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tions would soon be restored to a more natural con- 

 dition. 



The time shall come that sees the golden ear 

 Embrown the waste or nod on the parterre ; 

 Dark forests cover what your pride has planned, 

 And laughing Ceres re-assert the land. 



The most beautiful work which was produced 

 under the influence of this formal style, was undoubt- 

 edly Versailles, the residence of the remarkable 

 sovereign who gave his name to the age when it pre- 

 vailed. The palace at Versailles was constructed by 

 Lewis XIV. when at the height of his power, without 

 regard to expense ; and the gardens, though arranged 

 in accordance with the taste of the day, correspond 

 with the magnificence of the master. The principal 

 ornaments were the artificial fountains. The water for 

 the supply of them was brought several miles in an 

 aqueduct from the Seine, where it was raised by a 

 cumbrous piece of machinery, which, at the time 

 when it was erected, was celebrated as a wonder of 

 art, under the name of the Machine of Marly. A 

 steam-engine has recently been substituted for it. 

 The fountains are annually played on the festival day 

 of St. Lewis, Avhich is the 24th of August, and the 

 whole population of Paris goes out to witness the 

 spectacle, which is certainly very magnificent. 



During the latter part of the life of Lewis XIV. 

 Versailles was his favorite abode, and its groves and 

 walks were thronged by the nobles and beauties of 

 the most brilliant court ever known in Europe. It 

 continued to be the residence of the royal family 

 until the memorable days of the 5th and 6th of Oc- 



