| 40 | B U C | |
but these figures were taken away soon
after the death of the late Duke of Buck-
ingham. On each side of the building
are bending colonades with columns of
the Ionic order, crowned with a balus-
trade and vases. These colonades join
the offices at the extremity of the wings
to the main building, and each of these
offices is crowned with a turret, sup-
porting a dome, from which rises a
weathercock.
Behind the house is a garden and
terrace, from whence there is a fine
propect of the adjacent country, which
gave occasion to the following inscrip-
tion on that side of the house,
RUS IN URBE:
Intimating that it has the advantage of
both city and country; above which
were figures reprenting the four Sea-
sons.
The hall is paved with marble and
adorned with pilasters, and during the
life of the late Duchess, with a great va-
riety of good paintings, and on a pedestal
at the foot of the grand stair-case there
was a marble figure of Cain killing his
brother Abel.
To this account of Buckingham
House we shall add the following letter,
|
| | written |
|
| B U C | 41 |
written by the Duke of Buckingham
himself to the D---- of Sh---- con-
taining a farther description of it, &c.
" You accuse me of singularity in re-
" signing the Privy Seal with a good
" pension added to it, and yet after-
" wards staying in town at a season
" when every body else leaves it, which
" you say is despising at once both Court
" and Country. You desire me there-
" fore to defend myself, if I can, by de-
" scribing very particularly in what
" manner I spend so many hours, that
" appear long to you who know nothing
" of the matter, and yet, methinks,
" are but too short for me.
" No part of this talk which you im-
" pose is uneasy; except the necessity
" of using the sungular number so of-
" ten. That one letter (I) is a most dan-
" gerous monosyllable, and gives an air
" of vanity to the modestest discourse
" whatsoever. But you will remember
" I write this only by way of apology;
" and that, under accusation, it is al-
" lowable to plead any thing for defence,
" though a little tending to our own
" commendation.
" To begin then without more pre-
" amble: I rise, now in summer, about
|
| | " seven |
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