CASTLE OLIVER. 153 



path leads to an hermitage, a cave of rock, in 

 a good tafte, and to fome benches, from which 

 the views of the water and wood are in the fe- 

 queftered ftile they ought to be. One of thefe 

 little views, which catches feveral falls under 

 the arch of the bridge, is one of the prettieft 

 touches of the kind I have feen. The vale be- 

 neath the houfe, when viewed from the higher 

 grounds, is pleafing; it is very well wooded, 

 there being many inclofures, furrounded by 

 pine trees, and a thick fine mafs of wood rifes 

 from them up the mountain fide, makes a very 

 good figure, and would be better, had not Mr. 

 Oliver's father cut it into viftos for (hooting. 

 Upon the whole, the place is highly improved, 

 and when the mountains are planted, in which 

 Mr. Oliver is making a considerable progrefs, 

 it will be magnificent, 



In the houfe are feveral fine pictures, partU 

 cularly five pieces by Seb. Ricci, Venus and 

 ./Eneas ; Apollo and Pan, Venus and Achilles $ 

 and Pyrrhus. and Andromache, by Lazzerini; 

 and the rape of the Lapithi, by the centaurs i 

 the laft is by much the fineft, and is a very ca- 

 pital piece j the expreflion is ftrong, the figures 

 are in bold relief, and the colouring good. 

 Venus and Achilles is a pleafing picture j the 

 continence of Scipio is well grouped, but Sci- 

 pio, as in evc A y picture I ever faw of him, has 

 no expreflion. Indeed, chaftity is in the coun- 

 tenance fo pa/jive a virtue as not to be at all 

 fuited to the genius of painting; the idea is 

 rather {hat of infipidity, and accordingly Sci- 



pio's 



