But it were endless to give an account of
all the divers wonderful and strange things that country affords,
and which we took a very great delight to go in search of; though
those adventures are oftentimes fatal, and at least dangerous: but
while we had Caesar in our company on these designs, we feared no
harm, nor suffered any.
As soon as I came into the country, the best house in it was
presented me, called St. John's Hill. It stood on a vast rock of white
marble, at the foot of which the river ran a vast depth down, and
not to be descended on that side; the little waves, still dashing
and washing the foot of this rock, made the softest murmurs and
purlings in the world; and the opposite bank was adorned with such
vast quantities of different flowers eternally blowing, and every
day and hour new, fenced behind 'em with lofty trees of a thousand
rare forms and colors, that the prospect was the most ravishing that
sands can create. On the edge of this white rock, towards the river,
was a walk or grove of orange- and lemon-trees, about half the
length of the Mall here; flowery and fruit-bearing branches met at the
top, and hindered the sun, whose rays are very fierce there, from
entering a beam into the grove; and the cool air that came from the
river made it not only fit to entertain people in, at all the
hottest hours of the day, but refreshed the sweet blossoms, and made
it always sweet and charming; and sure, the whole globe of the world
cannot show so delightful a place as this grove was.
Pages:
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73