56 Sbc <3arfcen 



these stands a grove of laurels which blend 

 their shade with that of the planes. This 

 straight boundary to the hippodrome alters its 

 shape at the farther end, bending into a semi- 

 circle, which is planted round, shut in with 

 cypresses, and casts a deeper and gloomier 

 shade, while the inner circular walks (for there 

 are several), enjoying an open exposure, are 

 filled with plenty of roses, and correct, by a 

 very pleasant contrast, the coolness of the 

 stiade with the warmth of the sun. Having 

 passed through these several winding alleys, 

 you enter a straight walk, which breaks out 

 into a variety of others, partitioned off by box- 

 row hedges. In one place you have a little 

 meadow, in another the box is cut in a, thousand 

 different forms, sometimes into letters, express- 

 ing the master's name, sometimes the artificer's, 

 whilst here and there rise little obelisks with 

 fruit-trees alternately intermixed, and then on 

 a sudden, in the midst of this elegant regu- 

 larity, you are surprised with an imitation of 

 the negligent beauties of rural nature. In the 

 centre of this lies a spot adorned with a 

 knot of dwarf plane-trees. Beyond these 

 stands an acacia, smooth and bending in places, 

 then again various other shapes and names. 

 At the upper end is an alcove of white marble, 

 shaded with vines and supported by four small 



