206 ENGLISH PLEASURE GARDENS 



read aloud the " Amours de Psyche " to Boileau, 

 Racine, and Moliere. This was supplanted by the 

 Fountain of Fame, by the Baths of Apollo, and finally 

 by nearly the present arrangement. The central foun- 

 tain, enclosed by double rows of balustrades, remains the 

 same, but formerly in the middle stood a gilded lead 

 figure of Fame. On each sid$ of the fountains were 

 placed marble pavilions designed by Mansart, which, 

 with eight statues placed in niches of trelliswork, have 

 disappeared, but the other features have been recently 

 restored. As a whole in fact the " Bosquet " has per- 

 haps never been as perfect as now. The engraving 

 by Israel Silvestre gives a good idea of its appearance 

 in 1612. 



The The other "bosquets" were equally if not more 



Labyrinth. e i a ^ oratei j n fae Labyrinth " were lead animals 

 coloured to make them as lifelike as possible, and 

 considered to be among the greatest marvels. The 

 " Marais " was a very conventional swamp designed 

 TheMarais. by Mme. de Montespan and ornamented by a formal 

 island, bearing a bronze tree which spouted water from 

 each of its iron leaves. On two opposite sides were 

 the celebrated " buffets," gigantic sideboards of white 

 and red marble. From the shelves water spouted in 

 the shape of glasses, carafes, and vases, which looked 

 as though they were made of rock crystal. In the 

 " Theatre d'Eau " was a stage framed and ornamented 



