LETTER FROM BRITTANY. 199 



Peut-etre, sur ce roc assise, 



Elle rev ait a son malheur, 



J'y veux rever aussi: J'y veux remplir mon coeur 



Du doux souvenir d'Heloise !" 



In following the banks of the river many groups of rocks are per- 

 ceptible ; on the face of one of which is inscribed this forcible line, 



" Sa masse indestructible a fatigue le terns." 



The opposite hill appears in perspective ; and the eye follows with 

 pleasure the course of the Sevre, which, after a circuitous route, 

 touches again the town of Clisson, and then flows under the arches of 

 a distant bridge. If ruins be an absolute constituent of beauty in a 

 landscape, they are here to be seen in perfection, for few can compete 

 with those of the castle, which are never wholly lost sight of. Tracing 

 the pathway through the narrow glen, a plain opens to the view, 

 whose distinguishing feature is the Museum, which a Mons. Cacault 

 established. Above this smiling plain is an antique tomb, with the 

 simple and well-known inscription of Poussin 

 " Et in Arcadia ego." 



That great painter is said to have taken many of his scenes from 

 this place, and the landscape in his picture of Diogenes breaking his 

 cup, is an exact view of the castle of Clisson. Another prospect of 

 equal interest succeeds ; the Sevre divides itself into several estuaries 

 which encircle numerous small islands: these estuaries are encum- 

 bered with innumerable rocks with islands clothed with verdure ; and 

 here a column strikes the eye which was originally placed in the 

 castle of Madrid, built by Francis the First. Farther down the river 

 recedes, and forms a bay embellished with shrubs and trees : this 

 place is called Diana's bath j and the deep shade renders it a cherished 

 retreat from the heat of the sun, while the sound of a neighbouring 

 cascade gives an imaginary freshness to the air before its revivifying 

 powers are actually felt. 



A paper mill is another object of interest, with its groups of trees, 

 and its cascade rushing over broken rocks, and whitening them with 

 their foam. To the left, perpendicular masses of granite rise one 

 above the other to a considerable height, and a circular edifice crowns 

 their summit. The rude wildness of these masses forms a contrast 

 to the elegant Grecian structure called " the Temple of Vesta," which 

 commands the view, so magnificent as a whole, yet so simple in its 

 details. A picturesque cottage, constructed of the rough trunks of 

 trees cemented with mud and flints, is the last attraction which I shall 

 notice : a shady and serpentine walk leads to two rocks which are 

 nearly hidden by the thick foliage amidst which they stand, and on 

 one of them is an inscription at once simple, elegant, and analogous 

 to the sentiments which the cottage inspires : 



" Consacrer dans 1'obscurite 



Ses loisirs a 1'etude, a 1'amitie sa vie ; 



Voila les jours dignes d'envie ! 



Etre cheri vaut mieux qu' etre vante I" 



The castle of Clisson, which frowns majestically over the little town 

 at its base, is now a beautiful ruin, bearing ample evidence of its 



