The mountain Democrat., 1865-02-18

tue oTancnes OF the smlIax or the pome.
granate tree. Then you descended, per.
haps, into hollow where, from fountain
such as Grecian taste alone could produce.
water Splashed, and fell into marble chan.
nels, shaded here and there by plants
which love the wave, such as the narcis.
sus and the hyacinth, or by odoriferous
shrubs overarching the tiny stream
Here, throughout the day, mi ght be heard
the hum Of bees plunging into the chalice
of the pale veronica or the white lily, or
buzzing about the flower of the trinity.
or the golden motherwort; while, over.
head, from the boughs Of the platane or
the cedar, the woOd-lark or the thrush
sung in rivalry. As evening came on,
the hush of other sounds ushered in the
song Of the nightingale, which one of the
greatest Of the tragic poets often sat up
all night to hear, and whose music still
gushes, rich and melodious, through bis
verses.
When the garden stood in the city, or
its environs, the objects Of interest of
which it commanded views were at once
most striking and numerous. From one
side you caught glimpse of the Acrop-
oils with its Olympian population in
white marble. over which lowered the CO.
losSal figure of the warlike Athena, whose
gilded helmet and shield were visible from
aiar, whether you approached from the
southern silver mines, or descended thro'
lovely valleys from the elevated chain of
Cith@ron. If you looked seawards, you
beheld at the distance of few miles the
port Of Athens, juined to the city by long
and towering walls, on which several
chariots could drive abreast. In that port
were ships from all parts of the world
then known, which laid at the feet of the
democracy the riches of the East and
West, and carried home in return those
costly fabrics and works Of art in bronze,
gold, ivory, and marble, which the genius
Of Attica poured forth with so profuSe a
hand that fragments Of them are still
found adorning and stimulating the crea-
tive powers of all states possessing the
slightest claims to civilization. A little
further rose the island OF Salanis, render
ed famous by the destruction of the Per.
sian fleet and host and not many miles
out at sea, the eye rests on the rock of
-EEina, crowned by the temple OF Jupiter,
around which clustered a dense popula.
ton, owing its existence entirely to com
merce. To the right, stretched away in
south westerly direction the elevated
ridges Of the Pclogenussus, amid whose
folds nestled the ancient states of Argos
Mycene, where money was first coined,
and where half the fables Of the my ytholo-
~ took their rise. On the left, the eye
followed the sinuouS shore to the lofty
promontory Of Sunium, now Cape Colon.
ma, from the rocky brow OF which the
fame of the virgin goddess looked dowr
upon the waves.
A succession of such gardens as vi
have partly described bOrdrred the roat
all the way to ElcusiS, and were backet
by olive groves, whose thin and pal,
green foliage ruStled almost constantly L
the touch of the south or west wind. A
the entrance Of this road, you passed the
plane-trce beneath whose dense shade the
greatest of philosophers rrclined side by
side with the youthful Pheprus, while
reading one Of the finest efusnnS of Lys
las, which led to the superb dialogue, in
grandeur far outstripping all that that re
now ned orator ever produced or imag
Ined.
Further in the country were gardens o.
a more rustic kind, inclosed for q particu
lar purpose, with high strong walls, anC
devoted altogether to the cultivation O
flowers. Along such of those walls as
accd the south ran three rows Of hives
from which at early morning the bee,
poured forth, sometimes in clusters, some
times in columns; the weaker or more
udoenl resting on the blossoms imme
ilately beneath them. while the stronger
and more cnterprising rose high in the
air, and spread themselves far and wide
% er the blooming thicketS and rich clover
meadows of the CephIsSus. Gardens
however, were hardly judged complet,
without Sprinkling of vines, either trail
ed along the walls, or overarching the en-
frances. where their golden or purpl,
clusters lay in Bacchanal profusion, court
ing the embraces Of the sun. Some o
the flower planters Of lIellas, where every
thing was carried to extremes, ran almos
mad on the subject of bees, to enjoy
whose company several individuals devo
ted themselves to a life of solitude in wilc
and remote places, which their industry
clothed with roses and violets. Here
through hives of spccnlG stone, they stu
died the movements and government o
the political insects, who, under femal,
monarch, enjoy all the advantages Of 1
commonwealth. One Of these men, wht
passed filty-eight years of his life after
this fashion, carefully chronicled his OBJ
Servations, which u,ay have assisted Aris
totle in the composition of his natura
history. TO such persons, inpart at least
were owing those remarks on weather 6nc
the winds, which, collected, and condens
ed into body, constituted the rural phi
losophy Of Greece. Seated in tragran
bowers, they watched the coming on o.
dawn, the heliacal rising or setting of Ger
tain stars, the phenomena of meteors, thu
generation and office Of dews, the habits
and migratlons of birds, with whatever
else concerned their interests or Occupa
tons. Even the highest intellects shared
with the humbleSt this rapt contemplation
of external nature; though Socrates, whos'
pleasantrieS were sometimes miSunder
stood, suggested different idea Of himSel
by saying he could learn nothing from
stones and trees. In truth, however, h,
had learned much, ard was familiar will
the topography of his country long befor'
be battle Of Delium. At any rate, NJ
people, except the English, have ever beef
fonder than the Athenians of rural life
There they often passed the happiest por
ton Of their lives, in those tasteful anC
elegant mansions, surrounded by beauti
ful gardens, which, when their countr,
. had the calamity to be invaded, Away
: first provoked the enemy's devastating
hand.
AS people, the Greeks may truly b
said to have idolized the country, whenc