it on the soft plane trees, other some sticking to the pitch tree made it tenderer by its embracements; so by this meanes the tree served to beare up the ivie, and the ivie was a crowne to the tree; on both sides many fruitfull Vines bound with reeds spread forth their branches, which displaying their seasonable blossomes through the bands, seemed like the curled lockes of some young lover. The walkes which the trees hanging over shaded, were here and there enlightened, whilst the leaves driven this way and that way with the winde, made roome for the sunne to shine through. Moreover, divers flowers strived as it were to shew their beauty; the daffadilly and the rose, whose beauties were equal, made the earth of a purple colour, the upper part of the rose-leaves was of the colour of blood and violets, the lower part white as milk; the daffadilly differed not at all from the lower part of the rose; the violets were of the colour of the sea when it is calm; in the midst of the flowers sprang up a fountaine, which was first received in a foure square bason, and running from thence it fed a little rivulet made with hand: in the grove were birds, some used to the house, and to bee fed by the hands of men, others more free sported on the tops of trees, some of them being eminent for their singing, as the grass-hopper and the swallow, some of them againe for their painted wings, as the peacocke, the swanne and the parrot. The grasshopper sang of Aurora's bed, the swallow of Tereus table; the swan was feeding near the head of the fountaine; the parrot hung on the bough of a tree in a cage the peacocke stretching forth his golden plumes seemed to contend in beautie not onely with the rest of the birds, but even with the flowers themselves, for to say truth, his feathers were flowers: wherefore willing to give her a hint of my intended love, I fell in talke with Satyrus my Father's man (who was at that time in the garden) taking the argument of my speech from the peacocke, which by some chance spread her wings just over against him. . . . Concerning trees, now that they are in love one with another, it is the common received opinion of Philosophers, which I should think fabulous, did not the experience of an husbandman subscribe unto it that the palm trees are distinguished by sexes. . . . While these love-stories were a-telling, I narrowly observed how Leucippe was affected with them, who seemed to me to heare them gladly; but let them say what they will Leucippe's countenance farre surpassed the rare and exquisite splendour of the peacocke, nay the whole garden, for in her forehead were daffadillies, in her cheekes roses, in her eyes violets, her locks were more curled than the twining Ivie, and every part held such correspondence with the Garden, that I may truly say the best flowers were in her face. Not long after she departed, being called to her Lute.-The Loves of Clitophon and Leucippe. Englished from the Greeke by Anthony Hodges, Oxford, 1638. -www UT for him who feareth the majesty of his Lord shall be MOHAMMAD BUT two gardens: With trees branched over : And therein two flowing wells: And therein of every fruit two kinds : Reclining on couches with linings of brocade and the fruit of the gardens to their hand : Therein the shy-eyed maidens neither man nor Jinn hath touched before: Like rubies and pearls: Shall the reward of good be aught but good? And beside these shall be two other gardens : Dark green in hue: With gushing wells therein : Therein fruit and palm and pomegranate : Therein the best and comeliest maids : Bright-eyed, kept in tents: Man hath not touched them before, nor Jinn : Reclining on green cushions and fine carpets : Blessed be the name of thy Lord endued with majesty and honour. 'The Speeches of Mohammad,' by Stanley Lane Poole. (A.D. 571-632). CHOU TUN-I Chinese Writer L OVERS of flowering plants and shrubs we have had by scores, but T'ao Yüan-ming alone devoted himself to the chrysanthemum. Since the opening days of the T'ang dynasty, it has been fashionable to admire the peony; but my favourite is the waterlily. How stainless it rises from its slimy bed! How modestly it reposes on the clear pool-an emblem of purity and truth! Symmetrically perfect, its subtle perfume is wafted far and wide; while there it rests in spotless state, something to be regarded reverently from a distance, and not to be profaned by familiar approach. In my opinion, the chrysanthemum is the flower of retirement and culture; the peony, the flower of rank and wealth; the water-lily, the Lady Virtue sans pareille. Alas! few have loved the chrysanthemum since T'ao Yüanming; and none like the water-lily like myself; whereas the peony is a general favourite with all mankind.-Herbert A. Giles,' Gems of Chinese Literature.' www LIEN- WILLIAM OF THE "HE art of laying out gardens consists in an endeavour to combine cheerfulness of aspect, luxuriance of growth, shade, solitude and repose, in such a manner that the senses may be deluded by an imitation of rural nature. Diversity, which is the main advantage of free landscape, must, therefore, be sought in a judicious choice of soil, an alternation of chains of hills and valleys, gorges, brooks, and lakes covered with aquatic plants. Symmetry is wearying, and ennui and disgust will soon be excited in a garden where every part betrays constraint and art.-Quoted by A. von Humboldt. MALMESBURY T (1095-1143). (Thorney Abbey) represents a very Paradise, for that in pleasure and delight it resembles Heaven itself. These marshes abound in trees, whose length without a knot doth WILLIAM OF MALMESBURY 29 emulate the stars. The plain there is as level as the sea, which with green grass allures the eye, and so smooth that there is nought to hinder him who runs through it. Neither is therein any waste place: for in some parts are apple trees, in other vines, which are either spread on the ground or raised on poles. A mutual strife is there between nature and art; so that what one produces not, the other supplies. ALEXANDER NECKAM (1157-1217). CHAPTER III MEDIAEVAL, RENAISSANCE AND TUDOR GARDENS Alexander Neckam, the earliest Englishman to write on Gardens, was born at St Albans, 1157, being the foster-brother of Richard Cœur de Lion -his mother "fovit Ricardum ex mamilla dextra, sed Alexandrum fovit ex mamilla sua sinistrå”—at the age of twenty-three he became a professor at the University of Paris, 1180-1186. Hurt at the pun on his name by the Benedictine Abbot of St Albans " Si bonus es venias; si nequam, nequaquam” ("Come if you are good, if naughty, by no means ") he became an Augustinian monk at Cirencester, and Abbot 1213. Died 1217 near Worcester and was buried in Cathedral. Author of a Latin poem, "De Laudibus Divina Sapientiæ," a metrical paraphrase of his own prose treatise “De Naturis rerum which was meant to be a manual of the scientific knowledge of the time, with contemporary anecdotes and stories.—Thomas Wright, M.A. Preface to Neckam's Works. HER ERE the garden should be adorned with roses and lilies, the turnsole (heliotrope), violets, and mandrake; there you should have parsley, cost, fennel, southern-wood, coriander, sage, savery, hyssop, mint, rue, ditanny, smallage, pellitory, lettuces, garden-cress, and peonies. There should also be beds planted with onions, leeks, garlic, pumpkins and shalots. The cucumber growing in its lap, the drowsy poppy, the daffodil and brank-ursine (acanthus) ennoble a garden. Nor are there wanting, if occasion furnish thee, pottageherbs, beets, herb-mercury, orache, sorrel and mallows. Anise, mustard, white pepper and wormwood (absynth) do good service to the gardenlet. A noble garden will give thee also medlars, quinces, wardentrees, peaches, pears of St Riole, pomegranates, lemons (citron apples), oranges (golden apples), almonds, dates, which are the fruits of palms, and figs. I make no mention of ginger and gariofilia, cinnamon, liquorice, and zituala, and Virga Sabea dis |