the reasons on which their treatment is founded will, I hope, be deemed so far conclusive, that some general principles may be drawn from them, tending to prove that there are rules for good taste.
