272 ENGLISH PLEASURE GARDENS 



hut where, in surroundings as " sauvage " as himself, 

 Rousseau had been accustomed to compose his writings, 

 were features much admired. 



Other aspects of Ermenonville were described by the 

 English traveller Arthur Young. " Reach Ermenonville, 

 through another part of the Prince of Conde's forest, 

 which joins the ornamented, grounds of the Marquis 

 Girardon. This place, after the residence and death of 

 the persecuted, but immortal, Rousseau, whose tomb 

 every one knows is here, became so famous as to be 

 resorted to very generally. It has been described, and 

 plates published of the chief views ; to enter into a par- 

 ticular description would therefore be tiresome. I shall 

 only make one or two observations, which I do not 

 recollect having been touched on by others. It consists 

 of three distinct water scenes; or of two lakes and a 

 river. We were first shown that which is so famous for 

 the small Isle of Poplars, in which reposes all that was 

 mortal of that extraordinary and inimitable writer. This 

 scene is as well imagined and as well executed as could 

 be wished. The water is between forty and fifty acres ; 

 hills rise from it on both sides, and it is sufficiently 

 closed in by tall wood at both ends to render it seques- 

 tered. The remains of departed genius stamp a melan- 

 choly idea, from which decoration would depart too 

 much, and accordingly there is little. We viewed the 

 scene in a still evening. The declining sun threw a 



