The circumgyration began at a considerable distance from
the tree in the midst, and the intervening space was radiant with a beam
of light, which caused the trees in the circle to shine with a graduated
splendor that was continued from the first to the last. The first trees
were the most excellent of all, abounding with the choicest fruits, and
were called paradisiacal trees, being such as are never seen in any
country of the natural world, because none such ever grew or could grow
there. These were succeeded by olive-trees, the olives by vines, these
by sweet-scented shrubs, and these again by timber trees, whose wood was
useful for building. At stated intervals in this spiral or gyre of
trees, were interspersed seats, formed of the young shoots of the trees
behind, brought forward and entwined in each other, while the fruit of
the trees hanging over at the same time enriched and adorned them. At
this perpetually winding circle of trees, there were passages which
opened into flower-gardens, and from them into shrubberies, laid out
into areas and beds. At the sight of all these things the companions of
the angels exclaimed, "Behold heaven in form! wherever we turn our eyes
we feel an influx of somewhat celestially-paradisiacal, which is not to
be expressed.
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