The Garden of Adonis

There is general agreement that Spencer was well enough informed about the history of philosophy to a drawn-on Platonism. The relevant section tells of how the goddess Venus is searching for Cupid in the savage woods and forests wide when she encounters the realm of Adonis who is responsible for sending children into the world. This garden is like a more acceptable counterpart of the Bower of Bliss, where sexuality serves its appropriate purpose, namely reproduction.