THE GARDENS OF VERSAILLES 253 



On that great Tomb, rising prodigious, still, 

 Matchless, perfect in form, a miracle 

 Of grace, and tenderness, and symmetry, 

 Pearl-pure against the sapphire of the sky ! 



EDWIN ARNOLD. 



THE GARDENS OF VERSAILLES 



ON one side stretches that vast and sumptuous pile, 1 

 seen to its fullest extent, with the various flower 

 gardens, fountains, statues, &c., on the noble terrace 

 by which it is bounded. In the opposite direction 

 the eye embraces a great portion of the beautiful 

 gardens, once esteemed the finest in the world, and 

 which, though not in accordance with the fashion 

 of the present day, display a richness of fancy and 

 a variety of design that cannot fail to excite admira- 

 tion ; raised terraces, stately avenues of clipped 

 trees, noble fountains, fine jets of water, gleaming 

 statues . . . and rows of ancient orange trees, bor- 

 dering smooth gravel walks, and verdant lawns, 

 are seen in every direction a " concentration of 

 elegance, a paradise of dainty devices, where the 

 imagination is spell-bound." 



ROBERT BURPORD. 

 1 The palace of Louis XIV. 



