Ancient Fowntains for Cattle.

541

Chap. 7.]

made one or more richly gilt fountains, which through secret pipes sup-plies in the middle of the roome a daintie poole, which is so neatly kept,the water so cleare, as makes apparent the exquisite mosaik at the bot-tome. Herein are preserved fish which have often taken bread out of myhand.”

Sometimes the jet is made to fall into basins filled with flowers, theodor of which is dispersed in the spray. Bell describes the hall of audi-ence at Ispahan as a most magnificent room, lined with mirrors of varioussizes, the floor covered with carpets of silk interwoven with branchesand foliage of gold and silver. In the centre were two basins in whichseveral pipes spouted water that feil among roses and other flowers andproduced a fine elfect. Another fountain at the entrance threw the waterso high that it feil like a thick rain or dew which concealed the Schah fromthose on the opposite side.

See remarks on the introduction of portable fountains into private dwel-lings at page 361.

M 4

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No. 271. Ancient fountain for cattle.

That ancient farmers occasionally conveyed water through pipes intofields for the use of their stock, as is now sometimes done, appears fromthe above cut, from a basso relievo preserved in one of the museums atRome.—(D’Agincourt’s History of the Fine Arts. Sculp. Plate I.)

It has already been remarked, (pp. 163, 170,) that the old Mexicans andPeruvians had fountains, from which the fluid issued through figures ofsnakes and crocodiles.

There is reason to believe that three and four way-cocks were ancientlyemployed in fountains : they are to be found in the old water-works ofItaly and France. —(See L’Art du Plombier in Arts et Metieres, 4to. edit.p. 560, planche xiii.)