HISTORICAL EPILOGUE 363 



fountains must 'play' in their Theatres d'Eau, and they kill 

 time in open-air Circuses and Amphitheatres. l Such symmetry ' 

 we echo with Lord Byron, ' is not for solitude.' 



Le Notre found the ground at Versailles prepared by Boyceau, 1 

 and the main features of his design are ; The Fountains of Latona, 

 The Royal Alley, TJu Parterre du Nord (a Parterre of Le Notre's 

 is a whole garden in itself ! ) ; The Parterre du Midi, (which still 

 shows the sole remaining ' broderies ' of Le Notre) : The Bosquets 

 (or Groves) of which not a trace remains, The Pyramid Fountain, 

 TJie Water Alley, and The Water Theatre, now altered into a great 

 circle of turf with the Bassin des Enfants in the centre. 



Let us go a little more into detail, humbly following the 

 guidance of Gautier and M. Gille. 



Here is a view of the Theatre d'Eau as Le Notre designed it. 

 Three alleys opening like a fan are cut in the ' curtain ' of shaped 

 trees, forming long perspectives bordered with yews, like the 

 1 wings ' in a theatre : three rows of fountains rise in tiers, and at 

 the end of the alleys are statues of Jupiter on an eagle, Mars and 

 Plutus ; fountains, too, form the ' foot-lights.' Six water ' scenes ' 

 by Vigarani, in the shape of lances, lilies and other devices are 

 celebrated in heroic verse by C. Denis, Fontainier du Roy, who 

 does honour to these watery fire-works. 2 



The Allee d Eau (vulgarly called the 'Alley of Marmosets') 

 was composed of groups of children and little genii in bronze, 

 carrying vases, from which the water fell into marble basins. 



To the Basin of Neptune were added under Louis XV. the Sea 

 God with trident, Tritons and children, the work of Bouchardon, 

 Lemoyne and Adam ; where once stood the ' Arc de Triomphe ' 

 or ' Chateau d'Eau Triomphale ' is now a grassy waste, almost 

 a virgin forest. The Arc was destroyed when the Park was 

 replanted under Louis XVI. ; and at the same time the Bosquet des 

 Trots Fontaines had the 144 jets of water cut off and was put under 

 lock and key. 



In the statuary of the ' Baths of Apollo,' by Girardon and 



1 Author of ' Traite du Jardinage selon les raisons de la Nature et de 1'Art.' 



2 See also ' L'Art des Fontaines ' by Jean Fra^ois, 1665. 



2 A 



