1. The architect (landscape architect, garden designer,
historian, etc.) should be equipped with knowledge of many
branches of study and varied kinds of learning, for it is by his
judgement that all work done by the other arts is put to test.
2. Neither natural ability without instruction nor instruction
without natural ability can make the perfect artist. Let him (or
her, ahem) be educated, skillful with the pencil, instructed in
geometry, know much history (emphasis mine), have followed the
philosophers with attention, understand music, have some
knowledge of medicine, know the opinions of the jurists, and be
acquainted with astronomy and the theory of the heavens. This
struck a chord with me because the more I study Garden History,
the more obvious it becomes that I need to be a student of all
history: art, architecture, social, cultural, military - you
name it - for all of these things inform garden design in any
given era. This is also why, some years ago, I sat beside myself
in a class on garden history