Page:The reign of George VI - 1763.djvu/88

 ments the King formed the design of raising a palace. Few parts of his dominions could afford a more desirable spot for such a purpose. The old seat stood on an elevated situation, which commanded an extensive prospect over the adjacent country. It was almost surrounded with extensive woods; which, having been artfully planted, added the greatest beauty to the prospect, without intercepting the view. On one side there was an easy descent of about three miles, which led into an extensive plain, through which a river took its meandering course. Many villages seemed to rise here and there from out the woods, which gave a great variety to the scene, and the fertile plain was one continued prospect of villages, groves, meadows, and rivulets, and all was in the neighbourhood of a noble and capacious forest.