A description of the King's royal palace and gardens at Loo together with A short account of Holland in which there are some observations relating to their diseases / by Walter Harris ...

CHAP. IV

Of the King's Garden, and another Westward of it, called the Labyrinth.

ON the West-side of the Palace, under His Maje∣sty's Apartments, there is a Garden called the King's Garden; which consists of two Divisions. The one has three Parterres, and a Fountain near the mid∣dle of them. The other is a large Bowling-green. The three Parterres do consist of Beds of Flowers, bordered with Box in divers figures, with Pyramids of Juniper, or Box, in many parts of them. The Fountain is bor∣dered with white Marble, thirteen Inches broad: In the middle of this Fountain there is a gilded Triton, holding under his left Arm a gilded Dolphin, out of whose Mouth springs a Jette, that throws up the wa∣ter about six foot high. On the border of this Foun∣tain there are placed at convenient distances eight gilded Sea-Dragons, every one spirting the water up∣on the Triton in the middle.

The Bowling-green lies on the South-side of this Garden, and has the King's Stables adjoining on two sides of it.

At the West-end of the Gravel-walk, that is be∣tween the King's Garden and the Bowling-green, we do pass through a Gate of Iron Rails, partly gilded, and partly painted Blew, into another Garden, called the Labyrinth, or Wilderness.

When we have here cross'd a Gravel-walk, a Hedge, and a Green-walk, we come to an ascent of three Stone-steps, on both sides of which there is a Stone Fa∣brick with Ballisters in the middle, and four wrought Flowerpots covered, one on each side of the Ballisters. From the Stone-work on each side of the Steps, the water falls from three Marble Heads into a common Basin bordered and walled with Stone; in each of these Basins there are two Spouts which do throw up the water six foot high.

Advancing Westward from the said Steps about thin∣ty six Paces, we come to a Fountain, in the middle of which there are four Sea-Cupids in Stone, sitting on four Dolphins. Between the Cupids there rises a Spout out a Serpent's Head, that throws up the water about five foot, and out of every nostril of the four Dolphins there do run other little Spouts. The Border of the Basin of this Fountain is a raised Stone-work; and it is pa∣ved with white Pebbles, but towards the Angles (the Basin being octangular) there are Figures of large Flowerdeluces in a dark Pebble.

At this Fountain there are eight several Walks to be Teen, between Hedges of an equal heighth, all the Hedges being between seven and eight foot high. Of these eight Walks four are Green, and the four others are of Earch without Turf, and ungravelled. The Green Walks are placed between the others. At the end of all these Walks there are to be seen Statues, or Paintings, and Westward from the Fountain, besides a large piece of Painting, there is a Fountain with two Spouts, and a fall of water out of a Head placed below the Painting.

North and South from this Foutain, at forty Paces distance, we come unto other Fountains. In the mid∣dle

of that Northwards, there are two little Boys of Stone, with an Otter between them, out of whose mouth there rises a Jette, six foot high. It is border∣ed with rough Rockwork of divers colours, with some large Concha, or Shells intermixed: The bottom of the Basin is paved with white and brown Pebbles in different Figures.

At the same distance from the Fountain of the Sea-Cupids Southward, there is another Fountain, in the middle of which there is a naked Boy in Stone, hold∣ing a scollopt Shell in his hand, through which there rises another Jette like to the last now mentioned; and below this Boy there is a Satyr in Stone. The Basin of this is bordered, like the other, with rough Stones and Shells, and the Paving is with Pebbles, after the Mosaick manner.

Beyond these three Fountains, North and South, the Walk is continued to some distance; and from all those Fountains there are other Walks also to the East and West.

And besides these Walks now mentioned, there are other Walks and Turnings between the Hedges, into which when we have gone a little way, we are obli∣ged to return into some of the former Walks by the way we entered. Lastly, The Ground that is between these Hedges, Walks, and Turnings, is all planted with Fruit-trees of divers kinds.