apartment are arches, one by which it is entered, and an opposite one by which it is quitted. To the right appears a deep recess, or cavern, within which is the figure of a sleeping nymph in white marble, reclining on a pedestal; and immediately under her a bath of crystalline water, supplied by a copious perennial spring issuing from the hill behind the statue. On a marble slab, which forms the first step of the bath, are the following lines by Mr. Pope, who frequently wooed the muses in the shades of 'Stourhead; they are the elegant translation of some Latin verses by Cardinal Bembo:

Nymph of the Grot, these sacred springs I keep,
"And to the murmur of these waters sleep;
"Ah! spare my slumbers, gently tread the cave,
"And drink in silence, or in silence lave."

"Hujus Nympha loci, sacri custodia fontis,

"Dormio, dum blanda sentio murmur aquæ; "Parce meum, quisquis tangis cava marmora, somnum Rumpere, sive bibas, sive lavere, tace."

Opposite to the arch by which we depart from the grotto, is a smaller cavern, inhabited by an ancient river god, Pater Stour, I presume, sitting upon a large inclined urn, from the mouth of which pours a flood of water, said to be the chief spring of the river Stour; which, rising

here, takes a circuitous course through Dorsetshire, marries the Avon near Christ-Church in Hampshire, and loses itself and its companion in the ocean, about two miles below that town. Over the arch in front of this recess hangs a wooden tablet, with some lines allusive to this aquatic deity:

"Hæc domus, hæ sedes, hæc sunt penetralia magni
"Amnis; in hoc resedens factis de cautibus antro
"Undis jura dabat, Nymphisque colentibus undas."

From this magic spot the path conducts us to a magnificent edifice, called the Pantheon, built after the model of that noble antique temple at Rome. Here, as in all the other tenements of Stourhead, magnificence has acted under the direction of perfect taste; and the large sum of twelve thousand pounds has been expended in a manner that at once interests the imagination, and pleases the judgment. This structure stands on that part of the bank where the lake spreads itself into its greatest breadth, and commands all the objects before enumerated, with the addition of the beautiful Gothic cross; a view, in my opinion, superior to that from the temple of Apollo, though not generally esteemed so; since the latter is a bird's-eye

one, and every thing is seen below it; whereas the Pantheon is more on a level with most of the objects which compose the picture, and has the advantage of looking up to the others. This building consists of a portico, or vestibulum, and an adytum; the first is formed by four elegant columns of the Corinthian order, the second contains two antique busts, that on the right Alexander, and that on the left Pompey. An iron gate separates this member of the structure from the adytum, which, seen through its gateways, exhibits a most impressive sight. A circular opening in the dome admits the light, which receives a rich golden tinge from some yellow glass introduced into the aperture. The walls are stained of a deep purple colour, finely contrasting and relieving the brilliant white marble statues ranged round the apart ment, and standing on superb pedestals of different foreign marbles; the whole forming such an august exhibition, as subjects the understanding to the controul of fancy; and the mind, taken by surprise, assents for a moment to the belief of the truth of classical mythology. Whilst contemplating this scene, indeed, one cannot help reverting back to the ritual of the ancients; and allowing that their worship must

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have been indescribably impressive. Surrounded by exquisite specimens of the arts, in their images and altars; accompanied by processions, splendid, pompous, and numerous; listening to the strains of music, and the more bewitching sounds of moral poetry; the heathen worshiper of old must have been wrought up to a pitch of enthusiasm, of which we can scarcely form an idea at present. Hence arose that pertinacious attachment to Paganism, which resisted so long the progress of Christianity amongst the nations that had adopted the classical mythology. Accustomed to indulge their minds in the contemplation of statues and altars, splendid sacrifices, rich pontificals, and elegant choral dances, they revolted with indignation from a religion merely spiritual, which was addressed only to the heart and understanding; and professed neither to feed the fancy, nor administer to the passions. Truth at length prevailed, as it ever must; but so deeply rooted were the prejudices in favour of the heathen ritual, that its admirers could not refrain from grafting some of its splendours on the simple fabric of Christianity; evidences of which remain to this day in the worship of the Romish church.

A noble statue of Hercules, by Rysbrack, fronts the iron-gate; it is his chef d'œuvre, and for ease, majesty, and anatomical correctness, can hardly be surpassed; indeed he seems to have caught in this specimen of this art, the fine fancy and ideas of the ancient sculptors whom he studied. For the different members of this effort of sculpture, Rysbrack is said to have selected five athletic men from the school of Broughton, who furnished models for all the subordinate parts, but that the chest and shoulders were copied from the brawny frame of the hero himself. The next statue on the right, is an antique Livia Augusta, purchased for two thousand guineas, of which the drapery is in the most exquisite style of sculpture; a modern artist has added the arms, and placed in one hand ears of wheat, and in the other a patera.-The neighbour of the God on the other side, is Flora, a modern figure, by Rysbrack, but extremely beautiful.

The path leaving the Pantheon enters a grotto, through which it passes and ascends the hill behind the temple, conducting us in its way over the turnpike-road, which is very artfully carried under it, but so obscured by wood as not to be visible. Another.