224 A HISTORY OF GARDENING IN ENGLAND 



letter written by Lord Percival to his brother-in-law, Daniel 

 Dering. 1 It is dated from Oxford, August 9th, 1724 : 



" Friday morning left Becconsfield ; we went half a mile out 

 of our way to see Hall Barn, 2 Mr. Waller's house — a London Box 

 if I may so call a house of 7 windows every way. He was gone a 

 hunting, so we, did not go into the house, which promised nothing 

 extraordinary, but we spent a full hour and half in viewing the 

 gardens, which you will think are fine, when I tell you they 

 put us in mind of those at Versailles. He has 80 acres in garden 

 and wood, but the last is so managed as justly to be counted 

 part of the former. From the parterre you have terraces and 

 gravelled walks that lead up to and quite thro' the wood, in 

 which several lesser ones cross the principal one, of different 

 breadths, but all well gravelled and for the most part green 

 sodded on the sides. The wood consists of tall beech trees and 

 thick underwood, at least 30 foot high. The narrow winding 

 walks and paths cut in it are innumerable ; a woman in full 

 health cannot walk them all, for which reason my wife was 

 carry'd in a Windsor chair like those at Versailles, by which 

 means she lost nothing worth seeing. The walks are terminated 

 by Ha-hah's, over which you see a fine country and variety of 

 prospects every time you come to the extremity of the close 

 winding walks that shut out the sun. Versailles has indeed the 

 advantage in fountains, for there is not one in all this garden ; 

 but there are two very noble pieces of water full of fish, and 

 handsomely planted and terraced on the sides. In one part of 

 the wood, and in a deep bottom, is a place to which one descends 

 with horrour, for it seems the residence of some draggon ; but 

 there shines a gleam of light thro' the high wood that surrounds 

 and shades it, which recovers the spirits, and makes you sensible 

 a draggon would seek some place still more retired. This place 

 may be call'd the Temple of Pan or Silvanus, consisting of 

 several apartments, arches, corridores, &c, composed of high 

 thriving ews cut very artfully. In the centre of the inner circle 

 or court, if I may call it so, stands the figure of a guilt satyr on 

 a stone pedestal. ... I pass over the bowling-green, and large 

 plantations about the house, which are but young, but I must 



1 MS. belonging to Lord Egmont. 



2 Now the property of Lord Burnham. 



