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from it. The firft room of this floor has within it a closet of original pictures, which yet are not fo entertaining as the delightful profpect from the windows. Out of the fecond room a pair of great doors give entrance into the Salon, which is thirty five foot high, thirty fix broad, and forty five long, In the midst of its roof a round picture of GENTILESCHI eighteen foot in diameter, represents the Mufes playing in confort to APOLLO, lying along on a cloud to hear them. The rest of the room is adorned with paintings relating to Arts and Sciences; and underneath divers original pictures hang all in good lights, by the help of an upper row of windows, which drown the glaring.

MUCH of this feems appertaining to parade, and therefore I am glad to leave it to describe the reft, which is all for conveniency. As firft, a covered-paffage from the kitchen without-doors; and another down to the cellars and all the offices within. Near this, a large and lightfome back-stairs leads up to fuch an entry above, as fecures our private bed-chambers both from noise and cold. Here we have neceffary dreffingrooms, fervants rooms, and clofets, from which are the pleasanteft views of all the

house,

houfe, with a little door for communication betwixt this private apartment and the great

one.

THESE ftairs, and those of the fame kind at the other end of the house, carry us up to the highest ftory, fitted for the women and children, with the floors fo contrived as to prevent all noife over my wife's head, during the myfteries of LUCINA.

IN mentioning the court at firft, I forgot the two wings in it, built on stone arches, which join the houfe by Corridores fupported on Ionic pillars. In one of these wings is a large kitchen thirty foot high, with an open cupolo on the top; near it a larder, brew-houfe, and landry, with rooms over them for fervants: the upper fort of fervants are lodged in the other wing, which has alfo two wardrobes and a store-room for fruit : On the top of all, a leaden cistern holding fifty tuns of water, driven up by an engine from the Thames, fupplies all the water-works in the courts and gardens, which lie quite round the house; through one of which a grass walk conducts to the stables, built round a court, with fix coach-houses and forty Stalls.

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I'LL add but one thing, before I carry you into the garden, and that is about walking too, but 'tis on the top of all the house i which being covered with smooth mill'd Lead, and defended by a parapet of ballusters from all apprehenfion as well as danger, entertains the eye with a far distant prospect of hills and dales, and a near one of parks and gardens. To thefe gardens we go down from the house by seven steps, into a gravel-walk that reaches cross the whole gar den: with a covered arbour at each end of it. Another of thirty foot broad leads from the front of the houfe, and lies between two groves of tall Lime-trees planted in several equal ranks upon a carpet of grass: the outfides of thefe groves are bordered with tubs of Bays and Orange-Trees.

AT the end of this broad walk, you go up to a Terrace four hundred paces long, with a large Semicircle in the middle, from whence is beheld the Queen's two parks, and a great part of Surrey; then going down a few steps, you walk on the bank of a canal fix hundred yards long, and feventeen broad, with two rows of Limes on each fide of it.

ON one fide of this Terrace, a Wall covered with Roses and Jaffemines is made low,

to

to admit the view of a meadow full of cattle juft under it, [no difagrecable object in the midst of a great City] and at each end a descent into parterres, with fountains and water-works.

FROM the biggest of these parterres we pass into a little fquare garden, that has a fountain in the middle, and two green houses on the fides, with a convenient bathing apartment in one of them; and near another part of it lies a flower-garden. Below all this, a kitchen-garden full of the best forts of fruit, has several walks in it fit for the coldest weather.

THUS I have done with a tedious description: Only one thing I forgot, though of more fatisfaction to me than all the rest, which I fancy you guess already; and 'tis a little closet of Books, at the end of that green-house which joins the beft apartment; which, befides their being fo very near, are ranked in fuch a method, that by its mark a very Irish footman may fetch any book I

want.

UNDER the windows of this closet and green-house, is a little wilderness full of black-birds and nightingales. The Trees, though planted by my self, require lopping already

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already, to prevent their hind'ring the view of that fine canal in the Park.

AFTER all this, to a friend I'll expofe my weakness, as an inftance of the mind's unquietnefs under the most pleasing enjoyments. I am oftner miffing a pretty gallery in the old houfe I pulled down, than pleased with a Salon which I built in its ftead, tho' a thousand times better in all manner of refpects.

AND now [pour fair bonne bouche with a grave reflection] it were well for us, if this incapacity of being intirely contented was as fure a proof of our being reserved for happinefs in another world, as it is of our frailty and imperfection in this. I confefs the Divines tell us fo; but though I believe a future ftate more firmly than a great many of them appear to do, by their inordinate defires of the good things in this; yet I own my faith is founded, not on thofe fallacious arguments of preachers, but on that adorable conjunction of unbounded power and goodness, which certainly must fome way recompenfe hereafter, fo many thousands of innocent wretches created to be so miserable here.

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