JAMES Educated at Oxford; travelled abroad as agent for first glass manufactory HOWELL established in England; later M.P. and one of the Clerks of the Privy Council (1595-1666). to Charles I.; Secretary to British Ambassador in Denmark; imprisoned in Fleet and released by Cromwell; Historiographer to Charles II.; author of "Dodona's Grove" and "Epistola Ho-Eliana." (Familiar Letters of J. H.)

THE

HE stables (at Lord Savage's House in Long-Melford) butt upon the Park, which for a cheerful rising Ground, for Groves and Browsings for the Deer, for rivulets of water, may compare with any for its highness in the whole land; it is opposite to the front of the great House, whence from the Gallery one may see much of the Game when they are a-hunting. Now for the gardening and costly choice Flowers, for Ponds, for stately large Walks, green and gravelly, for Orchards and choice Fruits of all sorts, there are few the like in England: here you have your Bon Christian Pear, and Bergamot in perfection, your Muscadel grapes in such plenty, that there are bottles of Wine sent every year to the King; and one Mr Daniel, a worthy Gentleman hard by, who, with him long abroad, makes good store in his Vintage. Truly this House of Long-Melford though it be not so great, yet it is so well compacted and contrived with such dainty conveniences every way, that if you saw the Landskip of it, you would be mightily taken with it, and it would serve for a choice pattern to build and contrive a House by.-(Letter to Dan. Caldwell, Esq., 20th May 1621).

SIR

A Parliamentary General in the Civil Wars, originally of the same family WILLIAM as Edmund Waller the poet. WALLER

(1597-1668). HE E that walkes with God can never want a good walke, and

good company. There is no garden well contrived, but that which hath an Enoch's walk1 in it.

How cleanly are these Allies kept? and how orderly are the Hedges cut, and the Trees pruned and nailed, and not an irregular 1 "Enoch walked with God 300 years."-GEN. v. 22.

Twig left? there is no such care taken for the weeds, and bushes and brambles that grow abroad. God is careful to preserve the Garden of his Church in all decency and order; and will not suffer it to be overgrown with errours or prophaness; but is (like a good Husbandman, if I may say so with all humbleness) ever at work about it; either weeding out, what his heavenly hand hath not planted; or if need be, lopping, and cutting off luxuriant branches, that bear not fruit; or purging those that do bear, that they may bring forth more fruit.-Divine Meditations (Upon the sight of a pleasant Garden).

SIR

CHAPTER V

THE FORMAL GARDEN IN THE SEVENTEENTH

CENTURY UNDER

FRENCH AND DUTCH INFLUENCE: ORIENTAL TRAVELLERS

ON PERSIAN AND JAPANESE GARDENS.

THOMAS FOR though Physick may plead high, from that medical act of God, in casting so deep a sleep upon our first Parent; And BROWNE (1605-1682). Chirurgery find its whole Art, in that one passage concerning the Rib of Adam: yet is there no rivality with Garden-contrivance and Herbery. For if Paradise were planted the third day of the Creation as wiser Divinity concludeth, the Nativity thereof was too early for Horoscopie; Gardens were before Gardiners, and but some hours after the Earth. Of deeper doubt is its topography and local designation; yet being the primitive garden, and without much controversy seated in the East it is more than probable the first curiosity, and cultivation of plants, most flourished in those quarters..

...

However, the account of the pensile or hanging gardens of Babylon, if made by Semiramis, the third or fourth from Nimrod, is of no slender antiquity; which being not framed upon ordinary level of ground, but raised upon pillars, admitting under-passages, we cannot accept as the first Babylonian gardens,—but a more eminent progress and advancement in that art than any that went before it; somewhat answering or hinting the old opinion concerning Paradise itself, with many conceptions elevated above the plane of the Earth.1 Nabuchodonosor (whom some will have to

1 Simon Wilkin, the editor of Browne's Works, quotes a passage from MS. Sloan, 1847, which he thinks intended for this work, wherein Browne writes, "We are unwilling to diminish or loose the credit of Paradise, or only pass it over with (the Hebrew word for) Eden, though the Greek be of a later name. In this excepted, we know not whether the ancient gardens do equal those of late times, or those at present in Europe. Of the Garden of Hesperies, we know nothing singular but some golden apples."

be the famous Syrian King of Diodorus) beautifully repaired that city, and so magnificently built his hanging gardens,1 that from succeeding writers he had the honour of the first. From whence, overlooking Babylon, and all the region about it, he found no circumscription to the eye of his ambition; till, over-delighted with the bravery of this Paradise, in his melancholy metamorphosis he found the folly of that delight, and a proper punishment in the contrary habitation-in wild plantations and wanderings of the fields. The Persian gallants, who destroyed this monarchy, maintained their botanical bravery. Unto whom we owe the very name of Paradise, wherewith we meet not in Scripture before the time of Solomon, and conceived originally Persian. The word for that disputed garden, expressing, in the Hebrew, no more than a field enclosed, which from the same root is content to derive a garden and a buckler.—The Garden of Cyrus, or the Quincuncial Lozenge, or Net-work Plantations of the Ancients. Artificially, Naturally, Mystically considered.3

1 Josephus.

2 Quid quincunce speciosius, qui in quamcunque partem spectaveris, rectus est.-Quintilian.

The Garden of Cyrus, though it ends indeed with a passage of wonderful felicity, certainly emphasises (to say the least) the defects of Browne's literary good qualities. His chimeric fancy carries him here into a kind of frivolousness, as if he felt almost too safe with his public, and were himself not quite serious or dealing fairly with it; and in a writer such as Browne, levity must of necessity be a little ponderous. Still, like one of those stiff gardens, halfway between the medieval garden and the true 'English' garden of Temple or Walpole, actually to be seen in the background of some of the conventional portraits of that day, the fantasies of this indescribable exposition of the mysteries of the quincunx form part of the complete portrait of Browne himself; and it is in connection with it that once or twice the quaintly delightful pen of Evelyn comes into the correspondence in connexion with the 'hortulane pleasure '-"Norwich" he writes to Browne, "is a place I understand much addicted to the flowery poet." Professing himself a believer in the operation "of the air and genius of gardens upon human spirits, towards virtue and sanctity" he is all for natural gardens as against "those which appear like gardens of paste-board and march-pane, and smell more of paint than of flowers and verdure."-Walter Pater, Appreciations.'

From the Epistle Dedicatory, to Nicholas Bacon, of Tillingham, Esquire. -The Turks who past their days in gardens here, will have also gardens hereafter, and delighting in flowers on earth, must have lilies and roses in heaven. In garden delights 'tis not easy to hold a mediocrity; that insinuating pleasure is seldom without some extremity. The ancients venially delighted in flourishing gardens; many were florists that knew not the true use of a flower; and in Pliny's days none had directly treated of that subject. Some commendably affected plantations of venemous vegetables, some confined their delights unto single plants, and Cato seemed to dote upon Cabbage; while the ingenuous delight of tulipists stands saluted with hard language, even by their own professors. That in this garden discourse, we range into extraneous things, and many parts of art and nature, we follow herein the example of old and new plantations, wherein noble spirits contented not themselves with trees, but by the attendance of aviaries, fish-ponds, and all variety of animals, they made their gardens the epitome of the earth, and some resemblance of the secular shows of old. . .

Since the verdant state of things is the symbol of the resurrection, and to flourish in the state of glory, we must first be sown in corruption-besides the ancient practice of noble persons, to conclude in garden-graves, and urns themselves of old to be wrapt up with flowers and garlands.

JOHN MILTON (1608-1674).

AND which is the worthiest work of these two, to plant as every

minister's office is equally with the bishops, or to tend that which is planted, which the blind and undiscerning prelates call Jurisdiction and would appropriate to themselves as a business of higher dignity?

Have patience therefore and hear a law-case. A certain man of large possessions had a fair garden, and kept therein an honest and laborious servant, whose skill and profession was to set or

166 'Tulipo-mania;" Narrencruiid, Laurenberg. Pet. Hondius in lib. Belg.