Mollet, Jardinier de sa Majesté, a fait preuve de sa dexterité.1Le Théâtre d'Agriculture. 1600. 1 Claude Mollet, Head Gardener to Henri IV. and Louis XIII,—predecessor of Le Nôtre and de la Quintinye-was son of the Chief Gardener of Château d'Anet, where he collected rare flowers and medical herbs and enjoyed the confidence of its owner the Duc d'Aumale. Claude Mollet was the first, in 1582, in France to create the 'parterres à compartiments et broderie,' after the designs of the Sieur du Perac, architect to the King, of which Olivier de Serres gives examples. In 1595, he laid out the gardens of Saint Germain-en-Laye,1 of Monceaux and of Fontainebleau, where by 1607 he had planted 7000 feet of fruit trees, bearing fruit existing half a century later. In the Tuileries he made fine plantations of Cypresses, destroyed in the winter of 1608, when the hardier box and yew were substituted. His work Théâtre des Plans et Jardinages' appeared in 1652 at Paris, with twenty-two plates of designs of parterres, bosquets, labyrinths and palisades, invented by himself and his sons André, Jacques and Noel, and was several times re-printed and translated at Stockholm and London. The translation is sometimes attributed to his son André, who helped him. Mollet was the first to apply meteorology, which he calls 'Astrology,' to gardening. Near the Hôtel de Matignon, where Claude Mollet lived, behind St Thomas of the Louvre, he had raised white Mulberries, producing in 1606 12 lbs of silk, which he sold at 4 crowns (40 francs) the lb. 1 See Illustration in Appendix. CHAPTER IV ELIZABETHAN AND STUART GARDENS JOHN Educated as a surgeon—superintended Lord Burghley's garden for twenty GERARDE years-lived in Holborn, where he had a large physic garden—in his youth (1545-1607). took a voyage to the Baltic-he drew up letter for Lord Burleigh to University of Cambridge, recommending that a physic garden be established there, with himself at its head, to encourage the facultie of simpling.' 1596, published catalogue of his garden in Holborn, and in 1597, his 'Herbal,' the woodcuts from Frankfurt, having served for the 'Kreuterbuch' of Tabernamontanus (folio, 1588).1 AMONG the manifold creatures of God (right Honorable and my singular good Lord) that have in all ages diversly entertained many excellent wits, and drawen them to the contemplation of the divine wisedome, none hath provoked mens studies more, or satisfied their desires so much, as plants have done, and that upon just and woorthie causes: For if delight may provoke mens labour, what greater delight is there than to behold the earth apparelled with plants, as with a robe of imbroidered worke, set with orient pearles, and garnished with great diversitie of rare and costlie jewels? If this varietie and perfection of colours may affect the eie, it is such in herbes and flowers, that no Apelles, no Zeuxis ever could by any art expresse the like: if odours, or if taste may worke satisfaction, they are both so soveraigne in plants, and so comfortable, that no confection of the Apothecaries can equall their excellent vertue. But these delights are in the outward senses the principal delight is in the minde, singularly enriched with the knowledge of these visible things, setting foorth to us the invisible wisedome and admirable workmanship of almightie God. The delight is great, but the use greater, and joyned often 1 See Illustration in Appendix. with necessitie. In the first ages of the world they were the ordinarie meate of men, and have continued ever since of necessarie use both for meates to maintaine life, and for medicine to recover health. The hidden vertue of them is such, that (as Plinie noteth)1 the very brute beasts have found it out: and (which is another use that he observeth) from thence the Diars took the beginning of their art. Furthermore, the necessarie use of these fruits of the Earth doth plainly appeere by the great charge and care of almost all men in planting and maintaining of gardens, not as ornaments onely, but as a necessarie provision also to their houses. And here beside the fruit, to speake againe in a word of delight; gardens, especially such as your Honor hath, furnished with many rare simples, do singularly delight, when in them a man doth behold a flourishing shew of sommer beauties in the middest of winters force, and a goodly spring of Flowers, when abroade a leafe is not to be seene. Beside these and other causes, there are many examples of those that have honored this science: for to passe by a multitude of the philosophers, it may please your Honor to call to remembrance that which you knowe of some noble Princes that have joyned this studie with their most important matters of state: Mithridates the great was famous for his knowledge herein, as Plutarch noteth: Euan also king of Arabia, the happie garden of the world for principall simples, wrote of this argument, as Plinie sheweth Diocletian might he have his praise, had he not drowned all his honor in the blood of his persecution. To conclude this point, the example of Salomon is before the rest and greater, whose wisedome and knowledge was such, that he was able to set out the nature of all plantes, from the highest Cedar to the lowest Mosse.-The Herball, or Generall Historie of Plantes, gathered by John Gerarde of London, Master in Chirurgie. 1597. (Dedication to Sir William Cecill Knight, Baron of Burgleih.) 1 Pliny, lib. 8, cap. 27; and lib. 22, cap. 2. I list not seeke the common colours of antiquitie; when not withstanding the world can brag of no more ancient monument than Paradise, and the garden of Eden: and the fruits of the Earth may contend for seignioritie, seeing their mother was the first creature that conceived, and they themselves the first fruit she brought foorth. Talke of perfect happinesse or pleasure, and what place was so fit for that, as the garden place, wherein Adam was set, to be the Herbarist? Whither did the poets hunt for their syncere delights, but into the gardens of Alcinous, of Adonis, and the orchards of Hesperides? Where did they dreame that heaven should be, but in the pleasant garden of Elysium ? Whither do all men walke for their honest recreation but thither, where the Earth hath most beneficially painted her face with flourishing colours? And what season of the yeere more longed for than the Spring, whose gentle breath inticeth foorth the kindly sweetes, and makes them yeeld their fragrant smells?-Ibid. Preface to the courteous and well-willing Readers. JOHN LYLY"the Euphuist" (1554-1606). ONE www NE of the Ladies who delighted much in mirth, seeing Philautus behold Camilla so stedfastly, saide unto him: Gentleman, what floure like you best in all this border, heere be faire Roses, sweete Violets, fragrant primroses, heere wil be Jilly-floures, Carnations, sops in wine, sweet Johns, and what may either please you for sight, or delight you with savour: loth we are you should have a Posie of all, yet willing to give you one, not yat which shal looke best, but such a one as you shal lyke best. Philautus omitting no opportunitie, yat might either manifest his affection, or commend his wit, answered hir thus: Lady, of so many sweet floures to chuse the best, it is harde, seeing they be all so good. If I shoulde preferre the fairest before the sweetest, you would happely imagine that either I were stopped in the nose, or wanton in the eyes; if the sweetnesse before the beautie, then would you gesse me either to lyve with sauours, or to have no judgement in colours; but to tell my minde (upon correction be it spoken), of all flowers, I love a faire woman. In deede, quoth Flavia (for so was she named), faire women are set thicke, but they come up thinne; and when they begin to budde, they are gathered as though they wer blowne. Of such men as you are, Gentleman, who thinke greene grasse will never be drye Hay, but when ye flower of their youth (being slipped too young) shall fade before they be olde, then I dare saye, you would chaunge your faire flower for a weede, and the woman you loved then, for the worst violet you refuse now. Lady, aunswered Philautus, it is a signe that beautie was no niggard of hir slippes in this gardein, and very enuious to other grounds, seing heere are so many in one Plot, as I shall neuer finde more in all Italy, whether the reason be the heate which killeth them, or the country that cannot beare them. As for plucking them up soone, in yat we shew the desire we have to them, not the malyce. Where you conjecture that men haue no respect to things when they be olde, I cannot consent to your saying; for well do they know that it fareth with women as it doth with the Mulbery tree, which the elder it is, the younger it seemeth; and therefore hath it growen to a Prouerb in Italy, where one seeth a woman striken in age to looke amiable, he saith she hath eaten a Snake: so that I must of force follow mine olde opinion, that I love fresh flowers well, but faire women better. -Euphues and his England. BUT PHILIP UT Palladius having gotten his health, and only staying there SIR to be in place, where he might hear answer of the ships set forth: Kalander one afternoon let him abroad to a well-arrayed (1554-1586). ground he had behind his house, which he thought to show him before his going, as the place himself more than in any other, delighted in. The backside of the house was neither field, garden, nor orchard; or, rather, it was both field, garden, and orchard for as soon as the descending of the stairs had delivered E |