22o THE FORMAL GARDEN IN ENGLAND ix.

pedestal some 5 feet 3 from the ground. The
vase itself, which is over 7 feet high, is supported
by four monkeys and richly ornamented ; its
modelling is admirable.

O

Other good instances are to be found at
Hampton Court, Wrest, and Penshurst. At
Sprotborough, in Yorkshire, there are some
vases, apparently from the same mould as those
at Penshurst. At the same place there are
two lead toads about 9 inches long, said
to have belonged to the fountains, and no
doubt suggested by those at Versailles. At
Wootton, in a fountain behind the house, there
is a lead duck suspended so as to swim on
the water and spout water from its bill. There
are many other instances of the use of lead
for the details of garden ornament. It is a
material that might well be brought into use
again for the same purpose. It is durable
and inexpensive, though it must not be used
in a niggardly way. Lead statues very easily
lose their centre of gravity, and when once
they begin to move over they become ex-
ceedingly comic. The flying Mercury at
Melbourne is slowly taking a header into the
grass in front of his pedestal. Lead has a
beautiful colour of its own, and it is not, like
bronze or marble, a material too grand and
sumptuous for use in the quiet English garden.
These figures are invaluable for giving a point
of interest here and there. They are charming