The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1882-01-04

sun out of his ingress, and the houses
defy the fervors of summer. The walls
are very thick, the windows few and mar
row. Every advantage is taken of
current of air when it can be procured
living waters distribute reviving fresh
ness by their moist evaporations and as a
last combination of all that is cool, they
initiate nature in the formation of artif-
cial grottos.
The Grottos of Pratolino
are acknowledged to be splendid speci-
mems of their kind-perhaps the most
worthy of examination in Italy. They
are all of them vaulted, and rest on beau
tiful columns of marble. The walls and
the roofs are ornamented with stalactites,
madrepores, marine plants, corals, shells,
and mother pearl, and all these objects
are mingled with paintings in mosaic.
Statues of marble and bronze cast their
streams into basins of marble or gilded
lead-and these in turn empty into secret
passages beneath the pavement, the wa
ters which finally escape into the open
gardens only to be again applied to a
thousand different purposes 1t is well
to remember, before entering these grot-
toes, that every sort of surprise, and all
sorts of deceit are here prepared to en-
trap the curious. Sometimes the COM
modious seats which invite them to re-
pose themselves, break with their weight
and duck them In an unexpected bath
here, ladder is placed as if leading to
some curious object, but scarcely have
you placed one foot on the step before
catch goes off and unmasks a fountain
which rushes direct in your face-there,
when you least expect it, marine mon
ster or some other strange figure rises,
rolls It's eyes on you, opens its mouth,
and covers you with a flood of water.
This is one place in Europe where it is
superior wisdom to submit meekly to the
lnhiction of guide.
The Grotto of the Dezaege is the first
the stranger arrives at, so called from the
quantity of water which flows in it, not
onl y from the ceiling but from the walls,
and even from the pavement. When you
enter 1t you are completely at the mercy
OF the fountain-players, who can mum
date you without the possibility of your
avoiding 1T, for the fountains bar the pas
sage. and can even reach you on the es
planade-the pavement of which, con-
structed of small round stones of various
colors, and arranged so as to initiate
mosaic work, is pierced by innumerable
holes, through which multitude of little
fountains may spout upon you In a
colder climate this sort of amusement
would prove somewhat inconvenient. 1t
is, however, foreseen-no one is exposed
ut against his will, and it may be avoid
ed by proper precautions.
The Grotto Of the Samaritan is fa-
nous for the curious and numerous me-
chanical inventions of Buontalenti. Sew
eral complicated movements successively
take place. The cave represents ham.
let composed of huts intermingled with
trees. The door of house opens and a
beautiful village girl comes forth carry
ing vase, and approaches one of the
fountains to draw water. Her move
ments are very natural, and her body
possesses a kind of suppleness and grace.
Arriving at the fountain, and having
hlled her vase with water, she places it
again on her head, and turns toward the
cottage; not, however, without frequently
turning round her head to gaze at a
shepherd seated near, who attempts to
prevail on her to stay and listen to his
music. On the other side blacksmith
opens his shop and is seen busily engaged
with two workmen in the labors Of the
forge; miller also carries sacks of grain
to mill, the mechanism of which is most
complete. In the distance is heard the
sound OF horns and the barking of dogs,
and we are entertained with the repre-
sentatlon of a hunt-many wild animals
run across the bottom of the scene pur-
sued by hounds and hunters. In the
foreground, birds, percned in the branch
es, pour forth their song-and swans and
ducks are seen sporting in the waters.
These and other mechanical inventions
are certainly astonishing when we con-
slider the period (l569) when they were
executed.
The Grotto Della Statt9a or of the Bath
is small, but ornamented very carefully
with madrepores and corals, from which |
an exceedingly fine rain escapes, or rather
a tepid mist, which sinks into the bosom
OF the bath. This basin occupies the CEN
tire OF the grotto-it is of red marble, and |
is supplied at will from two satyrs of
bronze. In the construction of these
grottos all the resources of art are ap-
parently exhausted to obviate the attacks
OF heat. Here a new temperature is Gre
ated, comparable indeed with that of the
gardens of Armida, the delusions of