r of the Chief
Gardener--a man at all times honest, retiring,
and inspired by enthusiasm for his calling.

We are told by a French chronicler that
"when Le Notre had traced out his ideas, he
brought Louis XIV to the spot to judge the
distribution of the principal parts of their
ornamentation. He began with two grand
basins which are on the terrace in front
of the chateau, with their magnificent
decorations. He explained next his idea of
the double flight of stairs, which is opposite
the center of the palace, adorned with
yew-trees and with statues, and gave in detail
all the pieces that were to enrich the space
that it included. He passed then to the
_Allee du Tapis Vert_, and to that grand place
where we see the head of the canal, of which
he described the size and shape, and at the
extremities of whose arms he placed the
Trianon and the Menagerie. At each of
the grand pieces whose position Le Notre
marked, and whose future beauties he
described, Louis XIV interrupted him, saying,
'Le Notre, I give you twenty thousand
francs.' This magnificent approbation was
so frequently repeated that it annoyed Le
Notre, whose soul was as noble and
disinterested as that of his master was
generous. At the fourth interruption he stopped,
and said brusquely to the King, 'Sire, Your
Majesty shall hear no more. I shall ruin you.'"

In 1695 the King ennobled Le Notre and
bestowed upon him the Order of St. Michael.
Later, Le Notre presented to his sovereign
his collection of pictures and bronzes, for
which he had previously received an offer
of 80,000 francs, or about $16,000. This
collection was placed in one of the King's
intimate rooms among the rarest objects in
his possession. On occasion, when about to
make a tour of the gardens, Louis liked to
command a rolling chair similar to his own
for the aged Le Notre. Discussing new
projects, appraising those that were finished,
they made the promenade together.

One of the first garden decorations
undertaken was the Grotto of Thetis, a green
alcove beautified by exquisite marbles and a
fountain that stirred the muse of La
Fontaine to sing. This graceful conceit,
dominated by Apollo seated among the nymphs
of Venus, was destroyed when Mansard
built the north wing of the palace; the
groups were removed to adorn other sites.
While the vast pleasure-house was in course
of construction, each year marked the
creation of new fountains and woods. In 1664,
the _Par