SIR WILLIAM TEMPLE 121 



of the House, where the best Rooms and of most Use or Pleasure 

 are, Hes upon the Breadth of the Garden, the Great Parlour opens 

 into the Middle of a Terras Gravel- Walk that lies even with it, 

 and which may be, as I remember, about three hundred Paces 

 long, and broad in Proportion, the Border set with Standard 

 Laurels, and at large Distances, which have the Beauty of 

 Orange-Trees, out of Flower and Fruit : From this Walk are 

 Three Descents by many Stone Steps, in the Middle and at 

 each End, into a very large Parterre. This is divided into 

 Quarters by Gravel-Walks, and adorned with Two Fountains 

 and Eight Statues in the several Quarters ; at the End of the 

 Terras-Walk are Two Summer-Houses, and the Sides of the 

 Parterre are ranged with two large Cloisters, open to the Garden, 

 upon Arches of Stone, and ending with two other Summer-Houses 

 even with the Cloisters, which are paved with Stone, and 

 designed for Walks of Shade, there being none other in the 

 whole Parterre. Over these two Cloisters are two Terrasses 

 covered with Lead, and fenced with Balusters ; and the Passage 

 into these Airy Walks, is out of the two Summer-Houses, at 

 the End of the first Terras-Walk. The Cloister facing the South 

 is covered with Vines, and would have been proper for an Orange- 

 House, and the other for Myrtles, or other more common Greens ; 

 and had, I doubt not, been cast for that Purpose, if this Piece 

 of Gardening had been then in as much Vogue as it is now. 



From the Middle of this Parterre is a Descent by many Steps 

 flying on each side of a Grotto, that lies between them (covered 

 with Lead, and flat) into the lower Garden, which is all Fruit- 

 Trees ranged about the several Quarters of a Wilderness which 

 is very Shady ; the Walks here are all Green, the Grotto em- 

 bellish'd with Figures of Shell-Rock-work, Fountains and Water- 

 works. If the Hill had not ended with the lower Garden, and 

 the Wall were not bounded by a common Way that goes through 

 the Park, they might have added a Third Quarter of all Greens ; 

 but this Want is supplied by a Garden on the other Side of the 

 House, which is all of that Sort, very Wild, Shady, and adorned 

 with rough Rock-work and Fountains. — Upon the Gardens of 

 Epicurus^ or of Gardenmg. 



