BUST OF APOLLO. Lucido Dio, Per cui l'April fiorisce. THE BOWER METASTASIO. is a square Building, twelve feet by ten, the Ceiling is coved, and the whole painted green; the Front is covered with a Treillage of the same colour, against which are planted Roses, Woodbines, Jessamines, and several kinds of Creepers, and appears like three Arches cut through the Shrubbery; within is a Cast of Cupid and Psyche from the Antique, and on a Tablet above the ́centre Arch are inscribed the following Verses. Fair Quiet, have I found thee here, Your sacred Plants, at length I know, Will only in Retirement grow. Society is all but rude, To this delicious Solitude, Where all the Flowers and Trees do close To weave the Garland of Repose. BUST OF PRIOR. AND. MARVELL. See, Friend, in some few fleeting Hours, Both fade at Evening, pale and gone. THE URN, placed on an altar, encircled with Cypresses, stands within a Recess in the Shrubbery that surrounds the Garden. The bank that rises behind is planted with flowers, and a Weeping Willow, large Weymouth Pines, and other Evergreens, form the back Ground. Sacred To the Memory of FRANCES POOLE, Here shall our ling'ring Footsteps oft be found, To those who knew, and therefore lov'd her most. Check not the Tear, nor stop the useful Sigh; And some faint Image of her worth restore, The CONSERVATORY, 50 feet by 15, is planted with Bergamot, Cedrati, Limoncelli, and Orange-Trees, of various kinds and sizes. In summer, the Front, Sides, and Roof of the Building are entirely removed, and the Trees appear to stand in the natural ground; the back Wall is covered with a Treillage, against which are planted Lemon, Citron, and Pomegranate Trees, intermixed with all the different sorts of Jessamines. THE STATUE OF HEBE terminates the principal Glade, and fronts the Temple of Flora. On the Pedestal are the following Verses. Hebe, from thy cup divine, Shed, O shed, nectareous Dews; And check the green Blood's ebbing tide, THE CHURCH is a beautiful building of the Ionic order, in the style of an antique Temple: it was erected in the year 1764, at the sole expence of Simon Earl Harcourt, who gave the original Design, which afterwards received a sinall alteration from Mr. Stuart. The principal Portico, which consists of six Columns, has no communication with the Church, but serves for a seat in the Garden; the public Entrance is on the opposite side, and that to the Family-Closet through the semicircular Portico, at the west end. The inside has been furnished and decorated by the late Earl. The Altar-piece, which represents the Parable of the good Samaritan, was designed and painted by Mr. Mason. The Piece of Tapestry at the west end (which is framed like a Picture) represents the Chiefs of the twelve Tribes of Israel at the Passover. THE END. |