our enchanted, or supernatural scenery; which, they say, is trifling,
absurd, extravagant, abounding in conceits and boyish tricks; that
operating chiefly by surprize, it has little or no effect, after a first
or second inspection, and consequently can afford no pleasure to the
owner: yet our best Artists, who have no excessive reverence for the
decrees of connoisseurs[29], and who think the owner is not the only
person to be entertained, often introduce it; either where the plan is
extensive, and admits of many changes; or, where the ground is barren of
natural varieties: saying, in their vindication, that it serves as an
interlude between more serious expositions; that, at a treat, there
should be meats for every palate; in a shop of general resort, goods for
every fancy; in a Garden, designed for publick inspection, exhibitions
of every kind; that all may find something to their liking, and none go
away disappointed or dissatisfied: and, as at a feast, men eat of what
they best relish, without mumbling the rest of the dishes, but leave
them untainted for others to feed upon, so, in a Garden, if a man be too
wise to laugh, or be pleased with trifles, he may pass them over
unnoticed: amongst the multitude, there are many fancies to gratify;
children, old women, eunuchs, and pleasure-misses, ought to be diverted,
as well as sages, mandarines, or connoisseurs. It is not every one, say
they, that enjoys the force or fierceness of grand compositions; to some
they are even terrifying: weak minds delight in little objects, which
are easiest adapted to their confined comprehensions; as children are
better pleased with a puppet-show, than with more serious or noble
performances.
Thus they reason; and say moreover, that, as the principal parts of this
supernatural Gardening consists in a display of many surprizing
phenomena, and extraordinary effects, produced by air, fire, water,
motion, light, and gravitation, they may be considered at a collection
of philosophical experiments, exhibited in a better manner, upon a
larger scale, and more forcibly than is common: in that light they
think, even men of sense may venture to look at them, without
impeachment of their understanding; to admire what is ingenious, new or
extraordinary; and stare at what they do not comprehend. Whether the
connoisseurs or the artists are most in the wrong, I will not decide;
you, Gentlemen, must determine for yourselves.
Some free expressions, relative to your Gardeners, constitute a heavy
part of the charge exhibited against me: it seems therefore necessary,
in alleviation of this high offence, to declare, that whatever has been
said on that subject, was with an eye to the general character of the
fraternity; and by no means levelled at yon stately gentleman in the
black perriwig, as he has been pleased to maintain. It could not be my
business to mark out individuals, either by excessive praise, which was
perhaps expected, or by more poignant censure: such conduct must have
been fawning in one in instance, invidious in both; for there is no
exalting one ph[oe]nomenon, without proportionably degrading the rest:
as in a draw-well, one bucket can never rise, but when the other sinks.
If a man far outstrips his brothers, he will of course be distinguished;
if only a little, his safest station is in the croud. And really it is
odd that any one should officiously have stepped out of the ranks,
insisting, like master Dogberry in the play, upon his exclusive title;
where nothing partial was even distantly hinted at, no names mentioned,
nor any thing said, that was not full as applicable to the brotherhood
in general, as to the sagacious claimant in particular: but
_Man lup jao kai_
_Tai kup tao bai._
There is reason to believe, from various hints which have been dropped
by Gentlemen here present, that the veracity of Chet-qua's description
is doubted; nay, that the Gardens described, are supposed to have no
existence but in Chet-qua's brain: be it so, my friends; I shall not
seek to refute what you seem so strongly disposed to believe; it is not
at present material: for the end of all that I have said, was rather as
an Artist, to set before you a new style of Gardening; than as a
Traveller, to relate what I have really seen: and, notwithstanding your
strictures, you all seemed satisfied, even entertained with the
description: there is no doubt, but the reality, like all other
realities, would affect you still more strongly than the picture. I have
endeavoured to shew, how that may be obtained: the rest is left to those
it most concerns; the ingenious, the wealthy, and the great; who have
power and inclinations to execute what I attempt to plan: my part is
done, as far as I am able to do it; theirs may begin when they think
fit.
And although they may at first be embarrassed in the execution of a
system so much more complicated and dependant on genius, on skill, and
on nice judgement, than that which has hitherto been pursued; yet there
is no doubt, but practice and perseverance will, by degrees, dispel
every difficulty: it is at least glorious to hazard arduous attempts;
and more honourable even to fail in manly pursuits, than to succeed in
trifling, childish enterprizes. Let the timid or the feeble meanly creep
upon the earth, with uniform, sluggard pace; but the towering spirit
must attempt a nobler flight, and climb the paths that lead to fame: now
gayly sporting on the slippery surface, as doth the gentle, graceful
lizard; now thundering up the precipice, with the tremendous dragon's
stride; now soaring to the top, stately and splendid as the imperial
bird;[30] when, with his glittering crest and twelve irradiant wings, he
comes upon the morning's light, while myriads of the warbling tribes, at
awful distance, crowd the vaulted air, adore their King, and, with loud
songs of frantick joy, shake the firm earth, and all yon starry heaven.
From the whole tenour of this Discourse, and indeed from the substance
of the first Dissertation, it is evident, Gentlemen, that your servant
Chet-qua has no aversion to natural Gardening; but is, on the contrary,
a zealous advocate in its favour, wherever there is room to expand, and
work upon a great scale, or where it can conveniently, and with
propriety be introduced. The style which in England has been adopted,
preferable to others, is not what appears to him reprehensible; but he
laments the little use you have made of your adoption, and apprehends
your partiality is too excessive, while you obstinately refuse the
assistance of almost every extraneous embellishment, and persist in an
indiscriminate application of the same manner, upon all occasions,
however opposite, or ill adapted; and often where no probability of
success appears. Natural Gardening, when treated upon an extensive plan,
when employed with judgement, and conducted with art, is perhaps as
superior to all other sorts of culture, as heroick verse is to every
other species of writing; but there are many occasions, where neither
the one nor the other can, with the least propriety, be employed; where
they would only serve to give a ridicule to the whole composition; and
where different or less elevated modes of expression are, on all
accounts, preferable. Artists of other professions, vary their manners
of applying to the human affections; suiting them to the circumstances
or nature of the subjects before them; and they are oftenest indebted to
these variations for their success; why then should Gardeners always
confine themselves to the same tract, and torture all dispositions to
adapt them to the same method, like that tyrant of old, who stretched or
mutilated every guest, till he fitted a particular bed? Can they hope to
succeed by means, which others have found ineffectual; or is it
reasonable to suppose, that Nature will change her course to please
their fancy? Variety is a powerful agent, without the assistance of
which, little can be effected; it captivates even with trifles; and,
when united to perfection, has charms which nothing can resist: the most
exquisite pictures of nature, receive additional beauties from a
judicious opposition of art; and the confined, uniform, tasteless walk
of imitation, which you have unfortunately fallen into, must have many
helps to make it even tolerable; a thousand enlivening additions, to
animate its native dulness.
Thus I have considered every part of my first Discourse, and offered in
its vindication, what immediately occurs to me: perhaps, with more
leisure, I might have contrived a better Speech, and a stronger Defence;
but the hurry of Face-making[31] is such, that there is scarcely time to
eat rice, or drink brandy,[32] much less to think: I never frequent my
wives but by night; I have only heard one of them scold, and seen the
others by twilight, these six months: judge then, what can be expected
from Chet-qua; the little knowledge he has, or thinks he has, is freely
communicated to his neighbours; he wishes it were more and better; yet
such as it is, he flatters himself it will be kindly received; and that
his neighbours will use what may be useful, without kicking too
violently at the rest.
FINIS.
FOOTNOTES:
[20] _Quang-chew-fu_--Canton. _For she was a virago, and had large
feet_--Both which are accounted great defects in China. _Nine whiskers,
&c._--All beaus wear whiskers in China; and all gentlemen long nails, to
shew that they are idle. _Kyang-ning, or_ Nang-king--Capital of
Kyang-nang. _Shun-tien-fu_--Peking.
[21] _Tan lou ty tchan yue, &c._--The motto which Chet-qua has made
choice of, is part of a poem written by Kien-long, reigning emperor of
China, in praise of drinking tea: and published, by his imperial edict,
bearing date the twelfth day, of the ninth moon, of the thirteenth year
of his reign; in thirty-two different types, or characters; under the
inspection of Yun-lou, and Houng-yen, princes, by the title of
Tsin-ouang; Fouheng, grandee, by the title of Taypao; Count, by the
title of Valiant; and first president of almost all the great tribunals
of the empire: whose deputies were Akdoun and Tsing-pou, grandees, by
the title of Tay-tsee Chaopao; and these were again assisted by Isan,
Fouki, Elguingue, Tetchi, Mingte, Tsoungmin, Tchangyu, Tounmin, and
about a dozen other mandarines of rank and reputation; so that there is
no doubt but the work is perfectly correct. Here follows the exact copy
of it, with an English translation, for the entertainment and
instruction of the curious in poetry. There is a French translation of
the same work, by Father Amiot, published at Paris, in 1770, from which
the present Publication is in a great measure taken; the Editor having
found it easier to translate from the French copy, than from the Chinese
original.
Mei-hoa che pou yao
Fo-cheou hiang tsie kie,
Soung-che ouei fang ny;
San pin tchou tsing kue;
Pong y tche kio tang,
Ou tche tcheng koang hiue
Houo heou pien yu hie,
Ting yen y cheng mie.
Yue ngueou po sien jou,
Tan lou ty tchan yue,
Ou yun king tai pan
Ko ou, pou ko choue.
Fou fou teou lo ty
Ho ho yun kiang tche
Ou-tsuen y ko tsan
Lin-fou chang che pie.
Lan ku Tchao-tcheou ngan
Po siao Yu-tchouan kiu
Han siao ting sing leou
Kou yue kan hiuen tsue,
Joan pao tchen ki yu
Tsiao king sing ou kie,
Kien-long ping-yn
Siao, tchun yu ty.
TRANSLATION
The colours of the Mei hoa are never brilliant, yet is the flower always
pleasing: in fragrance or neatness the fo-cheou has no equal: the fruit
of the pine is aromatick, its odour inviting. In gratifying at once the
sight, the smell and the taste, nothing exceeds these three things: and
if, at the same time, you put, upon a gentle fire, an old pot, with
three legs, grown black and battered with length of service, after
having first filled it with the limpid water of melted snow; and if,
when the water is heated to a degree that will boil a fish, or redden a
lobster, you pour it directly into a cup made of the earth of yue, upon
the tender leaves of superfine tea; and if you let it rest there, till
the vapours which rises at first in great abundance, forming thick
clouds, dissipate by degrees, and at last appear merely as a slight mist
upon the surface; and if then you gently sip this delicious beverage, it
is labouring effectually to remove the five causes of discontent which
usually disturb our quiet: you may feel, you may taste, but it is
impossible to describe the sweet tranquillity which a liquor, thus
prepared, procures.
Retired, for some space of time, from the tumults of business, I sit
alone in my tent, at liberty to enjoy myself unmolested: in one hand
holding a fo-cheou, which I bring nearer to my nose, or put it farther
off, at pleasure; in the other hand holding my dish of tea, upon which
some pretty curling vapours still appear: I taste, by intervals the
liquor; by intervals, I consider the mei-hoa--I give a fillip to my
imagination, and my thoughts are naturally turned towards the sages of
antiquity.--I figure to myself the famous Ou-tsuen, whose only
nourishment was the fruit of the pine; he enjoyed himself in quiet,
amidst this rigid frugality! I envy, and wish to imitate him.--I put a
few of the kernels into my mouth; I find them delicious.
Sometimes, methinks, I see the virtuous Lin-fou, bending into form, with
his own hands, the branches of the mei-hoa-chou. It was thus, say I to
myself, that he relieved his mind, after the fatigues of profound
meditation, on the most interesting subjects. Then I take a look at my
shrub, and it seems as if I were assisting Lin-fou, in bending its
branches into a new form.--I skip from Lin-fou to Tchao-tcheon, or to
Yu-tchouan; and see the first in the middle of a vast many tea-cups,
filled with all kinds of tea, of which he sometimes tastes one,
sometimes another; thus varying incessantly his potation: while the
second drinks, with the profoundest indifference, the best tea, and
scarcely distinguishes it from the vilest stuff.--My taste is not
their's; why should I attempt to imitate them?----
But I hear the sound of the evening bell; the freshness of the night is
augmented; already the rays of the moon strike through the windows of my
tent, and with their lustre brighten the few moveables with which it is
adorned. I find myself neither uneasy nor fatigued; my stomach is empty,
and I may, without fear, go to rest.----It is thus that, with my poor
abilities, I have made these verses, in the little spring of the tenth
moon of the year Ping-yn, of my reign Kien-long.
[22] _Fo-hii_, _Shing-tong_, or _Whoang-tii_--Some of the first emperors
of China; who invented the eight qua's, together with the kay-tse, and
created colsus.
[23] _An eminence in the center_--Meaning Windsor, probably.
[24] _Tse-hiu and Chang-lin_--Two celebrated parks, which belonged to
the emperors of the Ty.
[25] _Yven-ming-yven, and Tchang-tchun-yven_--Are Gardens near Pe-king,
belonging to the present Emperors of China.
[26] _Joss_--A corruption of Dios, God.
[27] _Miao kao, etc._--Muttering expressions from Hoang-fou-tse, or
Confucius.
[28] _For though pure wine, etc._--It is remarkable, that our Orator
draws most of his similes and allusions either from the kitchen or the
cellar; whether this particularity proceeded from any skill of his in
the culenary art, from his affection for good living, or from any other
hidden motive; or whether it was merely accidental, the Editor never
could learn with any degree of certainty.
[29] In China they have an innumerable multitude of connoisseurs and
criticks; who, with a very superficial knowledge, a few general maxims,
and some hard words, boldly decide on subjects they do not understand:
hence the whole fraternity is fallen into disrepute. They have, indeed,
like us, some real connoisseurs amongst them; but these are very rare in
China.
[30] _The imperial bird_, or foung hoang, is a fabulous being, of the
nature of the ph[oe]nix, by the Chinese poets, accounted the emperor of
birds, as the dragon is of all the scaly tribe: he is said never to
appear, but in great pomp, attended by a numerous train of all the most
brilliant and extraordinary of the volatile race.
[31] _Hurry of face-making_--The Chinese call portrait painting, or
modelling portraits in coloured clay, which was Chet-qua's particular
profession, face-making.
[32] _Eat rice or drink brandy_--The Chinese call dining, eating rice;
and their common liquors, at meals, are spirits, of various sorts.
....
Transcriber's note: In this etext the ^ indicates superscript.
....