ON

THE PORTRAITS

OF

English Authors on Gardening, WITH

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF THEM. 

_Lately published, by the same Author, price 3s. _

GLEANINGS ON GARDENS;

Chiefly respecting those of the Ancient Style in England. 

PRINTED BY LOWE AND HARVEY, PLAYHOUSE YARD, BLACKFRIARS. 

ON THE

PORTRAITS

OF

ENGLISH

AUTHORS ON GARDENING, WITH

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. 

_Your painting is almost the natural man. --Timon of Athens. _

_A snapper-up of unconsidered trifles. --Winter's Tale. _

_I will make a prief of it in my note-book. --M. W. Of Windsor. _

BY S. FELTON. 

SECOND EDITION, WITH CONSIDERABLE ADDITIONS. 

[Illustration]

LONDON: 1830. 

PUBLISHED BY EFFINGHAM WILSON, ROYAL EXCHANGE; AND JOSEPH ONWHYN, CATHARINE STREET, STRAND. 

PREFACE. 

The following pages apply only to those English writers on gardening whoare deceased. That there have been portraits taken of _some_ of thosesixty-nine English writers, whose names first occur in the followingpages, there can be no doubt; and those portraits may yet be with theirsurviving relatives or descendants. I am not so presumptuous as to applyto the following most slight memorials, some of which relate to veryobscure persons, who claimed neither "the boast of heraldry, nor thepomp of power, " but whose

 ----useful toil, Their homely joys and destiny obscure

benefited society by their honest labour;--I am not so vain as to applyto these, any part of the high testimony which Sir Walter Scott has sojustly paid to the merit of Mr. Lodge's truly splendid work of theportraits of celebrated personages of English history. I can only takeleave to disjoint, or to dislocate, or copy, a very few of his words, and to apply them to the following scanty pages, as it must beinteresting to have exhibited before our eyes _our fathers as theylived_, accompanied with such memorials of their lives and characters, as enable us to compare their persons and countenances with theirsentiments:--portraits shewing us how "our ancestors looked, moved, anddressed, "--as the pen informs us "how they thought, acted, lived anddied. " One cannot help feeling kindness for the memories of those whosewritings have pleased us. [1]

What native of the county of Hereford, but must wish to see theirtown-hall ornamented with a life-breathing portrait of Dr. Beale, embodying, as it were, in the resemblance of the individual, (to usethe words of a most eloquent person on another occasion), "his spirit, his feelings, and his character?" Or what elegant scholar but must wishto view the resemblance of the almost unknown Thomas Whately, Esq. , orthat of the Rev. William Gilpin, whose vivid pen (like that of the lateSir Uvedale Price), has "realized painting, " and enchained his readersto the rich scenes of nature?

Dr. Johnson calls portrait painting "that art which is employed indiffusing friendship, in reviving tenderness, in quickening theaffections of the absent, and continuing the presence of the dead. "

The horticultural intercourse that now passes between England andFrance, induces one to express a wish, that the portraits of many ofthose delightful writers on this science, whose pens have adornedFrance, (justly termed from its climate _la terre classiqued'horticulture_), were selected and engraved; for many of theirportraits have never yet been engraved. If this selection wereaccompanied with a few brief notices of them and their works, it wouldinduce many in this country to peruse some of the most fascinatingproductions that ever issued from the press. Amongst so many, whoseportraits and memoirs would interest us, I will mention those ofChampier, who distinguished himself at the battle of Aignadel, and whopublished at Lyons, in 1533, Campus Elisius Galliæ amenitate referens;Charles Etienne, who, in 1529, produced his Prædium Rusticum; and whowith Leibault published the Maison Rustique, of which upwards of thirtyeditions have been published, (and which our Gervase Markham calls _awork of infinite excellencie_); Paulmier de Grenlemesnil, a mostestimable man, physician to Charles IX. , and who died at Caen in 1588, and wrote a treatise de Vino et Pomaceo; and the only act of whose longlife that one regrets is, that his great skill was the means ofre-establishing the health of Charles, who, with his mother, directedthe horrid Massacre of St. Bartholomew; Cousin, who died in the prisonof Besançon, and wrote De Hortorum laudibus; that patriarch ofagriculture and of horticulture, Olivier de Serres, whose sage andphilosophic mind composed a work rich with the most profoundreflections, and whose genius and merit were so warmly patronized by"le bon Henri, " and no less by Sully;[2] Boyceau, intendant of thegardens of Louis XIII. , who, in 1638, published Traité du Jardinage, selon les raisons de la nature, et de l'art, avec divers desseins departerres, pelouses, bosquets, &c. ; André Mollet, who wrote Le Jardin deplaisir, &c. ; Claude Mollet, head gardener to Henry IV. And Louis XIII. , who, in 1595, planted the gardens of Saint Germain-en-laye, Monceau, and Fontainbleau, and whose name and memory (as Mr. Loudon observes), has been too much forgotten; Bornefond, author of Jardinier François, etdélices de la campagne; Louis Liger, of consummate experience in theflorist's art, "auteur d'un grand nombre d'ouvrages sur l'agriculture, et le jardinage, " and one of whose works was thought not unworthy ofbeing revised by London and Wise, and of whose interesting works theBiographie Universelle (in 52 tomes) gives a long list, and mentions thegreat sale which his Jardinier fleuriste once had; Morin, the florist, mentioned by Evelyn, and whose garden contained ten thousand tulips; thejustly celebrated Jean de la Quintinye, whose precepts, says Voltaire, have been followed by all Europe, and his abilities magnificentlyrewarded by Louis; Le Nôtre, the most celebrated gardener (to use Mr. Loudon's words) that perhaps ever existed, and of whom the BiographieUniver. Observes, that whatever might have been the changes introducedin whatever Le Nôtre cultivated, "il seroit difficile de mettre plus degrandeur et de noblesse;"[3] Charles Riviere du Fresnoy "qu'il joignot aun goût général pour tous les arts, des talens particuliers pour lamusique et le dessein. Il excelloit sur-tout dans l'art de destribuerles jardins. Il publia plusieurs _Chansons et les Amusemens serieux etcomiques_: petit ouvrage souvens re-imprimé et pleins de peintures viveset plaisantes, de la plupart des états de la vie. On remarques danstouts ses productions une imagination enjouée et singuliere;"Pontchasteau, who wrote on the cultivation of fruit trees, whosepenitence and devotion were so severely austere, and whose very singularhistory is given us in the interesting "Lettres de Madame la Comtesse dela Riviere;" Linant, to whom Voltaire was a warm protector and friend, and who, in 1745, wrote his poem Sur la Perfection des Jardins, sous laregne de Louis XIV. ; and of whom it was said that "les qualités ducoeur ne le caractérisoient pas moins que celles de l'esprit;" Le PereRapin;[4] D'Argenville; Le Maistre, curate of Joinville, who in 1719added to his "Fruitier de la France, " "Une Dissertation historique surl'origine et les progrés des Jardins; Vaniere, who wrote the PrædiumRusticum;[5] Arnauld d'Andilli, in so many respects renderedillustrious, who retired to the convent of Port Royal, (that divinesolitude, where the whole country for a league round breathed the air ofvirtue and holiness, to quote Mad. De Sevigné's words), and who senteach year to the queen some of that choice fruit which he there withsuch zeal cultivated, and which Mazarin "appelloit en riant des fruitsbénis. " This good man died at the age of eighty-six, and the letter ofMad. De Sevigné, of the date of Sept. 23, 1671, will alone consign himto the respect of future ages;[6] Jean Paul de Ardenne, superior of thecongregation of the oratory of Marseilles, one of the most famousflorists of the period in which he lived, and who devoted great part ofhis time in deeds of charity; Francis Bertrand, who, in 1757, publishedRuris delicæ, being poems from Tibullus, Claudian, Horace, and from manyFrench writers, on the pleasures of the country; Mons. De Chabanon;Morel, who assisted in laying out Ermenonville, and who wrote, amongother works, Théorie des Jardins, ou l'art des Jardins de la Nature; theanimated Prevost; Gouges de Cessieres, who wrote Les Jardins d'Ornament, ou les Georgiques Francoises; he, too, whom the Prince de Ligne calls

 ----_enchanteur_ De Lille! _O_ Virgile _moderne_!

and whose generous invocation to the memory of Captain Cook must endearhis name to every Englishman;[7] the Viscount Girardin, who wrote De laComposition des Paysages, who buried Rousseau in his garden atErmenonville, and who kept a band of musicians to perambulate thosecharming grounds, performing concerts sometimes in the woods, and atother times on the water, and at night in a room adjoining his hall ofcompany;[8] the venerable Malherbes, the undaunted defender of theoppressed, who throughout his life lost no opportunity of drying up thetears of the afflicted, and never caused one to flow; whose whole lifehad been consecrated to the happiness of his fellow-creatures and thedignity of his country, but whose spotless reputation could not save himfrom the guillotine at his age of seventy-two;[9] Schabol; Latapie, whotranslated Whately's Observations on Modern Gardening, to which headded a discourse on the origin of the art, &c. ; Watelet, who wroteEssai sur les Jardins, and whose name has given rise to some mostcharming lines in De Lille's poem, and whose biography is interestinglydrawn in the Biog. Univers. ; Lezay de Marnesia, whose poems de la NatureChampêtre, and le Bonheur dans les Campagnes, have passed through manyeditions, and of whom pleasing mention is made in the above Biog. Univers. ; M. De Fontaine, author of Le Verger; Masson de Blamont, thetranslator of Mason's Garden, and Whately's Observations; FrançoisRosier; Bertholan, the friend of Franklin. 

I am indebted, in a great measure, for the above list of French authors, to that immense body of diffuse and elaborate information, theEncyclopædia of Gardening, by Mr. Loudon. 

Those who are more conversant with the literature of France, than myvery limited researches have extended to, can, no doubt, easilyenumerate many very distinguished persons of that country, many talentedmen, who though they may not have written on the subject of gardens, yetevinced an ardent attachment to them, and became their munificentpatrons. Let us not then omit the name of Charles the Great, orCharlemagne, in one of whose Capitulaires are _Directions concerningGardens, and what plants are best to set in them_. He died in 814, afterreigning forty-seven years over France: "Quoiqu'il ne sût pas écriere(says the Nouv. Diet. Hist. ), il fit fleurer les sciences. Aussi grandpar ses conquêtes, que par l'amour des lettres, et en fut le protecteuret la restaurateur. Son palais fut l'asyle des sciences. Le nom de ceconquérant et de cet législateur remplit la terre. Tout fut uni par leforce de son génie. " De Sismondi calls him "a brilliant star in thatdark firmament. " Mr. Loudon, in p. 40 of his Encyclopædia, says, that"The Abbé Schmidt informs us (_Mag. Encyc. _) that this monarch, who haddomains in every part of France, gave the greatest encouragement to theeradication of forests, and the substitution of orchards and vineyards. He was on terms of friendship with the Saracenic prince Haroun alRaschid, and by that means procured for France the best sorts of pulse, melons, peaches, figs, and other fruits. "

Francis I. When he built his palace at Fontainbleau, introduced into itsgardens, much of what he had seen in those of Italy, and when hecompleted St. Germains, its style of grandeur may be guessed at from itsrocks, cascades, terraces and subterraneous grots. 

Henry IV. 's attachment to agriculture and to gardens, is well known. Themagnificent improvements he made at St. Germains, and the attention hepaid to his gardens at la Fleche, Vendome, and the Thuilleries, shewthis. Indeed, his employing Claude Mollet, and Jean Robin, aresufficient proofs. [10]

Louis XIV. Magnificently rewarded La Quintinye, that original writer, who conducted the fine gardens of Tambourneau, and whose precepts Mons. De Voltaire tells us were followed by all Europe. The zeal of Louis forthe decorations of gardens, met with an able assistant when hepatronized Le Nôtre, to do justice to whose name, I can only refer myreader to the concise but rich review of the grand efforts of thissingular genius, as they are noticed in p. 35 of Mr. Loudon'sEncyclopædia, and which "dazzled and enchanted every class ofobservers. "[11]

Madame de Sevigné's delight in gardens pervades many of her letters:that of July 1677, paints the charms which one in Paris gave her: "I wasinvited in the kindest manner possible to sup at Gourville's with Mad. De Scomberg, Mad. De Frontenac, Mad. De Coulanges, the Duke, M. De laRochefoucault, Barillon, Briole, Coulanges, Sevigné, in a garden of thehotel de Condé; there were water-works, bowers, terraces, six hautboys, six violins, and the most melodious flutes; a supper which seemed to beprepared by enchantment, an admirable bass-viol, and a resplendent moon, which witnessed all our pleasures. " Of her own garden, formed by her ownpure taste, M. De Coulanges thus speaks: "I have spent a most delightfulfortnight here. It is impossible sufficiently to praise the gardens ofthe _Rocks_; they would have their beauties even at Versailles, which issaying every thing. " And that she delighted in what she well knew how todescribe, is evident from her letter from _Chaulnes_: "This is a veryhandsome house, which carries with it an air of grandeur, though it ispartly unfurnished, and the gardens neglected. There is scarcely anyverdure to be seen, and not a nightingale to be heard; in short, it isstill winter, on the seventeenth of April. But it is easy to imagine thebeauties of these walks; every thing is regular and magnificent; aspacious parterre in front, bowling-greens opposite the wings, a largeplaying fountain in the parterre, two in the bowling-greens, and anotherat a distance in the middle of a field, which is well named _thesolitary_; a fine country, beautiful apartments, and a pleasantprospect, though flat. " She in another letter from _Chaulnes_ says; "Iwas walking alone the other day, in these beautiful alleys. " And in asubsequent one she says: "It is a pity to be obliged to quit sobeautiful and so charming a place. " Her frequent mention in her lettersof _my pretty walks_ at the _Rocks_, sufficiently paints her delight inher own garden. In compliment to this lady, I cannot help applying toher the exact words which Petrarch applies to Laura: _une hauteintelligence, un coeur pure, qui a la sagesse de l'âge avancé, ait lebrilliant de la belle jeunesse_. 

Few passed more happy hours in their garden at _Baville_, than theillustrious Lamoignon, of whom it was said, that "Son ame égaloit songénie; simple dans ses moeurs, austere dans sa conduite, il étoit leplus doux des hommes, quand la veuve et l'orphein étoient à ses pieds, _Boileau_, _Racine_, _Bourdaloue_, _Rapin_, composoit sa petitecour, "--and whom Rapin invokes, not only in his poem on gardens, _My flowers aspiring round your brows shall twine, And in immortal wreaths, shall all their beauties join;_

but in his letters, preserved with those of Rabutin de Bussy, he paintsin high terms the name of Lamoignon, and frequently dwells on hisretreat at _Baville_. Mons. Rab. De Bussy, in a letter to Rapin, says:"Que Je vous trouve heureux d'avoir deux mois à passer à _Baville_, avecMons. Le presidant! Il est admirable à Paris; mais il est aimable à samaison de campagne, et vous savez qu'on a plus de plaisir à aimer qu'àadmirer. " On his death, Rapin thus speaks of him: "Il n'y eut jamais uneplus belle ame jointe à un plus bel esprit. Le plus grand de tous leséloges est, que le peuple l'a pleuré; et chacun s'est plaint de sa mortcomme de la perte d'un ami, ou de celle d'un bienfacteur. "

The name of Boileau is too interesting to be overlooked. Many of hisletters and pages discover the delight he took in his garden at_Auteuil_. In his epistle to _Lamoignon_, he describes his seat there ashis "bless'd abode, " his "dear delicious shades, " and he then paints thepleasures of his country seat:

 _Give me these shades, these forests, and these fields, And the soft sweets that rural quiet yields; Oh, leave me to the fresh, the fragrant breeze, And let me here awhile enjoy my ease. Let me Pomona's plenteous blessings crop, And see rich autumn's ripen'd burden drop, Till Bacchus with full clusters crowns the year, And gladdens with his load the vintager. _

His celebrated epistle to _Anthony_, his old gardener, not only shewsthe kind master, but his own love to his garden. I cannot refrain fromquoting a few lines from Lempriere: "As a poet, Boilieu has deservedlyobtained the applauses of every man of genius and taste. Not only hiscountrymen boast of the superior effusions of his muse, but foreignersfeel and admire the graces, the strength and harmony of his verse, andthat delicacy of satire, and energy of style, by which he raised himselfto immortality. " Another of his biographers says: "La religion, quiéclaira ses derniers momens, avoit animé toute sa vie. " The author ofthe Pursuits of Literature thus speaks of him: "The most perfect of allmodern writers, in true taste and judgment. His sagacity was unerring;he combined every ancient excellence, and appears original even in theadoption of acknowledged thoughts and allusions. He is the just andadequate representative of Horace, Juvenal, and Perseus, united, withoutone indecent blemish; and for my own part, I have always considered himas the most finished gentleman that ever wrote. " In his Life, translatedby Ozell, we are told, that "he was full of sentiments of humanity, mildness, and justice. He censured vice, and sharply attacked the badtaste of his time, without one spark of envy, or calumny. Whatevershocked truth, raised in him an indignation which he could not master, and which accounts for that energy and fire which pervades his satires. The sight of any learned man in want, made him so uneasy, that he couldnot forbear lending money. His good nature and justice did fartherappear in his manner of recompensing his domestics, and by hisliberality to the poor. He gave by his will fifty thousand livres to thesmall parishes adjoining the church of Notre Dame; ten thousand livresto his valet de chambre, and five thousand to an old woman who hadserved him a long time. But he was not contented to bestow hisbenevolence at his death, and when he was no longer in a condition ofenjoying his estate himself, he was, all his life long, studious inseeking opportunities of doing good offices. " Part of this is confirmedby another biographer: "Une piété sincere, une foi vive et une charitési grande, qu'elle ne lui a presque fait reconnoitre d'autres héritiersque les pauvres. " The Lettres of Mad. La Comtesse de la Riviere, andthose of de Sevigné, frequently mention the charm which attended thevisits of Boileau. [12] Rabutin du Bussy thus speaks of him, in a letterto the Pere Rapin, after eulogizing Moliere: "Despréaux est encoremerveilleuse; personne ne'crit avec plus de pureté; ses pensées sontfortes, et ce qui m'en plait, toujours vraies. "

The above is a very cursory and brief allusion to what might be gatheredrespecting those superb gardens in France, whose costly and magnificentdecorations so charmed many of our English nobility and gentry, whentravelling there, during the periods of Charles II. , James II. , William, Anne, and during subsequent reigns. One need recur only to a very few, as to Rose, who was sent there by Lord Essex, to view Versailles; toGeorge London, who was commissioned to go there, not only by the sameRose, but who afterwards accompanied the Earl of Portland, KingWilliam's ambassador; but to Evelyn, Addison, Dr. Lister, Kent, when heaccompanied Lord Burlington through France to Italy; to the Earl of Corkand Orrery (the translator of Pliny's Letters), whose gardens at_Marston_, and at _Caledon_, and whose letters from Italy, all shew theeagerness with which he must have viewed the gardens of France, whenpassing through the provinces towards Florence; to Ray, Lady M. W. Montague, Bolingbroke, Peterborough, Smollet, John Wilks, John Horne(when he met Mr. Sterne, or designed to meet him, at _Toulouse_), toGray, Walpole, R. P. Knight, who must have passed through the richprovinces of France, as, in his work on Taste, he speaks of "terracesand borders intermixed with vines and flowers, (_as I have seen them inItalian villas_, and in some old English gardens in the same style), where the mixture of splendour, richness, and neatness, was beautifuland pleasing in the highest degree;" and to the lately deceased Sir U. Price, who must also have passed through France, to view (with theeagerness with which he did view) the rich and magnificently decoratedgardens of Italy, "aided with the splendour and magnificence of art, "their ballustrades, their fountains, basons, vases and statues, andwhich he dwells on in his Essays with the same enthusiasm as when hethere contemplated the works of Titian, Paul Veronese, and other greatmasters. Indeed, those pages where he regrets the demolition of many ofour old English gardens, and when he dwells on the probability that evenRaphael, Giulio Romano, and M. Angelo, (which last planted the famouscypresses in the garden of the Villa d'Este) were consulted on thedecorations of some of the old Italian ones; these pages at once shewthe fascinating charms of his classic pen. [13]

England can boast too of very great names, who have been attached tothis art, and most zealously patronized it, though they have not writtenon the subject:--Lord Burleigh, Lord Hudson, Sir Walter Raleigh, LordCapell, who honoured himself by several years correspondence with LaQuintinye; William the Third, --for Switzer tells us, that "in the leastinterval of ease, gardening took up a greater part of his time, in whichhe was not only a delighter, but likewise a great judge, "--the Earl ofEssex, whom the mild and benevolent Lord William Russell said "was theworthiest, the justest, the sincerest, and the most concerned for thepublic, of any man he ever knew;" Lord William Russell himself, too, onwhom Thomson says, _Bring every sweetest flower, and let me strew The grave where Russell lies_, whose fall Switzer feelingly laments, as one of the best of masters, andencouragers of arts and sciences, particularly gardening, that that ageproduced, and who "made _Stratton_, about seven miles from Winchester, his seat, and his gardens there some of the best that were made in thoseearly days, such indeed as have mocked some that have been done since;and the gardens of Southampton House, in Bloomsbury Square, were also ofhis making;" the generous friend of this Lord William Russell, the manlyand patriotic Duke of Devonshire, who erected _Chatsworth_, that noblespecimen of a magnificent spirit;[14] Henry Earl of Danby, the Duke ofArgyle, beheaded in 1685, for having supported the rebellion ofMonmouth; the Earl of Halifax, the friend of Addison, Swift, Pope, andSteele, and on whom a funeral poem thus speaks, _In the rich furniture of whose fair mind, Those dazzling intellectual graces shin'd, That drew the love and homage of mankind. _[15]

Lord Weymouth; Dr. Sherard of Eltham; Collinson, "to whose name isattached all that respect which is due to benevolence and virtue;"Grindal, Bishop of London, who cultivated with great success the vineand other productions of his garden at Fulham; Compton, Bishop ofLondon, eminent, as Mr. Falconer in his Fulham observes, for hisunbounded charity and beneficence, and who was so struck with thegenius, the learning, and probity of Mr. Ray, that he was almost at theentire charge of erecting the monument to him; the Earl of Scarborough, an accomplished nobleman, immortalized by the enchanting pen of Pope, and the fine pen of Chesterfield; the Earl of Gainsborough; the greatChatham, whose taste in the embellishment of rural nature has beenexultingly acknowledged by Mr. Walpole, and by George Mason;[16] withnumerous other men of rank and science. [17] These have highly assistedin elevating gardening to the rank it has long since held, and hasallured multitudes to this delightful science:--no wonder, when _Homer_=writeth how= _Laertes_ =the olde man, was wont with his travaile in hisOrchards, to drive from his minde the sorrow hee tooke for the absenceof his sonne=. When old Gerarde asks his _courteous and well-willingreaders_--"whither do all men walk for their honest recreation, butwhere the earth hath most beneficially painted her face with flourishingcolours? and what season of the year more longed for than the spring, whose gentle breath enticeth forth the kindly sweets, and makes themyield their fragrant smells?" When the Lord Chancellor Bacon declares agarden "is the purest of human pleasures; it is the greatest refreshmentto the spirits of man:" and when this wonderfully gifted man thus fondlydwells on part of its allurements;--"the breath of flowers is farsweeter in the air (where it comes and goes like the warbling of music), than in the hand; therefore, nothing is more fit for that delight, thanto know what be the flowers and plants that do best perfume the air; theflower, which above all others yields the sweetest smell in the air, isthe violet;[18] next to that is the musk rose, then thestrawberry-leaves, dying with a most-excellent cordial smell; then sweetbriar, then wall-flowers, which are very delightful to be set under aparlour, or lower chamber window; but those which perfume the air mostdelightfully, not passed by as the rest, but being trodden upon andcrushed, are three--that is, burnet, wild thyme, and water-mints;therefore you are to set whole alleys of them, to have the pleasure whenyou walk or tread. "[19] Or when Mr. Evelyn, in the joy of hisenthusiasm, exultingly transposed from Virgil:--

 O fortunatos nimium, bona si sua norint _Horticulas_!

and who declared, that the employ and felicity of an excellent gardenerwas preferable to all other diversions. When Mr. Addison says that agarden "fills the mind with calmness and tranquillity, and lays all itsturbulent passions at rest. " When Sir William Temple (who infused intohis writings the graces of some of the best writers of ancient times), thus allures his readers: "_Epicurus_, whose admirable wit, felicity ofexpression, excellence of nature, sweetness of conversation, temperanceof life, and constancy of death, made him so beloved by his friends, admired by his scholars, and honoured by the Athenians, passed his timewholly in his garden; there he studied, there he exercised, there hetaught his philosophy; and indeed no other sort of abode seems tocontribute so much to both the tranquillity of mind, and indolence ofbody, which he made his chief ends. The sweetness of air, thepleasantness of smells, the verdure of plants, the cleanness andlightness of food, the exercises of working or walking; but above all, the exemption from cares and solitude, seem equally to favour andimprove both contemplation and health, the enjoyment of sense andimagination, and thereby the quiet and ease both of the body and mind. "When the industrious Switzer says:--"'Tis in the quiet enjoyment ofrural delights, the refreshing and odoriferous breezes of garden air, that the deluge of vapours, and those terrors of hypochondraism, whichcrowd and oppress the head are dispelled. " When the industrious andphilosophic Bradley observes, that "though the trouble of the mind wearsand destroys the constitution even of the most healthful body, all kindsof gardens contribute to health. " When Pope, [20] who loved to breathethe sweet and fragrant air of gardens, in one of his letters says, "I amin my garden, amused and easy; this is a scene where one finds nodisappointment. " When that "universally esteemed and beloved man, " thePrince de Ligne, declares, "Je voudrois échauffer tout l'univers de mongôut pour les jardins. Il me semble qu'il est impossible, qu'un mechantpuisse l'avoir. Il n'est point de vertus que Je ne suppose à celui quiaime à parler et à faire des jardins. Péres de famille, inspirez lajardinomanie à vos enfans. [21] When a taste for gardening (as Mr. Cobbetobserves) "is much more innocent, more pleasant, more free fromtemptation to cost, than any other; so pleasant in itself! It isconducive to health, by means of the irresistible temptation which itoffers to early rising; it tends to turn the minds of youth fromamusements and attachments of a frivolous or vicious nature; it is ataste which is indulged at home; it tends to make home pleasant, and toendear us to the spot on which it is our lot to live. " When Mr. Johnsonforcibly paints the allurements to a love for this art, when concludinghis energetic volume on gardening, by quoting from Socrates, that "it isthe source of health, strength, plenty, riches, and of a thousand soberdelights and honest pleasures. "--And from Lord Verulam, that amid itsscenes and pursuits, "life flows pure, and the heart more calmly beats. "And when M. Le V. H. De Thury, président de la Société d'Horticulture deParis, in his Discours d'Installation says: "Dans tous les temps et danstous les pays, les hommes les plus célèbres, les plus grands capitaines, les princes, et les rois, se sont livrés avec délices, et souvent avecpassion, à la culture des plantes et des jardins. " And among otherinstances he cites "Descartes, qui se livrait avec une égale ardeur à lascience des astres et à la culture des fleurs de son jardin, et quisouvent, la nuit, quittait ses observations célestes pour étudier lesommeil et la floraison de ses plantes avant le lever du soliel. "[22]Petrarch, too, who has enchanted every nation and every age, from hisendeared Vaucluse, thus speaks of his garden: "I have formed two; I donot imagine they are to be equalled in all the world: I should feelmyself inclined to be angry with fortune, if there were any so beautifulout of Italy. I have store of pleasant green walks, with trees shadowingthem most sweetly. " Indeed, what Cicero applies to another science, maywell apply to horticulture: "nihil est _agriculturæ_ melius, nihiluberius, nihil dulcius, nihil homine, nihil libero dignius. " Let meclose with a most brilliant name;--the last resource in the _Candide_ ofVoltaire is, --_cultivate your garden_. 

In my transient review of the gardens of ancient times, at thecommencement of the following work, I have not even glanced at those ofthe _Saxons_, in this island; when one should have thought that themajestic name of ALFRED alone, would have made a search of this natureinteresting, even if such search were unavailing. I have alsoinadvertently omitted any allusion to those of the _Danes_ and the_Normans_. I have only then now to say, that Mr. Johnson's researches, as to these gardens, in pp. 31, 37, 38, 39 and 40 of his latelypublished History of English Gardening, with his elegant language andthe flow of sentiment that pervades those pages, would make any searchor review of mine presumptuous. In those pages, he dwells on thetendency which the then introduction of the christian religion had tosoften the manners of the people, and by thus rendering them moredomestic, gardening became an art congenial to their feelings; andwhilst the country at large was devastated by war, the property of thereligious establishments was held sacred, and varieties of vegetablespreserved, which otherwise would soon have become extinct, if cultivatedin less hallowed ground. He then traces the existence of many gardens, orchards, and vineyards, belonging to our monasteries, proving, thateven in the time of the _Danes_, horticulture continued "silently toadvance, " and that at the time of the arrival of the _Normans_, gardenswere generally in the possession of the laity, as well as of theecclesiastics; and he refers to Doomsday Book for his assertion, that"there is no reason to doubt, that at this period, every house, from thepalace to the cottage, was possessed of a garden of some size. " Heconcludes with interesting references to the gardens, vineyards, andorchards, of the Abbot of Ely and other monks. 

The above work of Mr. Johnson's is the result of original thought, andof an ardent and extended scientific research. Mine is a compilation, "made with a pair of scissors, " to copy the words of Mr. Mathias, whichhe applies to a certain edition of Pope. I content myself, however, withthe reflection of Mr. Walpole, that "they who cannot perform greatthings themselves, may yet have a satisfaction in doing justice to thosewho can. "

Having alluded at pp. 71 and 120 to Dr. Alison, and having given at p. 211 Dr. Dibdin's tribute to him, I cannot omit reminding my reader, thatthe graceful language, the sublime and solemn thoughts, which thisadmirable divine has transfused into many of his Sermons on the Seasons, make one doubly feel the truth and propriety with which he has soliberally reviewed Mr. Whately's _Observations on Modern Gardening_. 

[Illustration]

 ON THE PORTRAITS OF English Authors on Gardening. 

ON THE PORTRAITS OF ENGLISH AUTHORS ON GARDENING. 

The earliest accounts we have of gardens, are those recorded in HolyWrit; their antiquity, therefore, appears coeval with that of timeitself. The Garden in Eden had every tree good for food, or pleasant tothe sight. Noah planted a Vineyard. Solomon, in the true spirit ofhorticultural zeal, says, _I planted me Vineyards, I made me Gardens andOrchards, and I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruit_. We haveall heard of the grandeur of Nebuchadnezzar's Gardens. 

Whether that of Alcinous was fabulous or not, it gave rise to Homer'slofty strains:--

 The balmy spirit of the western gale Eternal breathes on flowers untaught to fail; The same mild season gives the blooms to blow, The buds to harden, and the fruit to grow. [23]

That Homer was all alive to the rich scenery of nature, is evident, evenfrom his Calypso's Cave:--

 All o'er the cavern'd rock a sprouting vine Laid forth ripe clusters. Hence four limpid founts Nigh to each other ran, in rills distinct, Huddling along with many a playful maze. Around them the soft meads profusely bloom'd Fresh violets and balms. [24]

The Egyptians, the Persians, and other remote nations, prided themselveson their magnificent gardens. Diodorus Siculus mentions one "enrichedwith palm trees, and vines, and every kind of delicious fruit, byflowery lawns and planes, and cypresses of stupendous magnitude, withthickets of myrtle, and laurel, and bay. " He paints too the attachmentwhich some of the ancients had to landscape scenery:--

 None of art's works, but prodigally strown By nature, with her negligence divine. 

The splendid gardens at Damascus, were superintended by a native ofMalaga, who "traversed the burning sands of Africa, for the purpose ofdescribing such vegetables as could support the fervid heat of thatclimate. " The cities of Samarcand, Balckd, Ispahan, and Bagdad, wereenveloped and surrounded by luxurious and splendid gardens. No wonderwhen those countries were partly governed by such celebrated men asHaroun-al-Raschid, and his son Al-Mamoun, the generous protectors ofArabian literature, and which son (about the year 813) has been justlytermed the _Augustus_ of Bagdad. "Study, books, and men of letters, (Iam quoting the eloquent pages of De Sismondi _On the Literature of theArabians_, ) almost entirely engrossed his attention. Hundreds of camelsmight be seen entering Bagdad loaded with nothing but manuscripts andpapers. Masters, instructors, translators, and commentators, formed thecourt of Al-Mamoun, which appeared rather to be a learned academy thanthe centre of government in a warlike empire. "

The gardens of Epicurus, and of Pisistratus, Cimon, and Theophrastus, were the most famous of any in the Grecian empire. Those of Herculaneummay be seen in the 2nd vol. Of the paintings found there. The luxuriousgardens of the affluent Seneca, and the delight with which Cicero speaksof his paternal seat, (which enraptured his friend Atticus with itsbeauty, ) and the romantic ones of Adrian, at Tivoli, and of Lucullus, ofSallust, of the rich and powerful Crassus, and of Pompey, shew thedelight which the old Romans took in them. One may gather this also fromLivy; and Virgil's energy of language warmly paints the

 ----flowering pride Of meads and streams that through the valleys glide. A country cottage near a crystal flood, A winding valley, and a lofty wood. 

 * * * * *

 Leisure and calm in groves, and cooling vales; Grottoes and babbling brooks, and darksome dales. 

Messaline (says a translation of Tacitus) avoit une passion extreme pourles jardins de Lucullus, qu'il embellisoit superbement, ajoûtant tousles jours quelque nouvelles beautez à cellés qu'ils avoint receuës deleur premier maitre. 

We are reminded in a magic page of our own immortal poet, of those ofJulius Cæsar, and of

 ----_his_ walks, His private arbours, and new-planted orchards, when the noble Antony invokes the Romans to

 ----kiss dead Cæsar's wounds, And dip their napkins in his sacred blood. 

Horace's incomparable lines on the happiness and delight of a countrylife, his country granges, his woods, his garden, and his grove; andmany of the other Roman writers, abundantly shew their attachment togardens, as accompaniments to their splendid villas. There was scarcelya romantic valley that was not crowded with their villas. 

Martial and Juvenal ridicule the clipped box trees, cut dragons, andsimilar grotesque fancies, at some of their villas, both admiring thenobler grace with which nature adorned each spot. [25]

The Romans were perhaps the first who introduced that art into Britain, meagerly as they did introduce it. The earliest account I can find of anEnglish writer on Gardening, is, Alfred, an _Englishman_, surnamed the Philosopher, much respected atRome. He died 1270, and left four books on the Meteors of Aristotle;also one on _Vegetables_, and five on the Consolations of Boethius. Weare not _very_ likely to discover _his_ portrait. Nor that of thefollowing:--

HENRY DANIEL, a Dominican friar, said to be well skilled in the naturalphilosophy and physic of his time, left a manuscript inscribed _AaronDanielis_. He therein treats De re Herbaria, de Arboribus, _Fructibus_, &c. He flourished about the year 1379. --N. B. I have copied this articlefrom Dr. Pulteney's Sketches, vol. 1, page 23. [26]

I believe there are no Portraits engraved, nor perhaps yet discovered, of the following sixty-nine persons; at least I know of none:--

RICHARD ARNOLDE, who in his Chronicle, printed in 1502, has a chapter on"The crafte of graffynge, and plantyne, and alterynge of fruyts, as wellin colours, as in taste. " The celebrated poem of the Nut-brown Maidfirst appeared in this Chronicle. Sir E. Brydges, in vol. 6 of hisCensura Literaria, has transcribed the whole poem as it appears inArnolde. 

THOMAS TUSSER, whose memory has had the felicity to merit the notice ofMr. Warton, in his History of English Poetry, from his having publishedhis poem of "A Hundreth good Pointes of Husbandrie, imprinted at London, in Flete strete, within Temple barre, at the syne of the Hand andStarre, by Richard Totell, An. 1577. " A copy of this first edition(probably unique) is preserved in the British Museum. A re-print of thissingular literary rarity is given in Mr. Hazlewood's BritishBibliographer. The subsequent editions of this curious book areinterestingly enumerated by Mr. Mavor, in his edition of Tusser. Noportrait I believe has been discovered of this benevolent man, whosegood sense, impressive maxims, enlightened and philosophic turn of mindand feeling for the poor, shine through most pages of his poem:--

 What better bed than conscience good, to pass the night with sleep, What better work, than daily care, from sin thyself to keep? What better thought, than think on God, and daily him to serve, What better gift than to the poor, that ready be to sterve?

His estimate of life is concise:--

 To death we must stoop, be we high, be we low, But how and how suddenly few be that know; What carry we then but a sheet to the grave, (To cover this carcass) of all that we have?

His hospitable heart thus pleads for the desolate, during thefestivities of Christmas, and his love of "mirth and good cheer" makeshim not forget Harvests home:--

 At Christmas, the hardness of winter doth rage, A griper of all things, and specially age; Then sadly poor people, the young and the old, Be sorest oppressed with hunger and cold. 

 At Christmas, by labour there's little to get, That wanting--the poorest in danger are set: What season then better, of all the whole year, Thy needy, poor neighbour, to comfort and cheer. 

 At Christmas be merry, and thankful withal, And feast thy poor neighbours, the great with the small: Yea all the year long, to the poor let us give, God's blessing to follow us, whiles we do live. 

 In harvest time, harvest folk, servants and all Should make, all together, good cheer in the hall; And fill out the black bowl of blythe to their song, And let them be merry all harvest time long. 

 Once ended thy harvest, let none be beguil'd, Please such as did help thee--man, woman, and child, -- Thus doing, with alway, such help as they can, Thou winnest the praise of the labouring man. 

 Now look up to God-ward, let tongue never cease In thanking of him, for his mighty increase, Accept my good will--for a proof go and try; The better thou thrivest, the gladder am I. 

Tusser died about the year 1583, aged about sixty-five, and is buried inSt. Mildred's church, in the Poultry. His epitaph is preserved inStowe's Survey of London; and (as Mr. Mavor observes) it is perfectly incharacter with the man and his writings; and if conjecture may beallowed, was penned by himself:--

 Here Thomas Tusser, clad in earth, doth lie, Who sometime made the Points of Husbandry. By him then learn thou may'st. Here learn we must, When all is done, we sleep and turn to dust. And yet, through Christ, to heaven we hope to go: Who reads his books, shall find his faith was so. 

His book exhibits an authentic picture of the state of horticultureduring the time of Mary, and Elizabeth; and, as Mr. Warton observes, hiswork "is valuable as a genuine picture of the agriculture, the ruralarts, and the domestic oeconomy and customs of our industriousancestors. "

Walter Blith says of him:--"As for Master Tusser, who rimeth out of hisexperience, if thou delightest therein, thou mayst find things worthythy observation. "

Sir John Hawkins, in his History of Music, thus writes:--"The life ofthis poor man was a series of misfortunes; and is a proof of the truthof that saying in Holy Scripture, that 'the battle is not to the strong, nor the race to the swift. ' As to the Points of Husbandry, it is writtenin familiar verse, and abounds with many curious particulars, thatbespeak the manners, the customs, and the modes of living in thecountry, from the year 1520 to about half a century after; besideswhich, it discovers such a degree of oeconomical wisdom in the author, such a sedulous attention to the honest arts of thriving, such a generallove of mankind, such a regard to justice, and a reverence for religion, that we do not only lament his misfortunes, but wonder at them; and areat a loss to account for his dying poor, who understood so well themethod to become rich. "

From the "Literary Life and Select Works of Benjamin Stillingfleet, " Iselect a small part of what that worthy man says of Tusser:--"He seemsto have been a good-natured cheerful man, and though a lover ofoeconomy, far from meanness, as appears in many of his precepts, wherein he shews his disapprobation of that pitiful spirit, which makesfarmers starve their cattle, their land, and every thing belonging tothem; chusing rather to lose a pound than spend a shilling. Upon thewhole, his book displays all the qualities of a well-disposed man, aswell as of an able farmer. He wrote in the infancy of farming, andtherefore I shall give a full account of his practice, especially as hisprecepts will be comprised in a narrow compass, and as a sort of justicedone to him as an original writer. "

Mr. Mavor observes, "The precepts of Tusser indeed are so excellent, that few can read them without profit and improvement; he appears tohave possessed such a degree of pious resignation to the will of theSupreme, of christian charity, and of good humour, under all hismiscarriages, that his character rises high in our esteem, independentof his merits as a writer. The cultivated and liberal mind of Tusserseems to have been ill-suited to his fortune, and to his vocation. Alove of hospitality probably kept him from independence; yet if he wasimprudent, we cannot help loving the man and admiring the justness ofhis sentiments on every subject connected with life and morals. "

Fuller, in his _Worthies of Essex_, says, "he spread his bread with allsorts of butter, yet none would stick thereon. Yet I hear no man tocharge him with any vicious extravagancy, or visible carelessness, imputing his ill success to some occult cause in God's counsel. "

I am indebted, in some degree, for these several testimonies, to Mr. Mavor's spirited edition of this book, which he has enriched with abiographical sketch of Tusser, and with many interesting illustrationsof his poem. He exhibits another instance of the private character ofTusser, in his concluding remarks on the last page of his work:--"Themoral feeling and the pious resignation which breathe in the concludingstanzas of this poem, leave a powerful impression on the mind; andwhatever vicissitudes in life the Editor or his Readers may experience, he wishes for Himself and for Them, the same philosophic and christiancomposure, on a retrospect of the past, and the anticipated view offuturity. "

Of Mr. Warton's remarks on Tusser, Mr. Mavor thus partly speaks:--"Forthe personal kindness of Warton to me, at an early period of life, Ishall ever retain an affectionate remembrance of him, and for his geniusand high attainments in literature, I feel all that deference andrespect which can belong to his most enthusiastic admirers; but no manwas less a judge of the merits of a book on Husbandry and Huswifry. "

Mr. Warton observes, that "Tusser's general precepts have often anexpressive brevity, and are sometimes pointed with an epigrammatic turn, and smartness of allusion. "

In Tusser's poetical account of his own unsuccessful life, _How through the briers my youthful years Have run their race_, --

how he was forced from his father's house when a little boy, and drivenlike a POSTING HORSE, being impressed to sing as a chorister, atWallingford College; his miseries there, and the _stale bread_ they gavehim; the fifty-three stripes the poor lad received at Eton, whenlearning Latin; his happy transfer to Trinity College, which to himseemed a removal from hell to heaven; the generosity of Lord Paget, _Whose soul I trust is with the just_;

then his

 ----_good parents dy'd One after one, till both were gone, Whose souls in bliss, be long ere this. _

His remaining ten years at court, where

 _Cards and dice, with Venus' vice, And peevish pride, from virtue wide, With some so wraught, That Tyburn play, made them away, Or beggars state. _

His residing in _Suffolk_, as a farmer, _To moil and toil, With loss and pain, to little gain, To cram Sir Knave_;

his removal to near Dereham Abbey, which he left, (though stored withflesh and fish) from the squabbles and brawls of _lord with lord_; thedeath of the worthy Sir Richard Southwell, ----_that jewel great, Which op'd his door to rich and poor, So bounteously_, --

on whose decease he was left to _sink or swim_; his removal toSalisbury, as a singing man; thence

 _With sickness worn, as one forlorn, _

he removed to a parsonage house in Essex, to collect tithes, in its_miry ways_; his foreboding the parson's death, and foreseeing newcharges about to be made for tithes, ----_I spy'd, if parson died, (All hope in vain) to hope for gain, I might go dance; Once rid my hand, of pars'nage land, Hence, by-and-by, away went I To London straight, to hope and wait For better chance. _

From which place the plague drove him to Cambridge, to

 _The college, best of all the rest, _ _With thanks to thee, O Trinity!_ _Through thee and thine, for me and mine, _ _Some stay I got. _

He concludes with pious resignation to God. [27]

DIDYMUS MOUNTAIN, who, in 1571, wrote "The Gardener's Labyrinth, " in4to. "wherein are set forth, divers knottes and mazes, cunningly handledfor the beautifying of gardens. " And in 1577 appeared a second part, "with the wittie ordering of other daintie hearbes, delectable flowres, pleasaunt fruites, and fine rootes, as the like hath not heretofore beenvttered of any. " Other editions in 4to. 1608, and in folio 1652. 

BARNABY GOOCHE published The whole art and trade of Husbandry, containedin foure books, _enlarged_ by Barnaby Googe, Esq. 4to. Black letter, 1578. The two later editions, in 1614 and 1631, both in black letter, and in 4to. Are said by Weston to have been re-printed by GervaiseMarkham. The 2nd book treats "Of Gardens, Orchards, and Woods. "

In the 2nd vol. Of the _Censura Litt. _ is some information respecting B. Gooche, and his epistle to the reader shews his own liberal mind: "Ihaue thought it meet (good Reader) for thy further profit and pleasure, to put into English, these foure Bookes of Husbandry, _collected andset forth_, _by Master Conrade Heresbatch_, a great and a learnedCounceller of the Duke of _Cleues_: not thinking it reason, though Ihaue altered and increased his vvorke, _with mine owne readings andobseruations_, ioined with the experience of sundry my friends, to takefrom him (as diuers in the like case haue done) the honour and glory ofhis owne trauaile: Neither is it my minde, that this either his doings, or mine, should deface, or any wayes darken the good enterprise, orpainfull trauailes of such our Countrymen of England, as haueplentifully written of this matter: but alwayes haue, and do giue themthe reuerence and honour due to so vertuous, and well disposedGentlemen, namely, _Master Fitzherbert_, and _Master Tusser_: vvhosevvorkes may, in my fancie, without any presumption, compare with any, either _Varro_, _Columella_, or _Palladius_ of _Rome_. "

SIR HUGH PLATT, "that learned and great observer, " but of whom we knowso little, was, as Mr. Weston, in his Catalogue of English Authors, informs us, "the most ingenious husbandman of the age he lived in: yet, so great was his modesty, that all his works seem to be posthumous, except the _Paradise of Flora_, which appeared in 1600, when it isprobable he was living. He spent part of his time at Copt-hall, inEssex, or at Bishop's-hall, in Middlesex, at each of which places he hada country seat; but his town residence was Lincoln's Inn. He held acorrespondence with all lovers of agriculture and gardening throughoutEngland; and such was the justice and modesty of his temper, that healways named the author of every discovery communicated to him. " In 1606he had a garden in St. Martin's Lane. A list of his works appears in thelate Dr. Watts's most laborious work, the Bibl. Brit. In 4 vols. 4to. Inhis "Floraes Paradise, beautified and adorned with sundry sorts ofdelicate fruites and flowers, to be sold in Paule's church-yard, at thesigne of the Holy Ghost, 1608, " 12mo. He thus concludes his address tothe studious and well affected reader:--"_And thus, gentle Reader, hauing acquainted thee with my long, costly, and laborious Collections, not written at adventure, or by an imaginary conceit in a Scholler'spriuate Studie, but wrung out of the earth, by the painfull hand ofexperience: and hauing also giuen thee a touch of Nature, whom no man asyet euer durst send naked into the worlde without her veyle; andexpecting, by thy good entertainement of these, some encouragement forhigher and deeper discoueries heereafter, I leaue thee to the God ofNature, from whom all the true light of Nature proceedeth. _Bednall-greene, _neere London_, _this 2 of July, 1608_. "

In his chapter of "An offer of some new, rare, and profitableInventions, " after speaking of "the most rare and peerless plant of allthe rest, I meane the grape, " he mentions the wholesomeness of the winehe then made from his garden at _Bednall-greene_, _neere London_:--"Andif any exception shold be taken against the race and delicacie of them, I am content to submit them to the censure of the best mouthes, thatprofesse any true skill in the iudgement of high country wines: althoughfor their better credit herein, I could bring in the French Embassador, who (now almost two yeeres since, comming to my house of purpose to tastthese wines) gaue this sentence vpon them; that he neuer drank anybetter nevv Wine in France. And _Sir Francis Vere_, that martiallMirrour of our times, who is seldom or never without a cup of excellentwine, at his table, assured me that he neuer dranke the like vnto mine, but once, and that in France. So that now mee thinks I begin to growesomewhat strong in my supporters; and therefore I make some doubt, whether I shall need to bring in that renowned Lady _Arabella_, theCountesse of _Cumberland_, the Lady _Anne Clifford_, the Lady_Hastings_, the Lady _Candish_, and most of the Maides of Honour, withdiuers Lordes, Knights, and Gentlemen of good worth, that haue generallyapplauded the same; or leaue it heere to worke out his owne credit inhis due time, because it is rich, and of a strong boiling nature. "

In his chapter of "Secrets in the ordering of Trees and Plants, " healludes to a gardener of the name of Maister _Andrew Hill_, or to hisgarden, no less than twenty-three times; and frequently to one of thename of Maister _Pointer_, [28] _of Twickenham_. Also to one of the nameof _Colborne_; and to a parson _Simson_. He thus concludes thischapter:--"Heere I will conclude with a pretty conceit of that delicateknight, Sir _Francis Carew_; who, for the better accomplishment of hisroyall entertainemét of our late Queene of happy memory, at his house at_Beddington_, led her Maiestie to a Cherrie tree, whose fruite hee hadof purpose kept backe from ripening, at the least one month after allCherries had taken their farewell of England. This secret he performed, by straining a Tent or cover of canvas ouer the whole tree, and wettingthe same now and then with a scoope or horne, as the heate of theweather required; and so, by with-holding the sunne-beames fromreflecting vppon the berries, they grew both great, and were very longbefore they had gotten their perfect cherrie-colour: and when hee wasassured of her Maiesties comming, he remoued the Tent, and a few sunnydaies brought them to their full maturitie. "

In the 2nd vol. Of _Censura Litt. _ is some information respecting SirHugh. 

GABRIEL PLATTES, who (Harte says) "had a bold, adventurous cast ofmind. " The author of "Herefordshire Orchards, " calls him "a singularhonest man. " Mr. Weston says, "This author may be considered as anoriginal genius in husbandry. This ingenious writer, whose labours wereproductive of plenty and riches to others, was so destitute of thecommon necessaries of life, as to perish with hunger and misery. He wasfound dead in the streets, without a shirt to cover him, to the eternaldisgrace of the government he lived under. He bequeathed his papers toS. Hartlib, whom a contemporary author addresses in this manner: 'none(but yourself, who wants not an enlarged heart, but a fuller hand tosupply the world's defect, ) being found, with some few others, toadminister any relief to a man of so great merit. ' Another friend ofHartlib's, gives Plattes the following character: 'certainly that manhad as excellent a genius in agriculture, as any that ever lived in thisnation before him, and was the most faithful seeker of his ungratefulcountry's good. I never think of the great judgement, pure zeal, andfaithful intentions of that man, and withal of his strange sufferings, and manner of death, but am struck with amazement, that such a manshould be suffered to fall down dead in the streets for want of food, whose studies tended in no less than providing and preserving food forwhole nations, and that with as much skill and industry, so withoutpride or arrogance towards God or man. '--A list of his many worksappears in Watts's Bibl. Brit. And also in Weston's intelligentCatalogue; and much information is given of Plattes in vol. 2 of theCensura Litteraria. Two of his works appear to be, 1. Treatise of Husbandry; 1633, 4to. 

 2. Discourse of Infinite Treasure, hidden since the World's beginning, in the way of Husbandry; 1632, 1653, 1656, 4to. [29]

WILLIAM LAWSON published in 1597, A New Orchard and Garden, in 4to. Other editions, in 4to. , in 1623, and 1626. His singular assertions aretreated with great candor by the author of _HerefordshireOrchards_, --"for I thought I found many signs of honesty and integrityin the man, a sound, clear, natural wit. "

SIMON HARWARD published in 1597, a Treatise on the Art of propagatingVegetables; and annexed it to Lawson's New Orchard and Garden, THOMAS JOHNSON, the learned editor of the enlarged and valuable editionof Gerarde. Wood calls him "the best herbalist of his time. " Mr. Weston, in his Catalogue, relates with great pleasure, the sanguine andinteresting tours which Mr. Johnson, and some friends, made in variouscounties, to examine the native botanical beauties of his own country. 

Wood further informs us, that at the siege of Basinghouse, "hereceived a shot in the shoulder, of which he died in a fortnight after;at which time his work did justly challenge funeral tears; being then noless eminent in the garrison for his valour and conduct as a soldier, than famous through the kingdom for his excellency as an herbalist andphysician. " I have given in a note below, his approbation of Parkinson'swork, merely to shew Mr. Johnson's liberal mind. [30]

RALPH AUSTEN, published his Treatise of Fruit Trees, shewing the mannerof Grafting, Planting, &c. With the spiritual use of an Orchard, orGarden, in divers similitudes. _Oxford_, 1653 and 1657, 4to. He appearsto have lived and died at Oxford. He dedicates it to his friend S. Hartlib, Esq. Worlidge says, that in this treatise Austen hath "verycopiously set forth the high applauses, dignities, advantages, andvariety of pleasures and contents, in the planting and enjoyment offruit trees. "

FRANCIS AUSTEN, published in 1631, Observations on Sir Francis Bacon'sNatural History, so far as concerns Fruit trees, 4to. Another edition, 4to. , 1657. 

JOHN BONFEIL, published Instructions how to Plant and Dress Vines, &c. And to make Wine, &c. Printed with his Art of making Silk, 4to. , 1622. 

STEPHEN BLAKE, published in 1664, The complete Gardener's Practice, 4to. 

WILLIAM HUGHES published

 1, The complete Vineyard, 8vo. 1670, and 1683. 

 2, The American Physician, or a Treatise of the Roots, Plants, &c. Growing in the English Plantations; 12mo. 1672. 

 3, The Flower Garden, 12mo. 1672 and 1734. 

SAMUEL HARTLIB, ESQ. Published Sir Richard Weston's "Discourse ofHusbandrie used in Brabant and Flanders, shewing the wonderfulimprovement of land there, and serving as a pattern for our practice inthis Commonwealth. " _Lond. _ 1645, 4to. 24 pages. Mr. Weston, in hisinteresting Catalogue, says, "It is remarked in the Phil. Trans. ThatEngland has profited in agriculture to the amount of many millions, inconsequence of the Flanders husbandry having been made known by thislittle treatise. In another edition (I believe 1655) Hartlib, in orderto enlarge, and better explain it, annexed Dr. Beatie's Annotations toit. " Mr. Hartlib also published, 1, Legacie; or an Enlargement of the Discourse of Husbandry; 4to. 1650. A second edition in 1651, and a third in 1655. 

 2, Concerning the Defects and Remedies of English Husbandry, in a letter to Dr. Beale; 4to. 1651. 

 3, A Designe for Plentie, by an universall planting of _Fruit-trees_; tendered by some Well-wishers to the Public. _Lond. _ without date, but probably (as Mr. Loudon observes) 1652, 4to. "Published by Hartlib, who had the MS. From the Hon. Colonel John Barkstead, Lieutenant of the Tower. The author was an aged minister of the Gospel, at Lovingland, near Yarmouth. "

 4, The Commonwealth of Bees, 1657. 

Mr. Weston gives much information respecting Mr. Hartlib. I select onlythe following:--

"He was a German gentleman by birth, a great promoter of husbandryduring the times of the commonwealth, and much esteemed by all ingeniousmen in those days, particularly by Milton, who addressed to him hisTreatise on Education; Sir William Petty also inscribed two letters tohim on the same subject. _Lond. _ 4to. 1647 and 1648. Cromwell, who was agreat favourer of agriculture, in consequence of this admirableperformance, allowed Hartlib a pension of £100. A year; and Hartlibafterwards, the better to fulfil the intentions of his benefactor, procured Dr. Beatie's excellent annotations on the Legacy, with othervaluable pieces from his numerous correspondents. This famous work, attributed to Hartlib, and called the Legacy, was only drawn up at hisrequest, and, passing through his correction and revision, was publishedby him. " His name will ever stand honoured, from Milton havingdedicated his _Tractate on Education_ to him, and from his having, inthis tract, painted with affection, and with warm and high colours, thecharacter of Mr. Hartlib. [31]

Dr. JOHN BEALE, author of that celebrated little tract, the"Herefordshire Orchards, a pattern for the whole of England. " _London_1657, 12mo. ; 1724, 8vo. He addresses this to Mr. Hartlib, and thuscommences it:--"Your industrious endeavours for the benefit of all men, and particularly for the good of this nation, hath well deserved thegrateful acknowledgement of all good men, and of my self in special; forthat in my rural retirement I have received some profit, and very muchinnocent and refreshing delights in the perusal of those treatises, which are by your diligent hand communicated to the publick. " He thusaffectionately concludes it:--"I briefly hint unto you what esteem we dotruly owe unto your labours. I pray the Lord to remember your diligencein the great day of his appearance in glory. Your hearty well-wisher. "In vol. 6 of the works of the Honourable Robert Boyle, are many lettersfrom Dr. Beale. That dated Oct. 26, strongly paints his attachment tothe fruits of Herefordshire, or whatever may tend to the benefit of thathis native county. Mr. Boyle says of him, "There is not in life, a manin this whole island, nor on the continents beyond the seas, that couldbe made more universally useful to do good to all. " And Mr. Gough, inhis Topography, records the benefits he conferred on that county. Such atestimony as the above, from such a man as Mr. Boyle, is, indeed, honourable. The learned Boerhaave tells us who Mr. Boyle was: "Boyle, the ornament of his age and country, succeeded to the genius andenquiries of the great Verulam. Which of all Boyle's writings shall Irecommend? All of them. To him we owe the secrets of fire, air, water, animals, vegetables, fossils, so that from his works may be reduced thewhole system of natural knowledge. " His charities amounted to £1000. Annually. Dr. Beale resided chiefly at Hereford, (1660) when he was madeRector of Yeovil, Somersetshire, where he died in 1683, at the age ofeighty. His other works are enumerated in Mr. Loudon's Encyclopædia ofGardening. Mr. Evelyn, in the greatest of his works, (his Sylva, ) addsto it Dr. Beale's advertisement concerning Cyder. 

William Brome, a principal ornament of Christ Church, a native ofHerefordshire, and who afterwards lived in retirement at Ewithington, inthat county, "formed the plan (says the late Mr. Dunster in his editionof Phillips's Cyder) of writing the Provincial History of his nativecounty, a work for which he was eminently qualified, not only by hisgreat and general learning, but as being particularly an excellentnaturalist and antiquary. After having made a considerable progress, heabandoned his design, and, which is still more to be lamented, destroyedthe valuable materials which he had collected. " I merely introduce thisto state, that from Mr. Brome, much information, in all likelihood, might have been gathered respecting Dr. Beale. We have to regret, thattime and mortality, have now obliterated every fading trace ofcontemporary recollection of a man, who, in his day, was so highlyesteemed. [32]

ROBERT SHARROCK, Archdeacon of Winchester, and Rector of Bishop'sWaltham, and of Horewood. Wood, in his Athenæ, says, "he was accountedlearned in divinity, in the civil and common law, and very knowing invegetables, and all appertaining thereunto. He published The History ofthe Propagation and Improvement of Vegetables, by the concurrence of artand nature. _Oxford_, 1660, 8vo. , and 1672, 8vo. : an account of whichbook you may see in the Phil. Trans. No. 84, page 5002. " He alsopublished Improvements to the Art of Gardening; or an exact Treatise onPlants. _London_, 1694; folio. This must have been a posthumous work, ashe died in 1684. 

---- ILIFFE, in 1670, published in 12mo. The compleat Vineyard. 

JOHN REA, the author of "Flora, Ceres, and Pomona. " It is enriched by afrontispiece engraved by D. Loggan. He dedicates the above folio, in1665, to Lord Gerard, of Gerard's Bromley. His lordship, it seems, aboutthat time, determined to erect that noble mansion, which Plot has givenus a plate of; and Rea, in this folio, enumerates those plants, fruits, and flowers, which he thinks this then-intended garden ought to befurnished with; and a small bit, or a piece or parcel, of which oncemost sumptuous garden, Plot gives us. "Altho' (says Rea) our countrycannot boast the benignity of that beautiful planet which melioratestheir fruit in Italy, France, and Spain; yet, by reflection from goodwalks, well gravelled walks, the choice of fit kinds, we may plentifullypartake the pleasure, and yearly enjoy the benefit, of many deliciousfruits: as also the admiration and delight in the infinite varieties ofelegant forms, various colours, and numerous kinds of noble plants, andbeautiful flowers, some whereof have been heretofore handled by arenowned person of your name; but since his time, nature hath discoveredmany new varieties, not known to former ages, as I hope shortly willappear in your own collections, gloriously adorning your spaciousgarden, which I wish may correspond, both in fashion and furniture, withthat noble structure to which it appertaineth. Accept then, my honouredlord, this humble offering, which may possibly live to do you service, when I am dust and ashes, and, according to my highest ambition, remainas a testimony of my sincerest gratitude for the many favours I havereceived from your honour, your most accomplished lady, and that noblefamily from whence she is descended. I should here add my prayers foryour honour's preservation, did I not reserve them for my morningsacrifice, daily to be presented to the immortal deities by him thatis, your most humble and most devoted servant, John Rea. " He addressesalso a long poem to Lady Gerard, on Flora inviting her to walk in thisgarden, in which he celebrates her "bright beauty. "

 Self-loved _Narcissus_, if he look On your fair eyes, will leave the brook, And undeceived, soon will rue He ever any loved but you. If to the _hyacinth_ you turn, He smiles, and quite forgets to mourn. The enamoured _heliotrope_ will run To your bright stars, and leave the sun. Our _lilies_ here do make no show, They whiter on your bosom grow, And _violets_ appear but stains, Compared with your bluer veins. 

 * * * * *

 New-blown buds, all scents excelling, As you pass by, invite your smelling. 

 * * * * *

 Mark the glorious _tulips_ rise In various dress, to take your eyes, And how the fairest and all the rest Strive which shall triumph on your breast. 

 * * * * *

 Thus your rich beauty and rare parts Excel all flowers, exceed all arts. Live then, sweet lady, to inherit Your father's fortune, and his spirit, Your mother's face and virtuous mind. [33]

Throughout this long poem, John Rea's warmth much exceeds that of themost romantic lovers. One of the latter only observes, that the flowerscourted the tread of his fair one's foot; that the sky grew morebeautiful in her presence, and that the atmosphere borrowed newsplendour from her eyes. Rea's passion seems even warmer than this. Inhis address to the reader, he says, "I have continued my affection tothis honest recreation, without companion or encouragement; and now inmy old age, (wearied and weaned from other delights) find myself morehappy in this retired solitude, than in all the bustles and busieemployments of my passed days. " He thus concludes his book:--

 ---- this is all I crave: Some gentle hand with flowers may strew my grave, And with one sprig of bays my herse befriend, When as my life, as now my book, doth end. 

 Laus Deo. 

Rea gives us also another very long poem, being that of "Flora to theLadies, " which he thus concludes:--

 Silent as flow'rs may you in virtues grow, Till rip'ning time shall make you fit to blow, Then flourish long, and seeding leave behind A numerous offspring of your dainty kind; And when fate calls, have nothing to repent, But die like flow'rs, virtuous and innocent. Then all your fellow flow'rs, both fair and sweet, Will come, with tears, to deck your winding-sheet; Hang down their pensive heads so dew'd, and crave To be transplanted to your perfum'd grave. 

These love poems seem all to have been written in his old age; and thatpassion causes him thus to open his first book:--"Love was the inventor, and is still the maintainer, of every noble science. It is chiefly thatwhich hath made my flowers and trees to flourish, though planted in abarren desert, and hath brought me to the knowledge I now have in plantsand planting; for indeed it is impossible for any man to have anyconsiderable collection of plants to prosper, unless he love them: forneither the goodness of the soil, nor the advantage of the situation, will do it, without the master's affection; it is that which rendersthem strong and vigorous; without which they will languish and decaythrough neglect, and soon cease to do him service. I have seen manygardens of the new model, in the hands of unskilful persons, with goodwalls, walks and grass-plots; but in the most essential adornments sodeficient, that a green meadow is a more delightful object; there naturealone, without the aid of art, spreads her verdant carpets, spontaneously embroidered with many pretty plants and pleasing flowers, far more inviting than such an immured nothing. And as noble fountains, grottoes, statues, &c. Are excellent ornaments and marks ofmagnificence, so all such dead works in gardens, ill done, are littlebetter than blocks in the way to intercept the sight, but not at all tosatisfy the understanding. A choice collection of living beauties, rareplants, flowers and fruits, are indeed the wealth, glory, and delight ofa garden. " He seems enamoured with tulips. He describes no less than onehundred and ninety different sorts. He calls them "Flora's choicestjewels, and the most glorious ornaments of the best gardens. Such istheir rarity and excellence, and so numerous are the varieties, that itis not possible any one person in the world should be able to express, or comprehend the half of them, every new spring discovering many newdiversities never before observed, either arising from the seeds of somechoice kinds, the altering of off-sets, or by the busy and secretworking of nature upon several self-colours, in different soils andsituations, together with the help of art. "[34] Switzer says, "thepractical and plain method in which he has delivered his precepts, areadmirable. " There is a second edition of the Flora, _with additions_. What these are, I know not; unless they are the cuts of parterres, whichwere omitted in the first edition. There is an edition in 1696. 

JOHN WORLIDGE published his Systema Agriculturæ in folio, 1668; secondedition in 1675, folio: fourth edition in 1687, folio. An octavo edition1716, with its English title of "A compleat System of Husbandry andGardening, or the Gentleman's Companion in the Business and Pleasures ofa Country life. " In the preface to this, and indeed throughout all hisworks, we may trace his fondness for gardens. The great variety of ruralsubjects treated on in this book, may be seen in its Index, or fullAnalysis. In his second section "Of the profits and pleasures offruit-trees, " he strongly enforces the planting of vineyards. 

His Systema Horticulturæ, or the Art of Gardening, was published in1677, 8vo. ; a third edition 1688; a fourth edition 1719. 

Vinetum Britannicum, or a Treatise on Cyder, and other Wines and Drinks, extracted from Fruits: to which is added, a Discourse on Bees; 8vo. , _second impression, much enlarged_, 1678. He therein thus paints thepleasures of a garden:--"The exercises of planting, grafting, pruning, and walking in them, very much tendeth to salubrity, as also doth thewholesome airs found in them, which have been experienced not only tocure several distempers incident to our nature, but to tend towards theprolongation of life. For nothing can be more available to health andlong life, than a sedate quiet mind, attended with these rural delights, a healthful air, and moderate exercise, which may here be found in allseasons of the year. "

He also published, The Second Parts of Systema Agriculturæ, 8vo. 1689. 

The Second Part of Vinetum Britannicum, 8vo. 1689. This is usually boundwith the above. 

His attachment to whatever concerns a rural life, shines through most ofhis pages. Take the few following for a specimen:--

In his description of the month of _April_, he says, "In this month yourgarden appears in its greatest beauty, the blossoms of the fruit-treesprognosticate the plenty of fruits for all the succeeding summer months, unless prevented by untimely frosts or blights. The bees now buz inevery corner of your garden to seek for food; the birds sing in everybush, and the sweet nightingale tunes her warbling notes in yoursolitary walks, whilst the other birds are at their rest. The beasts ofthe woods look out into the plains, and the fishes of the deep sportthemselves in the shallow waters. The air is wholesome, and the earthpleasant, beginning now to be cloathed in nature's best array, exceedingall art's glory. This is the time that whets the wits of several nationsto prove their own country to have been the _Garden of Eden_, or theterrestrial paradise, however it appears all the year besides. In caseunseasonable weather hinders not, the pleasantness and salubrity of theair now tempts the sound to the free enjoyment of it, rather than toenjoy the pleasures of _Bacchus_ in a smoaky corner. " In his month of_May_, he says, "He that delights not in physick, let him now exercisehimself in the _garden_, and take the smell of the earth with the risingsun, than which to the virtuously inclined, there is nothing morepleasant; for now is nature herself full of mirth, and the senses storedwith delights, and variety of pleasures. " His month of _July_ thusrecommends itself: "Grotts and shady groves are more seasonable torecreate yourself in than the open air, unless it be late in theevening, or early in the morning, to such that can afford time to take anap after noon. "

In his Syst. Hort. He observes, that "A fair stream or current flowingthrough or near your _garden_, adds much to the glory and pleasure ofit: on the banks of it you may plant several aquatick exoticks, and haveyour seats or places of repose under their umbrage, and there satiateyourself with the view of the curling streams, and its nimbleinhabitants. These gliding streams refrigerate the air in a summerevening, and render their banks so pleasant, that they become resistlesscharms to your senses, by the murmuring noise, the undulation of thewater, the verdant banks and shades over them, the sporting fishconfined within your own limits, the beautiful swans; and by thepleasant notes of singing birds, that delight in groves, on the banks ofsuch rivulets. "[35]

And in his preface to this last work, he says, "My principal designbeing not only to excite or animate such as have fair estates, andpleasant seats in the country, to adorn and beautifie them; but toencourage the honest and plain countryman in the improvement of hisVille, by enlarging the bounds and limits of his _Gardens_, as well ashis _Orchards_, for the encrease of such esculent plants as may beuseful and beneficial to himself and his neighbors. "

FRANCIS DROPE, B. D. , who died at Oxford, and whose father was Vicar ofCumner, in Berkshire. Wood, in his Athenæ, says, "he hath written on asubject which he much delighted in, and wherein he spent much time, butwhich was not published till his death: A short and sure guide to thepractice of raising, and ordering of fruit trees, _Oxford_, 1672, 12mo. , a large and laudable account of which you may see in the Phil. Trans. No. 86, p. 10, 49. "

MOSES COOKE, Gardener to the Earl of Essex, at Cashiobury, afterwards apartner with Lucre, Field and London, in the Brompton Park Nursery. Hewrote "The Art of making Cyder, " published in Mr. Evelyn's works. Themanner of raising Forest Trees, 4to. 1696. Other editions in 8vo. In1717, 1724, and 1770. Mr. Evelyn (speaking of Cashiobury) says, "Thegardens are very rare, and cannot be otherwise, having so skilful anartist to govern them as Cooke. " Moses Cooke, in his preface, justlysays, "Planting and Gardening add much to the health and content of man;and these two jewels no man that well understands himself, wouldwillingly be without; for it is not only set down for a certain truth bymany wise men, but confirmed by experience. The learned Lord Baconcommends the following of the plough in fresh ground, to be veryhealthful for man; but more, the digging in gardens. " His pages, hereand there, record some of "the fine stately trees that we have growingin the woods at Cashiobury. " Cooke unfortunately fancied himself a poet;but gratitude to his noble master, and loyalty to his king, seem to havebeen the motives of his inspiration. "One night (methought) walking upone of my Lord's lime-walks, I heard the grateful trees thus paying thetribute of their thanks to his lordship:--

 Like pyramids our stately tops we'll raise, To sing our noble benefactor's praise; Freshly we will to after-ages show What noble Essex did on us bestow: For we our very being owe to him, Or else we had long since intombed been In crop of bird, or in beast's belly found, Or met our death neglected on the ground. By him we cherish'd were with dung and spade, For which we'll recompense him with our shade. And since his kindness saw us prun'd so well, We will requite him with our fragrant smell; In winter (as in gratitude is meet) We'll strew our humble leaves beneath his feet. Nay, in each tree, root, trunk, branch, all will be Proud to serve him and his posterity. "

And he thus invokes the stately oak, after enumerating many of the richcommodities which this tree bears through our Thames:--

 Of silks and satins fine, to clothe the back; Of wines, Italian, French, and Spanish sack. 

 * * * * *

 'T was faithful oak preserved our king, that we Might thence learn lessons of true loyalty. 

 * * * * *

 When in salt seas Sir Francis Drake did steer, Sailing in oak he say'd one day i'th'year. His oak, which the terrestrial globe did measure, Through dangers led him t' honour, profit, pleasure. No wood like oak that grows upon the ground, To make our house and ships last long and sound; No oak like ours: by love to oak let's then Appear true subjects, and right Englishmen. 

ANTHONY LAWRENCE published in 4to. 1677, Nurseries, Orchards, ProfitableGardens, and Vineyards Encouraged. 

JOHN READ, "one of the earliest Scotch gardening writers. " He wrote "TheScotch Gardener, " 1683, 4to. An Edinburgh edition in 8vo. 1766; to whichis added, a short Treatise of Forest Trees, by the Earl of Haddington. 

J. GIBSON, who wrote A Short Account of several Gardens near London, asviewed in 1681, in vol. Xii of the Archæologia. 

T. LANGFORD wrote Plain and Full Instructions to raise all sorts ofFruit Trees that prosper in England; with Directions for making Liquorsof all sorts of Fruits; 8vo. 1681. To the second edition, in 1696, isprefixed a very handsome epistle from Mr. Evelyn, in which he says, "AsI know nothing extant that exceeds it, so nor do I of any thing whichneeds be added to it. " Also, The Practical Planter of Fruit Trees; 8vo. 1681. Also, SystemæAgriculturæ, being the Mystery of Husbandry Discovered; folio, 1681. 

LEONARD MEAGER'S Portrait perhaps we may not be very desirous todiscover, when he tells his readers, neither to "sow, plant, nor graft, or meddle with any thing relating to gardening, when the sun or moon iseclipsed, or on that day, nor when the moon is afflicted by either ofthe unfortunate planets, viz. Mars or Saturn. "[36] His English Gardner, in 4to. With cuts, came out in 1683; the ninth edition came out in 1699, 4to. ; it contains several clearly pointed plates of knots, or parterres. 

Meager also published The New Art of Gardening, with the Gardener'sAlmanack; 8vo. 1697; and

The Mystery of Husbandry; 12mo. 1699. 

The many editions that came out of Meager's English Gardner, sufficiently shews the estimation in which his book was held. 

GEORGE LONDON and HENRY WISE, so eminent in their day, that, as acontemporary says, "If the stock of their nurseries at Brompton Park, were valued at one penny a plant, the amount would exceed £40, 000. Mr. Evelyn declares, that we may place the above nursery above the greatestworks of that kind ever seen or heard of, either in books or travels. "Mr. Evelyn again calls it "that vast ample collection which I havelately seen, and well considered, at Brompton Park; the very sight ofwhich alone, gives an idea of something that is greater than I can wellexpress. One needs no more than to take a walk to Brompton Park, (on afair morning) to behold and admire what a magazine these industrious menhave provided. " The Rev. John Laurence, in his Clergyman's Recreation, willingly attests their skill, integrity, and reputation, "so wellestablished amongst the nobility and gentry. "

Mr. London's grateful apprentice, Switzer, thus affectionately andzealously records them in his History of Gardening, prefixed to hisIconologia:--"But now let us look amongst the nobility and gentry, whichat this time were every where busied in making and adorning theirgardens and plantations. To enumerate and set down the history ofgardening in its several particulars in this reign, would require avolume of itself, but will be for the most part summed up in the personand character of _George London, Esq. _ Superintendent of their Majestiesgardens, and Director-General of most of the gardens and plantations ofGreat Britain. I am not well enough informed, neither is it material Ishould go back to the birth and education of this eminent gardener; hisindustry and natural parts soon and sufficiently recommended him to thenobility and gentry, that he was _courted and caressed by all_; so trueit is, _That the gifts of nature are much more valuable than those oforiginal birth and fortune, or even learning itself_. And to the eternalhonour of the present age be it spoken, never was virtue, laudableindustry, nor art more encouraged, of which the person we are herespeaking of is an undeniable instance. I shall content myself thereforeto find him under the care and instruction of Mr. _Rose_ (whosecharacter has been already drawn). The early and vigorous appearances hemade in business were soon discovered by his master, who spared nopains, nor hindered him of any liberty, whereby he might improvehimself. After he had been with him about four or five years, he senthim (if I am right informed) into France, the great seat of learning atthat time in the world, especially in the errand he went about. Soonafter he returned, he was preferred to the Bishop of London's servicebefore-mentioned; and, in a few years more, he (with his associates)entered on that great undertaking of Brompton Park; and upon theRevolution, was made superintendant of all their Majesties gardens, forwhich he had £200. A year, and a Page of the Back Stairs to Queen Mary. Mr. London and Mr. Wise being joined partners, and thus, as it were, both possessed of the royal favour, and the purses of the king, queen, and nobility, left no stone unturned to carry on their designs. Soonafter the peace of Reswyck, Mr. London took another journey into France, with the Right Honourable the Earl of Portland, that was sent, by KingWilliam, Ambassador-Extraordinary on that occasion; and then it was thathe made those observations on the fruit gardens at Versailles, which arepublished in the preface to their abridgement. After the death of theQueen, and not many years after her the King, their royal successor, Queen Anne, of pious memory, committed the care of her gardens in chiefto Mr. Wise, Mr. London still pursuing his business in the country. Itwill perhaps be hardly believed in time to come, that this one personactually saw and gave directions once or twice a year in most of thenoblemen's and gentlemen's gardens in England. And since it was commonfor him to ride fifty or sixty miles in a day, he made his northerncircuit in five or six weeks, and sometimes less; and his western in aslittle time; as for the south and east, they were but three or fourdays' work for him; most times twice a year visiting all the countryseats, conversing with gentlemen, and forwarding the business ofgardening in such a degree as is almost impossible to describe. In themean time his colleague managed matters nearer home with a dexterity andcare equal to his character; and in truth they have deserved so much ofthe world, that it is but common justice to transmit their memory toages to come. To speak more particularly of the knowledge Mr. London wassupposed to be master of in this matter, the little opportunity he hadin laying a foundation of learning, was, without doubt, a greatobstruction to his progress in occult philosophy, which is involved inso many hard terms; this, nevertheless, he overcame purely by industry;and what he wanted in one, he abounded with in the other. He wasperfectly well skilled in fruit, which seemed to be his master-piece; asfor other parts, as greens, trees, flowers, exoticks, and the like, hecertainly had as much knowledge as any one man living; and though hemight not come up to the highest pitch of design always, yet that mightbe attributed to the haste he was generally in; and it can be no greatblemish to his character, that he was not the greatest person in everything, when it is surprising to find he could possibly know so much; sogreat a surprise indeed, that we must hardly ever expect his equal, muchless any one that will exceed him. The planting and raising of all sortsof trees is so much due to this undertaking, that it will be hard forany of posterity to lay their hands on a tree in any of these kingdoms, that have not been a part of their care. Mr. London, by his greatfatigues in heat and cold, notwithstanding naturally of a healthy, strong constitution, was at last seized with an illness, which carriedhim off after a few months' sickness. I shall take no other notice ofhim than what relates to my purpose in gardening, in which he has left alaudable example to all that shall have the encouragement to enter, andthe courage and strength to perform what he did. He died towardsChristmas in the year 1713. "

In the preface to his Iconologia, he again mentions them:--"Had theirleisure been equal to their experience, the world might from them havereasonably expected the compleatest System of Gardening that any age orcountry has produced. It is to them we owe most of those valuableprecepts in gardening now in use, and their memory ought to betransmitted to posterity, with the same care as those of the greatestand most laborious philosophers and heroes, who by their writing andpractice have deserved so well of the world. "

He again mentions his old master, Mr. London:--"In fine, he was theperson that refined the business and pleasure of kitchen and fruitgardens to a pitch beyond what was ever till that time seen, and morethan was thought possible for one man ever to do; and (till thesuccession of two eminent persons in these kingdoms, who have very muchoutstript him) has not had his fellow in any century that history givesus account of. "

Switzer, speaking of Dr. Compton, Bishop of London, says, "He was agreat encourager of Mr. London, and probably very much assisted him inhis great designs. This reverend father was one of the first thatencouraged the importation, raising and increase of exoticks, in whichhe was the most curious man in that time, or perhaps will be in anyage. He had above one thousand species of exotick plants in his stovesand gardens. "

No monument has, I believe, been erected to Mr. London's memory, deservedly eminent and esteemed as he was in his day, _courted andcaressed by all_, nor can I find out even where he was born or buried. If one could obtain a resemblance of him, one hopes his Picture, or hisBust, may not deserve the censure of our noble poet:

 What is the end of fame? 'tis but to fill A certain portion of uncertain paper;

 * * * * *

 To have, when the original is dust, A name, a wretched _picture_, and worse _bust_. [37]

The two following works were published by them:--

The Complete Gardener, &c. By Mons. De la Quintinye. Now compendiouslyabridged, and made of more use; with very considerable Improvements. ByGeorge London and Henry Wise. To which is prefixed, An Address to theNobility and Gentry, by J. Evelyn, Esq. ; folio, 1693; octavo, 1699, 1717. Seventh edition in 1719. There is a curious plate of a gardenprefixed, and two neat ones at page 22. There are also other cuts. Mr. Evelyn wrote this Address purposely to recommend their "extraordinaryand rare industry. " And he also wrote the Preliminary Discourse to thatpart which relates to Fruit-trees, wherein he thus breaks out:--"Let usbut take a turn or two in a well-contrived and planted garden; and seewhat a surprising scene presents itself in the vernal bloom, diffusingits fragrant and odoriferous wafts, with their ravishing sweets; thetender blossoms curiously enamelled; the variously-figured shapes of theverdant foliage, dancing about, and immantling the laden branches of thechoicest fruit; some hiding their blushing cheeks; others displayingtheir beauties, and even courting the eye to admire; others the hand togather, and all of them to taste their delicious pulps. Can any thing bemore delightful, than to behold an ample square (in a benign aspect)tapestried and adorned with such a glorious embroidery of festoons, andfruitages, depending from the yielding boughs, pregnant with theiroffspring, and pouring forth their plenty and store, as out of so manyAmalthean horns? Some tinctured with the loveliest white and red; othersan azurine-purple; others striped with an incarnadine, as over a tissueof vegetable gold. Colours of an oriency, that mock the pencil of themost exquisite artist; and with which their native beauty, perfume, fragrancy, and taste, gratify and entertain more senses at once, thandoes any sublunary object in all unvitiated nature besides. "

Their other Work was thus announced in one of the original numbers ofthe Spectator, which came out in small folio weekly numbers, and aportion of each number was appropriated to advertisements. It was thusadvertised in that of May 5th, 1711:--"The Retired Gardener. Vol. I. Being a Translation of Le Jardinier Solitaire; or, Dialogues between aGentleman and a Gardener: containing the methods of making, ordering, and improving a fruit and kitchen garden; together with the manner ofplanting and cultivating flowers, plants, and shrubs, necessary for theadorning of gardens, &c. Vol. Ii. Containing the manner of planting andcultivating all sorts of flowers, plants, and shrubs, necessary for theadorning of gardens; in which is explained, the art of making anddisposing of parterres, arbours of greens, wood works, arches, columns, and other pieces and compartments usually found in the most beautifulgardens of country seats. The whole enriched with variety of Figures, being a Translation from the Sieur Louis Liger. To this volume is added, a Description and Plan of Count Tallard's Garden, at Nottingham. Thewhole revised by George London and Henry Wise. Printed for Jacob Tonson, at Shakspeare's Head, over against Catherine-street in the Strand. " Thisbook, after giving the mode of culture of most flowers, generally giveswhat the author calls _its history_. I will merely give its history ofone flower:--"On a day when they were keeping holiday in heaven, Florasummoned all the deities that preside over gardens, and, when they weremet, addressed herself to them in this manner: 'You, who have alwaysbeen the shining ornaments of my court, I have now called together, toconsult in a matter of great importance. I know I am the sovereign ofall the flowery kind; but for the more firm establishment of my empire, I am thinking to choose them a Queen of a spotless and unblemishedreputation; but will do nothing of this nature without your counsel andassistance. ' To these words, all the deities that were present, havingfirst filled the court with murmurs, answered in this manner: 'Greatgoddess, be pleased to reflect a little on the animosities such a choicemay create among the rival flowers; even the worthless Thistle willpretend to deserve the crown, and if denied, will perhaps grow factious, and disturb your peaceful reign. ' 'Your fears are groundless, ' repliedthe goddess; 'I apprehend no such consequence; my resolution is alreadyfixed; hear, therefore, what I have determined:--In the deep recesses ofa wood, where formerly the oaks were vocal, and pronounced oracles tomortals, at the foot of a little hill is a grotto, whose structure isnature's master-piece, there a wood nymph passed her quiet days; she wasextremely beautiful, and charmed all that beheld her; her looks, hermien, and her behaviour had something of more than human; and indeed shewas the daughter of a Dryad, and of a sylvan god. Her chastity anddevotion equalled her beauty, she was perfectly resigned to the will ofheaven, and never undertook any thing without having first implored ourassistance; her heart was pure, and her hands undefiled. This nymph isdead, and my intention is to raise a flower from her precious remains, to be Queen of all the flowery race. The applauding gods straightprepared for the ceremony; _Priapus_ put on a grave countenance;_Vertumnus_ loaded himself with perfumes of an excellent scent; _Pomona_heaped up canisters with all sorts of richest fruits; _Venus_ wasattended with a train of smiles and graces; _Vesta_ promised wonders;and _Bacchus_ supplied rivers of nectar, and crowned vast goblets withthat divine liquor. In this equipage they left their celestial mansions, and repaired to the grotto, where they saw the dead body of the nymphstretched along on a soft couch of turf, and approaching it withprofound awe and silence, prepared to pay the sacred rites; and Flora, having thrice bowed herself to the ground, was heard to pronounce thisprayer:--'Almighty Jupiter, great ruler of the universe, exert thycreating power, and from the dead corpse of this lovely nymph let aplant arise, and bear no less lovely flowers, to be Queen of all thouhast already created. ' Scarce had she made an end, when, behold awondrous change! The nymph's extended limbs were turned into branches, and her hair into leaves; a shrub sprung up, adorned with sproutingbuds, which straight unfolding, disclosed a fragrant and vermilionflower; a sudden light filled all the grotto, and the well-pleasedgoddess breathed thrice on the new-born babe, to spread it into life, and give it an odorous soul. Then seeing the vegetable Queen adornedwith every grace, she kissed her thrice, and, breaking the generalsilence, revealed her secret joy. 'Approach, ' said she, 'at my command, oh, all ye flowers, and pay your grateful homage to your Queen, theROSE, for that is the name I give her. ' Then taking a crown in her hand, that had been made on purpose in heaven, she placed it on the head ofthe new-made majesty; while to complete the ceremony, the attending godssung joyful _Io Pæans_, amidst a symphony of flutes, harps, and allother tuneful instruments, with which the air resounded, while Flora andher bright celestial train ascended back rejoicing into heaven. "[38]

JOHN JAMES, who translated Le Blond's "Theory and Practice of Gardening, wherein is fully handled all that relates to fine gardens, commonlycalled Pleasure-gardens, " cuts, 4to. 1712. 

M. STEVENSON published in small 4to. 1661, a book called The TwelveMonths, being a Treatise on Husbandry and Gardening. 

The Rev. HENRY STEVENSON, of East Retford, published "The YoungGardener's Director, " 1716, 12mo. He has introduced Mr. Evelyn's adviceas to having salads in each month. There is a neat cut of flower-knots, and the frontispiece exhibits a curious old garden. In the preface hesays, "not to mention the profit to a family, nothing conduces more to aman's health, especially to one that lives a sedentary life. If theseobservations and experiments I have made in gardening, be of use to anyby drawing him to a way of diversion that will preserve his health, andperhaps put him upon a meditation on the great works of the creation, let him give the Creator the praise. " He also published "The GentlemanGardener Instructed;" eighth edition, 12mo. 1769. 

DAVID STEVENSON, in 1746, published in 12mo. The Gentleman GardenerInstructed. Is this the same book as the above?

STEPHEN SWITZER, of whose private history so very little is known, butwhose works shew him to have been an honest, unassuming, humane, religious, most industrious, and ingenious man. We only know that he hada garden on Milbank, and another _near_ Vauxhall; and that he died, Ibelieve, about 1745. He dates his Letter on the Cythesis, from NewPalace Yard, 1730. He was a native of _Hampshire_; for in his FruitGardener, speaking of walnut-trees, he says, "The best I ever saw arethose that grow upon chalk. Such are those that grow about _Ewell_, near_Epsom_, and in many places of my own native county of _Hampshire_, there being one cut down some few years ago in the Park belonging to theRight Honourable the Lady _Russell_, at _Stratton_, that did spread, atleast, fifty yards diameter. " He acknowledges, without murmuring, hismeanness of fortune, and his having industriously submitted "to themeanest labours of the scythe, spade, and wheel-barrow. " He became, however, eminent in his day, and added much to the beauty andmagnificence of the gardens of many of our chief nobility and gentry. Hewrote a history of the art he so loved, and therefore his classicHistory of Gardening, prefixed to his Ichnographia Rustica, merits theperusal of every one attached to gardens; and paints in strong colourshis own devotion to that art; and which he thus concludes:--"In short, next to the more immediate duties of religion, 'tis in the innocency ofthese employs, thus doing, thus planting, dressing, and busyingthemselves, that all wise and intelligent persons would be found, whenDeath, the king of terrors, shall close their eyes, and they themselvesbe obliged to bid an eternal farewell to these and all other sublunarypleasures;" and he who was thus fond of breathing the sweet and fragrantair of gardens, thus expresses his own (perhaps expiring) wish in thelines of Cowley:

 Sweet shades, adieu! here let my dust remain, Covered with flowers, and free from noise and pain; Let evergreens the turfy tomb adorn, And roseate dews (the glory of the morn) My carpet deck; then let my soul possess The happier scenes of an eternal bliss. 

He asks "What solid pleasure is there not to be found in gardening? Itspursuit is easy, quiet, and such as put neither the body nor mind intothose violent agitations, or precipitate and imminent dangers that manyother exercises (in themselves very warrantable) do. The end of this ishealth, peace, and plenty, and the happy prospect of felicities moredurable than any thing in these sublunary regions, and to which this is(next to the duties of religion) the surest path. " His attachment tosome of our own poets, and to the classic authors of antiquity, discovers itself in many of his pages; and his devout turn of mindstrongly shines throughout. His allusion to Homer, in vol. Iii. Page 7, sufficiently shews how ardently this industrious servant, this barrowwheeler, must have searched the great writers of ancient times, todiscover their attachment to rural nature, and to gardens. His candidand submissive mind thus speaks:--"If we would, therefore, arrive at anygreater perfection than we are in gardening, we must cashiere thatmathematical stiffness in our gardens, and imitate nature more; how thatis to be done, will appear in the following chapters, which though theymay not be, as new designs scarce ever are, the most perfect, it will atleast excite some after-master to take pen and pencil in hand, andfinish what is here thus imperfectly begun, and this is my comfort, thatI shall envy no man that does it. I have, God be praised, learned toadmire, and not envy every one that outgoes me: and this will, I hope, go a great way in making me easy and happy under the pressures of a verynarrow fortune, and amidst the ruffles of an ill-natured world. I havetasted too severely of the lashes of man, to take any greatsatisfaction in any thing but doing my duty. "[39] In his devout andmagnificent Essay on the Sun, he says, "'tis admirable that this planetshould, through so many ages of the world, maintain an uninterruptedcourse, that in so many thousands of revolving years, it should retainthe same light, heat, and vigour, and every morning renew its wontedalacrity, and dart its cherishing beams on these dull and gloomy scenesof melancholy and misery, and yet that so few of us rightly consider itspower, or are thankful to Divine Omnipotence for it. The great Roscommon(not greater than good) speaks of it with divine transport, and exhortsmankind to admire it, from the benefits and celestial beams it displayson the world:--

 Great eye of all, whose glorious ray Rules the bright empire of the day; O praise his name, without whose purer light Thou hadst been hid in an abyss of night. "[40]

Switzer (as appears from the Preface to his Iconologia) was so struckwith the business and pleasures of a country life, that he collected, ormeant to collect, whatever he could respecting this subject, scatteredup and down as they were in loose irregular papers and books; but thiswork, we regret to say, never made its appearance. That he would havedone this well, may be guessed at from so many of his pages recordingwhat he calls "the eternal duration" of Virgil's works, or those of "thenoble and majestic" Milton:--

 Flowers worthy of Paradise, which no nice art In beds, and curious knots, but nature boon Pour'd forth profuse on hill, and dale, and plain. 

Though prim regularity, and "parterres embroidered like a petticoat, "were in his time in high vogue, yet his pages shew his enlarged views onthis subject, and the magnificent ideas he had formed, by surroundingthem by rural enclosures, (probably by reading Mr. Addison), perfumedwith blossoms, and bespangled with the rich tufts of nature. Nothing, hesays, is now so much wanted to complete the grandeur of the Britishnation, as noble and magnificent gardens, statues, and water-works; longextended shady walks, and groves, and the adjacent country laid open toview, and not bounded by high walls. The pleasant fields, and paddocks, in all the beautiful attire of nature, would then appear to be a part ofit, and look as if the adjacent country were all a garden. Walls takeaway the rural aspect of any seat; wood, water, and such like, being thenoble and magnificent decorations of a country villa. Switzer callswater the spirit and most enchanting beauty of nature. He is so struckwith "the beautifulness and nobleness of terrace walks, " andparticularly with that truly magnificent and noble one, belonging to theRight Honourable the Earl of Nottingham, at _Burleigh-on-the-Hill_, that"for my own part I must confess, that that design creates an idea in mymind greater than I am well able to express. " In his chapter of "Woodsand Groves, " he enforces "a particular regard to large old oaks, beech, and such like trees; in which case, one would as soon fire one's house, as cut them down, since it is the work of so many years, I may say ages, to rear them; those ancient trees which our forefathers had all alongpreserved with much care. "[41] In some of the romantic embellishmentswhich he proposed in the midst of a grove, or coppice, he hints athaving "little gardens, with caves, little natural cascades and grottsof water, with seats, and arbors of honeysuckles and jessamine, and, inshort, with all the varieties that nature and art can furnish. " Headvises "little walks and paths running through such pastures as adjointhe gardens, passing through little paddocks, and corn fields, sometimesthrough wild coppices, and gardens, and sometimes by purling brooks, andstreams; places that are set off not by _nice art_, but by luxury ofnature. " And again, "these hedge-rows mixed with primroses, violets, andsuch natural sweet and pleasant flowers; the walks that thus leadthrough them, will afford as much pleasure, nay, more so, than thelargest walk in the most magnificent and elaborate fine garden. "[42] Heconcludes his interesting Chapter of Woods and Coppices, with theselines of Tickell:--

 Sweet solitude! when life's gay hours are past, Howe'er we range, in thee we fix at last: Tost thro' tempestuous seas, the voyage o'er, Pale we look back, and bless the friendly shore. Our own strict judges, our past life we scan, And ask if glory have enlarg'd the span. If bright the prospect, we the grave defy, Trust future ages, and contented die. 

The following appear to have been his works:--

 1. The Nobleman, Gentleman, and Gardener's Recreation; or an Introduction to Gardening, Planting, Agriculture, and the other Business and Pleasures of a Country Life. By Stephen Switzer; 1715, 8vo. Another edition in 1717, 8vo. The year afterwards, it was published with the following title:--

 2. Icknographia Rustica; or, the Nobleman, Gentleman, and Gardener's Recreation: containing Directions for the general Distribution of a Country Seat into rural and extensive Gardens, Parks, Paddocks, &c. ; and a General System of Agriculture; illustrated by a great variety of Copperplates, done by the first hands, _from the Author's Drawings_. By Stephen Switzer, Gardener: several years Servant to Mr. London, and Mr. Wise. 3 vols. 8vo. 1718. 

 3. A Compendious Method for Raising Italian Brocoli, Cardoon, Celeriac, and other Foreign Kitchen Vegetables; as also an Account of Lucerne, St. Foyne, Clover, and other Grass Seeds, with the Method of Burning of Clay; 8vo. 1729. Fifth edition, 8vo. 1731, 1s. 6d. [43]

 4. An Introduction to a General System of Hydrostaticks and Hydraulicks, wherein the most advantageous Methods of Watering Noblemen's and Gentlemen's Seats, Buildings, Gardens, &c. Are laid down. With Sixty Copper Cuts of Rural and Grotesque Designs for Reservoirs, Cataracts, Cascades, Fountains, &c. ; 2 vols. 4to. 1729. [44]

 5. A Dissertation on the True Cythesus of the Ancients; 8vo. 1731; 1s. 6d. A classic production. At the end, he gives a Catalogue of the Seeds, &c. Sold by him at the Flower-pot, _over against the Court of Common Pleas, in Westminster; or at his garden on Millbank_. [45]

 6. Country Gentleman's Companion, or Ancient Husbandry Restored, and Modern Husbandry Improved; 8vo. 1732, 1s. 6d. 

 7. Switzer was the chief conductor of Monthly Papers on Agriculture, in 2 vols. 8vo. , and he himself designed the Two Frontispieces. To be sold at his Seed Shop _in Westminster Hall_. 

 8. The Practical Fruit Gardener; 8vo. Cuts, 1717. Other editions, 8vo. 1724, 1731, Revised and recommended by the Rev. Mr. Lawrence and Mr. Bradley, with their Two Letters of Recommendation. 

In this later edition of 1731, are a few additions. In one of itsconcluding chapters, he mentions "my worthy and ingenious friend, SirJames Thornhill. " This pleasing volume, after stating the excellency offruits, observes, "if fruit trees had no other advantage attending themthan to _look_ upon them, how pleasurable would _that_ be? Since thereis no flowering shrub excels, if equals that of a _peach_, or _appletree_ in bloom. The tender enamelled blossoms, verdant foliage, withsuch a glorious embroidery of festoons and fruitages, wafting theirodours on every blast of wind, and at last bowing down their ladenbranches, ready to yield their pregnant offspring into the hands oftheir laborious planter and owner. "[46]

JOHN TAVERNER published, in 1660, a little Treatise, called The Makingof Fish Ponds, Breeding Fish, and _Planting Fruits_. Printed severaltimes, says Wood, in his Athenæ. 

RICHARD BRADLEY. The Encyclopædia of Gardening pronounces him "a popularwriter of very considerable talent, and indefatigable industry;" andspeaks highly of the interesting knowledge diffused through his verynumerous works, and gives a distinct list of them; so does Mr. Nicholls, in his Life of Bowyer; and Mr. Weston, in his Tracts, and Dr. Watts, inhis Bib. Britt. In Mr. Bradley's "New Improvements of Planting andGardening, " he has added the whole of that scarce Tract of Dr. Beale's, the _Herefordshire Orchards_. One could wish to obtain his portrait, were it only from his pen so well painting the alluring charms offlowers:--"_Primroses_ and _Cowslips_, may be planted near the edges ofborders, and near houses, for the sake of their pretty smell. Irecommend the planting some of the common sorts that grow wild in thewoods, in some of the most rural places about the house; for I thinknothing can be more delightful, than to see great numbers of theseflowers, accompanied with _Violets_, growing under the hedges, avenuesof trees, and wilderness works. _Violets_, besides their beauty, perfumethe air with a most delightful odour. "[47] Mr. Bradley, it appears, fromthe Fruit Garden Kalendar, of the Rev. Mr. Lawrence, resided at CamdenHouse, Kensington. They each of them in their letters, in 1717, subscribe themselves, "Your most affectionate friend. " Mr. Lawrencefrequently styles him "the most ingenious Mr. Bradley. " Dr. Pulteneysays he "was the author of more than twenty separate publications, chiefly on Gardening and Agriculture; published between the years 1716and 1730. His 'New Improvement of Planting and Gardening, bothPhilosophical and Practical, ' 8vo. 1717, went through repeatedimpressions; as did his 'Gentleman's and Gardener's Kalendar, ' (whichwas the fourth part of the preceding book) both at home, and intranslations abroad. His 'Philosophical Account of the Works of Nature, '4to. 1721, was a popular, instructive, and entertaining work, andcontinued in repute several years. The same may be said of his 'GeneralTreatise of Husbandry and Gardening, ' 8vo. 2 vols. 1726; and of his'Practical Discourses concerning the Four Elements, as they relate tothe Growth of Plants, ' 8vo. 1727. His '_Dictionarium Botanicum_, ' 8vo. 1728, was, I believe, the first attempt of the kind in England. " On thewhole (says Dr. Pulteney) Bradley's writings, coinciding with thegrowing taste for gardening, the introduction of exotics, andimprovements in husbandry, contributed to excite a more philosophicalview of these arts, and diffuse a general and popular knowledge of themthroughout the kingdom. "[48] Mr. Bradley has given at the end of hiscurious "Philosophical Account of the Works of Nature, " which isembellished with neat engravings, a chapter "Of the most curious Gardensin Europe, especially in Britain. " In this chapter he justly observes, that "a gentle exercise in a fresh air, where the mind is engaged withvariety of natural objects, contributes to content; and it is no newobservation, that the trouble of the mind wears and destroys theconstitution even of the most healthful body. All kinds of gardenscontribute to health. " This volume also preserves the account of LordDucie's noted old chesnut tree at Tortworth, supposed to be more than athousand years old; and of an elm belonging to his lordship, of a trulygigantic growth. [49] Switzer thus speaks of Bradley:--"Mr. Bradley hasnot only shewn himself a skilful botanist, but a man of experience inother respects, and is every where a modest writer. " Mr. Bradley died in1732. Some writers have dwelt much upon his dissipation; let usremember, however, that

 _Men's evil manners live in brass; their virtues We write in water. _

Mr. Weston, in a communication inserted in the Gentleman's Magazine forNovember, 1806, says, "Although this country had a great loss by thedeath of Evelyn, yet he was succeeded, in twenty years after, by anotherof equal abilities, and indefatigable in endeavouring to improve the artof gardening, as Bradley's numerous works will testify. "

TIMOTHY NOURSE, whose "Campania Foelix, " 8vo. 1700, has prefixed toit, a very neat engraving by Vander Gucht, of rural life. He haschapters on Fruit Trees; on the several kinds of Apple Trees, and onCyder and Perry. In page 262 he, with great humanity, strongly pleads toacquit Lord Chancellor Bacon from the charge against him of corruptionin his high office. His Essay "Of a Country House, " in this work, iscurious; particularly to those who wish to see the style of building, and the decorations of a country seat at that period. Mr. Nourse alsopublished "A Discourse upon the Nature and Faculties of Man, with someConsiderations upon the Occurrences of Humane Life. " Printed for JacobTonson, at the Judge's Head, in Chancery-lane, 1686, 8vo. His chapter onSolitude, wherein he descants on the delights of rural scenery andgardens; and his conclusion, directing every man towards the attainmentof his own felicity, are worth perusing. That on Death is forciblywritten; he calls it "no more than for a man to close up all thetravails, pains, and misfortunes of life, with one sweet and eternalsleep; he is now at everlasting rest; the fears and misery of poverty, the anxieties of riches, the vexations of a process, do not devour him. He does not fear the calumnies of the base, nor the frowns of the great. 'Tis death which delivers the prisoner from his fetters, and the slaveand captive from his chain; 'tis death which rescues the servant fromthe endless toils of a laborious life, the poor from oppression, andmakes the beggar equal with princes. Here desperation finds a remedy, all the languors of disease, all the frustrations and tediousness oflife, all the infirmities of age, all the disquiets of the passions, andall the calamities of fortune, with whatever can make a man miserable, vanish in these shades. " In his very curious "Essay of a Country House, "he thus moralizes:--"The variety of flowers, beautiful and fragrant, with which his gardens are adorned, opening themselves, and dying oneafter another, must admonish him of the fading state of earthlypleasures, of the frailty of life, and of the succeeding generations towhich he must give place. The constant current of a fountain, or arivulet, must remind of the flux of time, which never returns. "

SAMUEL COLLINS, ESQ. Of Archeton, Northamptonshire, author of "ParadiseRetrieved; 1717, 8vo. In the Preface to the Lady's Recreation, byCharles Evelyn, Esq. He is extremely severe on this "Squire Collins, "whom he accuses of ignorance and arrogance. 

JOHN EVELYN, son of the author of _Sylva_. His genius early displayeditself; for when little more than fifteen, he wrote a Greek poem, whichmust have some merit, because his father has prefixed it to the secondedition of his _Sylva_. In Mr. Nicoll's Collection of Poems, are some byhim. There are two poems of his in Dryden's Miscellany. He translatedPlutarch's Life of Alexander from the Greek; and the History of TwoGrand Viziers, from the French. When only nineteen, he translated fromthe Latin, Rapin on Gardens. He died in 1698. The Quarterly Review, inits review of Mr. Bray's Memoirs of Evelyn, thus speaks of this son, andof his father:--"It was his painful lot to follow to the grave his onlyremaining son, in the forty-fourth year of his age, a man of muchability and reputation, worthy to have supported the honour of his name. Notwithstanding these repeated sorrows, and the weight of nearlyfourscore years, Evelyn still enjoyed uninterrupted health, andunimpaired faculties; he enjoyed also the friendship of the wise and thegood, and the general esteem beyond any other individual of hisage. "[50]

THOMAS FAIRCHILD, whose garden and vineyard at Hoxton, Mr. Bradleymentions in high terms, in numberless pages of his many works. I willmerely quote from one of his works, viz. From his Philosophical Accountof the Works of Nature:--"that curious garden of Mr. Thomas Fairchild, at Hoxton, where I find the greatest collection of fruits that I haveyet seen, and so regularly disposed, both for order in time of ripeningand good pruning of the several kinds, that I do not know any person inEurope to excel him in that particular; and in other things he is noless happy in his choice of such curiosities, as a good judgement anduniversal correspondence can procure. " Mr. Fairchild published The CityGardener; 8vo. 1722, price 1s. He corresponded with Linnæus. He leftfunds for a Botanical Sermon to be delivered annually at St. Leonard, Shoreditch, on each Whitsun Tuesday, "On the wonderful works of God inthe creation, or on the certainty of the resurrection of the dead, proved by the certain changes of the animal and vegetable parts of thecreation. "[51] Dr. Pulteney thus speaks of Mr. Fairchild:--"My plan doesnot allow me to deviate so far as to cite authors on the subject ofgardening, unless eminent for their acquaintance with English botany. Some have distinguished themselves in this way; and I cannot omit tomention, with applause, the names of Fairchild, Knowlton, Gordon, andMiller. The first of these made himself known to the Royal Society, bysome 'New Experiments relating to the different, and sometimes contrarymotion of the Sap;' which were printed in the Phil. Trans. Vol. Xxxiii. He also assisted in making experiments, by which the sexes of plantswere illustrated, and the doctrine confirmed. Mr. Fairchild died inNovember, 1729. "

GEORGE RICKETS, of Hoxton, was much noted about 1688 and 1689. Rea, inhis Flora, says of him, "Mr. Rickets, of Hogsden, often remembered, thebest and most faithful florist now about London. " Rea describes, in hisFlora, one hundred and ninety different kinds of tulips, and says, "Allthese tulips, and _many others_, may be had of Mr. Rickets. " Worlidgethus speaks of him:--"he hath the greatest variety of the choicestapples, pears, cherries, plums, apricots, peaches, malacolones, noctorines, figgs, vines, currans, gooseberries, rasberries, mulberries, medlars, walnuts, nuts, filberts, chesnuts, &c. That any man hath, andcan give the best account of their natures and excellencies. " And againhe says, "the whole nation is obliged to the industry of the ingeniousMr. George Rickets, gardner at Hoxton or Hogsden without Bishopsgate, near London, at the sign of the Hand there; who can furnish any planterwith all or most of the fruit trees before mentioned, having been formany years a most laborious and industrious collector of the bestspecies of all sorts of fruit from foreign parts. And hath also therichest and most complete collection of all the great variety offlower-bearing trees and shrubs in the kingdom. That there is not a dayin the year, but the trees, as well as the most humble plants, do thereyield ornaments for Flora; with all sorts of curious and pleasantwinter-greens, that seemed to perpetuate the spring and summer, from themost humble myrtle, to the very true cedar of Libanus. Not withoutinfinite variety of tulips, auriculaes, anemones, gillyflowers, andall other sorts of pleasant, and delicate flowers, that he may be trulysaid to be the master-flowrist of England; and is ready to furnish anyingenious person with any of his choicest plants. "

JOHN COWEL appears to have been a noted gardener at Hoxton, about 1729. He was the author of the "Curious and Profitable Gardener. "

HUGH STAFFORD, ESQ. Of Pynes, in Devonshire, who published, in 1729, "ATreatise on Cyder Making, with a Catalogue of Cyder Apples of Character;to which is prefixed, a Dissertation on Cyder, and Cyder-Fruit. " Anotheredition in 1753. 

BENJAMIN WHITMILL, Sen. And Jun. Gardeners at Hoxton, published thesixth edition, in small 8vo. Of their "Kalendarium Universale: or, theGardener's Universal Calendar. " The following is part of theirPreface:--"The greatest persons, in all ages, have been desirous of acountry retirement, where every thing appears in its native simplicity. The inhabitants are religious, the fair sex modest, and everycountenance bears a picture of the heart. What, therefore, can be a moreelegant amusement, to a good and great man, than to inspect thebeautiful product of fields and gardens, when every month hath itspleasing variety of plants and flowers. And if innocence be our greatesthappiness, where can we find it but in a country life? In fields andgardens we have pleasures unenvied, and beauties unsought for; and anydiscovery for the improvement of them, is highly praiseworthy. In thegrowth of a plant, or a tree, we view the progress of nature, and everobserve that all her works yield beauty and entertainment. To cultivatethis beauty, is a task becoming the wealthy, the polite, and thelearned; this is so generally understood, that there are few gentlemenof late, who are not themselves their chief gardeners. And it certainlyredounds more to the honour and satisfaction of a gardener, that he is apreserver and pruner of all sorts of fruit trees, than it does to thehappiness of the greatest general that he has been successful in killingmankind. "

SAMUEL TROWEL, of Poplar, published, in 1739, A New Treatise ofHusbandry and Gardening; 12mo. 2s. 6d. This was translated in Germain, at Leipsig, 1750, in 8vo. 

REV. FRANCIS COVENTRY, who wrote an admirable paper in the _World_, (No. 15, ) on the absurd novelties introduced in gardens. He wrote Penshurst, in Dodsley's Poems. 

JAMES JUSTICE, ESQ. Published the "Scot's Gardener's Director, " 8vo. Anew edition, entitled "The _British_ Gardener's Director, chieflyadapted to the Climate of the Northern Counties, " was published at_Edinburgh_, 1764, 8vo. The Encyclopædia of Gardening calls his book"an original and truly valuable work;" and in page 87, 846, and 1104, gives some interesting particulars of this gentleman's passion forgardening. 

JOHN GIBSON, M. D. Author of "The Fruit Gardener, " to which he hasprefixed an interesting Preface on the Fruit Gardens of the Ancients. Inthis Preface he also relates the origin of fruit gardens, by thehermits, and monastic orders. In his Introduction, he says, that "everykind of fruit tree seems to contend in spring, who shall best entertainthe possessor with the beauty of their blossoms. Mankind are alwayshappy with the prospect of plenty; in no other scene is it exhibitedwith such charming variety, as in the fruit garden and orchard. Aregentlemen fond of indulging their tastes? Nature, from the plentifulproductions of the above, regales them with a variety of the finestflavours and exalted relishes. To cool us in the heat of summer, shecopiously unites the acid to an agreeable sweetness. Flowering shrubsand trees are often purchased by gentlemen at a high price; yet not oneof them can compare in beauty with an _apple tree_, when beginning toexpand its blossoms. "[52] Speaking of the greengage, he says, "its tasteis so exquisitely sweet and delicious, that nothing can exceed it. " Heenlivens many of his sections on the cultivation of various fruits, byfrequent allusions to Theophrastus, Virgil, Pliny, and other _Reirustica scriptores_. His chapter on Pears, (the various kinds of whichpossess "a profusion of sweets, heightened by an endless variety ofdelicious flavours, ") is particularly profuse. So is that on Apples. 

JAMES RUTTER published, in 1767, Modern Eden, or the Gardener'sUniversal Guide; 8vo. 

JOHN DICKS published, in 1769, The New Gardener's Dictionary; in sixtynumbers, small folio, 30s. Blyth. 

JAMES GARTON published, in 1769, The Practical Gardener; 8vo. 3s. Dilly. 

---- WILDMAN published, in 1768, a Treatise on the Culture of PearTrees: to which is added, a Treatise on the Management of Bees; 12mo. Dublin. 

ANTHONY POWEL, ESQ. Gardener to George II. Published The Royal Gardener;12mo. 1769. 

---- OCKENDEN, ESQ. Published, in 1770, Letters, describing the Lake ofKillarney, and Rueness's Gardens; 8vo. Dublin. 

THOMAS HITT published his Treatise on Fruit Trees, 8vo. 1775. A thirdedition in 1768. Mr. Loudon calls it "an original work, valuable for itsmode of training trees. " He also published, in 1760, a Treatise onHusbandry; 8vo. 3s. 

ADAM TAYLOR, Gardener to J. Sutton, Esq. At New Park, near Devizes, published a Treatise on the Ananas, or Pine Apple: containing Plain andEasy Directions for Raising this most excellent Fruit without Fire, andin much higher perfection than from the Stove; to which are added, FullDirections for Raising Melons. Devizes, 8vo. 1769. 

JAMES MEADER, Gardener at Sion House, and afterwards to the EmpressCatharine. He published, in 1771, in 12mo. The Modern Gardener, &c. In amanner never before published; selected from the Diary MSS. Of the lateMr. Hitt. Also, The Planter's Guide, or Pleasure Gardener's Companion;with plates, 1779, oblong 4to. 

RICHARD WESTON, ESQ. An amateur gardener, who has given, at the end ofhis "Tracts on Practical Agriculture, and Gardening, " 1762, 8vo. ACatalogue of English Authors on Agriculture, Gardening, &c. There isanother edition in 1773, with additions. His intelligent Catalogue isbrought down to the end of the year 1772. This volume of Tracts containsan infinity of ingenious and curious articles. One of the chapterscontains "A Plan for Planting all the Turnpike Roads in England withTimber Trees. "[53] He most zealously wishes to encourage planting. "Ibelieve (says this candid writer) that one of the principal reasons whyfew persons plant, springs from a fearful conjecture that their dayswill have been passed, before the forest can have risen. But let not theparent harbour so selfish an idea; it should be his delight, to lookforward to the advantage which his children would receive from thetimber which he planted, contented if it flourished every year beneathhis inspection; surely there is much more pleasure in planting of trees, than in cutting of them down. View but the place where a fine treestands, what an emblem does it afford of present beauty and of futureuse; examine the spot after the noble ornament shall have been felled, and see how desolate it will appear. Perhaps there is not a bettermethod of inducing youth to have an early inclination for planting, than for fathers, who have a landed estate, to persuade those childrenwho are to inherit it, as soon as they come to years of discretion, tomake a small nursery, and to let them have the management of itthemselves; they will then see the trees yearly thriving under theirhands: as an encouragement to them, they should, when the trees are at afit growth to plant out, let them have the value of them for theirpocket money. This will, in their tender years, fix so strong an idea ofthe value, and the great consequence of planting, as will never beeradicated afterwards; and many youths, of the age of twenty-five, having planted quick growing trees, may see the industry of theirjuvenile years amply rewarded at that early age, a time when most youngmen begin to know the value of money. "[54] Mr. Pope, in one of hisletters to Mr. Allen, thus discovers his own generous mind:--"I am nowas busy in planting for myself as I was lately in planting for another. I am pleased to think my trees will afford shade and fruit to others, when I shall want them no more. " Mr. Addison's admirable recommendationof planting, forms No. 583 of the Spectator. He therein says, "When aman considers that the putting a few twigs in the ground, is doing goodto one who will make his appearance in the world about fifty yearshence, or that he is perhaps making one of his own descendants easy orrich, by so inconsiderable an expence; if he finds himself averse to it, he must conclude that he has a poor and base heart. Most people are ofthe humour of an old fellow of a college, who, when he was pressed bythe society to come into something that might redound to the good oftheir successors, grew very peevish. _We are always doing_, says he, _something for posterity, but I would fain see posterity do somethingfor us. _"[55] Mr. Weston also published The Universal Botanist andNursery; 1770, 1774, 4 vols. 8vo. The Gardener and Planter's Calendar, containing the Method of Raising Timber Trees, Fruit Trees, and Quicksfor Hedges; with Directions for Forming and Managing a Garden everyMonth in the Year; also many New Improvements in the Art of Gardening;8vo. 1773. Mr. Weston then appears to have lived at Kensington Gore. TheGentleman's Magazine for November, 1806, says, that he died atLeicester, in 1806, aged seventy-four. He was formerly a thread hosierthere. It gives an amusing and full list of his various publications, particularly of his intended "Natural History of Strawberries. "

GEORGE MASON. The best edition of his "Essay on Design in Gardening, "appears to have been that of 1795, in 8vo. Two Appendixes were publishedin 1798, which are said to have been written by Mr. U. Price. In Mr. Nichols's fourth volume of Illustrations of the Literary History of theEighteenth Century, are some particulars of Mr. Mason. He publishedHoccleve's Poems, with a Glossary; an Answer to Thomas Paine; the Lifeof Lord Howe; a Supplement to Johnson's Dictionary: in the ill-temperedpreface to which, he thus strangely speaks of that Dictionary:--"thismuddiness of intellect sadly besmears and defaces almost every page ofthe composition. " This is only a small instance of his virulence againstJohnson in this preface. One would have thought that Mr. Mason'ssarcasms would have been softened, or even subdued, by its glowing andeloquent preface, which informs us that this great work was composed"without one act of assistance, one word of encouragement, or one smileof favour. " I am sorry to say, that Mr. Mason, even in the above Essay, discovers, in three instances, his animosity to our "Dictionary writer, "for so he calls Dr. Johnson. Mr. Boswell, speaking of Johnson's preface, says, "We cannot contemplate without wonder, the vigorous and splendidthoughts which so highly distinguish that performance;" and on theDictionary he observes, that "the world contemplated with wonder, sostupendous a work, achieved by one man, while other countries hadthought such undertakings fit only for whole academies. " Linnæus andHaller styled Ray's History of Plants, _opus immensi laboris_. One mayjustly apply the same words to this Dictionary. It was well for Mr. Mason that he escaped (what Miss Seward called) "the dead-doingbroadside of Dr. Johnson's satire. " George Mason omits no opportunity ofcensuring Mr. Whateley's Observations on Modern Gardening. In the aboveEssay, he censures him in seven different pages, and in his distinctchapter or division on this book of Mr. Whateley's, (consisting ofthirteen pages) there are no less than thirty-three additional sneers, or faults, found with his opinions. He does not acknowledge in him onesingle solitary merit, except at page 191. In page 160, he nearly, ifnot quite, calls him a _fool_, and declares that _vanity_ is the passionto which he is constantly sacrificing. [56] It would be an insult to anyone who has read Mr. Whateley's work, to endeavour to clear him fromsuch a virulent and ill-founded attack. Neither Dr. Johnson, with allhis deep learning, nor Mr. Whateley, with all the cultivated fancy of arich scholastic mind, would either of them have been able to comprehend, or to understand, or even to make head or tail of the first half of Mr. George Mason's poem, with which he closes the above edition of hisEssay. As he has been so caustically severe against Dr. Johnson, itcannot be ungenerous if one applies to the above part of his own poem, the language of a French critic on another subject:--"Le style en estdur, et scabreux. Il semble que l'auteur a ramassé les termes les plusextraordinaires pour se rendre inintelligible. " Percy, Bishop ofDromore, in vol. X. Page 602, of the British Critic, has given acritique of Mr. Mason's edition of Hoccleve, in which he chastises itsinjustice, arrogance, and ignorance. Mr. Mason has been more liberal inwarmly praising Kent, and Shenstone, in acknowledging the great tasteand elegance of Mr. Thomas Warton, when the latter notices Milton's lineof

 _Bosom'd high in tufted trees, _

which picturesque remark of Mr. Warton's could not have been excelledeven by the nice and critical pen of the late Sir U. Price; and when heinforms us, in more than one instance, of the great Earl of Chatham's"turning his mind to the embellishment of rural nature. "

THOMAS WHATELEY, on whose "Observations on Modern Gardening, " theEncyclopædia of Gardening (that most comprehensive assemblage of everything delightful and curious in this art, ) observes, "It is remarkable, that so little is known of a writer, the beauty of whose style, and thejustness of whose taste, are universally acknowledged. " The same workfurther says, "his excellent book, so frequently referred to by allsucceeding writers on garden scenery, ought to be in the hands of everyman of taste. " And the same work still further observes, that "its stylehas been pronounced by Ensor, inimitable, and the descriptions withwhich his investigations are accompanied, have been largely copied, andamply praised by Alison, in his work On Taste. The book was soontranslated into the continental languages, and is judiciously praised inthe _Mercure de France_, _Journal Encyclopédique_, and Weiland's_Journal_. G. Mason alone dissents from the general opinion, enlargingon the very few faults or peculiarities which are to be found in thebook. Wheatley, or Whately (for so little is known of this eminent man, that we have never been able to ascertain satisfactorily the orthographyof his name, ) was proprietor of Nonsuch Park, in Surrey; and wassecretary to the Earl of Suffolk. He published only this work, soonafter which he died. After his death, some remarks on Shakspeare, fromhis pen, were published in a small 12mo. " A second edition of thiselegant little work was published in 1808, by Parson, Oxford; orRivington, St. Paul's; in which, the advertisement to the reader informsus, that "the respectable author intended to have gone through eight orten of the principal characters of Shakspeare, but suspended his design, in order to finish his Observations on Modern Gardening, first publishedin the year 1770; immediately after which time, _he was engaged in suchan active scene of public life_, as left him but little leisure toattend to the Belles Lettres; and in the year 1772 he died. "[57]

His remarks on some of the characters of Shakspeare (whom, in his_Observations_, he calls _the great master of nature_) breathe in manyof his pages, that fire, which he could have caught only from those ofthe great poet. Such was his eagerness to complete his _Observations_, that he for a short while "suspended his design" of examining othercharacters of the poet, when the bright effusions of his genius "fled upto the stars from whence they came. " This elegant little work is merelya fragment, nay, even an unfinished fragment. It must, then, cause deepregret, that death should so prematurely have deprived us of that richtreasure of animated thoughts, which, no doubt, would have sprung fromhis further tracing the poet's deep and piercing knowledge of the humanheart. One may safely apply to Mr. Whateley, what he himself applies tothe poet:--"He had a genius to express all that his penetration coulddiscover. " The Journal Encyclopédique, Juilliet, 1771, when speaking ofthe French translation of Whateley's Observations, says, "On ne peutguères se faire une idée de ces jardins, si l'on n'a été à Londres. Accoutumés à la symétrie des nôtres, nous n'imaginons pas qu'on puisseétablir une forme irregulière, comme une regle principale: cependantceux qui sentent combien la noble simplicité de la nature est supérieureà tous les rafinemens symétriques de l'art, donneront peuetêtre lapréference aux jardins Anglois. C'est l'effet que doit produire lalecture de cet ouvrage, qui quoique destiné aux amateurs et auxcompositeurs des jardins, offre aux gens de goût, aux artistes etsur-tout aux peintres, des observations fines et singulieres surplusieurs effets de perspective et sur les arts en général; auxphilosophes, des réflections justes sur les affections de notre ame; auxpoëtes, des descriptions exactes, quoique vives, des plus beaux jardinsd'Angleterre dans tous les genres, qui décèlent dans l'Auteur un oeilinfiment exercé, une grande connoissance des beaux arts, une belleimagination et un esprit accoutumé à penser. "

The "bloom of an orchard, the festivity of a hay field, and the carolsof harvest home, " could not have met with a more cheerful and benevolentpen than Mr. Whateley's; a love of country pervades many of his pages;nor could any one have traced the placid scenery, or rich magnificenceof nature, with a happier pen than when he records the walk to thecottage at Claremont, the grandeur and majesty of the scene at_Blenheim_, or _Stowe_, _Persfield_, _Wotton_ in the vale ofAylesbury--the rugged, savage, and craggy points of _Middleton Dale_, "achasm rent in the mountain by some convulsion of nature, beyond thememory of man, or perhaps before the island was peopled, " with its manyrills, springs, rivulets, and water-falls--the vast cliffs of rocks at_Matlock_, _Bath_, that "scene of romantic magnificence; from suchscenes, probably, was conceived the wild imagination, in ancientmythology, of the giants piling _Pelion_ upon _Ossa_; the loftiness ofthe rocks, and the character of the _Derwent_, a torrent in which forceand fury prevail; the cascades in it are innumerable; before the wateris recovered from one fall, it is hurried down another; and itsagitation being thus increased by repeated shocks, it pushes on withrestless violence to the next, where it dashes against fragments ofrocks, or foams among heaps of stones which the stream has driventogether"--the dusky gloom at the iron forge, "close to the cascade ofthe Weir, (between _Ross_ and _Monmouth_) where the agitation of thecurrent is increased by large fragments of rocks, which have been sweptdown by floods from the banks, or shivered by tempests from the brow;and the sullen sound, at stated intervals, from the strokes of the greathammers in the forge, deadens the roar of the water-fall"--the solitude, the loveliness, and the stillness of _Dovedale_, "the whole of which hasthe air of enchantment; grotesque as chance can cast, wild as nature canproduce"--the monkish tomb-stones, and the monuments of benefactors longsince forgotten, which appear above the green sward, at _Tintern Abbey_, with its maimed effigies, and sculpture worn with age and weather--hisview to the approach to Lord _Cadogan's_, near _Reading_--his feelingand enchanting description of the _Leasowes_--"the wonderful effortswhich art has made at _Painshill_ to rival nature;" where the massyrichness of its hanging wood "gives an air of grandeur to thewhole"--the _Tinian_, and other lawns, and noble and magnificent viewsin that vast sylvan scene _Hagley_, where, in a spot which oncedelighted Mr. Pope, is inscribed an urn to his memory, "which, whenshewn by a gleam of moonlight through the trees, fixes thatthoughtfulness and composure to which the mind is insensibly led by therest of this elegant scene. "

His section "Of the Seasons, " where he descants on the _spirit_ of themorning, the _excess_ of noon, or the _temperance_ of evening, " muststrike every one by its felicity of style; and the reader may judge ofthe rich pages which this book contains, even from what he says ofwater:--"It accommodates itself to every situation; is the mostinteresting object in a landscape, and the happiest circumstance in aretired recess; captivates the eye at a distance, invites approach, andis delightful when near; it refreshes an open exposure; it animates ashade; cheers the dreariness of a waste, and enriches the most crowdedview; in form, in style, and in extent, may be made equal to thegreatest compositions, or adapted to the least; it may spread in a calmexpanse to soothe the tranquillity of a peaceful scene; or hurryingalong a devious course, add splendour to a gay, and extravagance to aromantic, situation. So various are the characters which water canassume, that there is scarcely an idea in which it may not concur, or animpression which it cannot enforce; a deep stagnated pool, dank and darkwith shades which it dimly reflects, befits the seat of melancholy; evena river, if it be sunk between two dismal banks, and dull both in motionand colour, is like a hollow eye which deadens the countenance; and overa sluggard, silent stream, creeping heavily along all together, hangs agloom, which no art can dissipate, nor even the sunshine disperse. Agently murmuring rill, clear and shallow, just gurgling, just dimpling, imposing silence, suits with solitude, and leads to meditation; abrisker current, which wantons in little eddies over a bright sandybottom, or babbles among pebbles, spreads cheerfulness all around; agreater rapidity, and more agitation, to a certain degree are animating;but in excess, instead of wakening, they alarm the senses; the roar andthe rage of a torrent, its force, its violence, its impetuosity, tend toinspire terror; that terror, which, whether as cause or effect, is sonearly allied to sublimity. "[58]

DANIEL MALTHUS, ESQ. Purchased, in 1759, the Rookery, near Dorking, noted for its beauties of hill, dale, wood, and water; he sold it in1768. He translated Gerardin, _De la Composition des Paysages_, 12mo. 1783, to which he prefixed a preface, being, chiefly, remarks on whatthe gardens of the Greeks and Romans were; a view of Rosseau's tomb isprefixed. Mr. Malthus justly observes, that this Essay "is full of themost insinuating eloquence, that it is wrote by the friend of Rousseau, and from scenes which realize some of its most beautiful descriptions. "He further observes, that "trifling as this enquiry will appear initself, it may add something towards the benevolent purpose of M. D'Ernonville, which is to make men sensible of the exhaustless charms ofnature, to lead them back to their simple and original tastes, topromote the variety and resources of a country life, and to unite itsusefulness with its embellishment. "[59]

JOHN KENNEDY published a Treatise upon Planting, Gardening, &c. 8vo. _York_, 1776. 

N. SWINDEN, "an ingenious gardener and seedsman at Brentford-End, "wrote The Beauties of Flora Displayed; 8vo. 1778. 

SAMUEL FULMER wrote The Young Gardener's Best Companion for the Kitchen, and Fruit Garden; 12mo. 1781. 

CHARLES BRYANT published Flora Dietetica; or, the History of EsculentPlants: 8vo. 1785. Also, a Dictionary of Ornamental Trees, Shrubs, andPlants; 8vo. _Norwich_, 1790. 

JOSEPH HEELEY, ESQ. Author of Letters on the Beauties of Hagley, Envil, and the Leasowes; with Critical Remarks on the Modern Taste inGardening; 1777, 2 vols. 12mo. 

THOMAS KYLE, or KEIL, "one of the first gardeners in Scotland, of histime, " published a Treatise on the Management of the Peach and NectarineTrees: to which is added, the Method of Raising and Forcing Vines; 8vo. _Edinb. _ 1785. A second edition in 1787. 

WILLIAM MARSHALL, ESQ. Who, in his "Planting and Rural Ornament, " hasvery properly transcribed the whole of that masterly production of Mr. Walpole's pen, his _History of the Modern Taste in Gardening_. Heobserves, that "a pen guided by so masterly a hand, must ever beproductive of information and entertainment, when employed upon asubject so truly interesting. Desirous of conveying to our readers allthe information which we can compress, with propriety, within the limitsof our plan, we wished to have given the _substance_ of this valuablepaper; but finding it already in the language of simplicity, and beingaware of the mischiefs which generally ensue in _meddling_ with theproductions of genius, we had only one alternative: either wholly totranscribe, or wholly to reject. " Mr. Marshall, alluding to the abovework of his, says, "Wheatley, Mason, and Nature, with some Experience, and much Observation, are the principal sources from which this part ofour work was drawn; it was planned, and in part written, among themagnificent scenes of nature, in Monmouthshire, Herefordshire, andGloucestershire, where the rich and the romantic are happily blended, ina manner unparalleled in any other part of the island. " In this samework is preserved, Mr. Gray's letter on the scenery of _Grasmere Water_. His descriptions of many trees and shrubs are extremely interesting; andhe has rendered them more so by his frequent quotations from Mr. Hanbury. He also published, in 8vo. The Rural Economy of the SouthernCounties; 2 vols. --of the Midland Counties, 2 vols. --of Gloucestershire, 2 vols. --of Norfolk, 2 vols. --of Yorkshire, 2 vols. --Agriculture of theSouthern Counties, 2 vols. --Minutes of Agriculture--and a Review of theLandscape, a didactic poem--and of an Essay on the Picturesque. TheEncyclop. Of Gardening, after relating varied information respectinghim, says, that he "finally retired to a considerable property hepossessed in his native county, in the Vale of Cleveland, in 1808, wherehe died, at an advanced age, in 1819. He was a man of little education, but of a strong and steady mind: and pursued, in the most consistentmanner, from the year 1780 to his death, the plan he originally laiddown; that of collecting and condensing the agricultural practices ofthe different counties of England, with a view to a general work onLanded Property, which he published; another on Agriculture, which hedid not live to complete, and a _Rural Institute_, in which he wassupplanted by the Board of Agriculture. " His observations on the_Larch_, in vol. I. Of his "Planting and Rural Ornament, " and the zealwith which he recommends the planting of it on the infertile heathyflats of Surrey, Sussex, and Hampshire, on the bleak and barren heightsof Yorkshire, Westmoreland, Cornwall, and Devon, and on the Welch andSalopean hills; and the powerful language with which he enforces itsvaluable qualities, merit the attention of every man of property. 

WILLIAM SPEECHLY. He wrote Hints on Domestic Rural Economy; 8vo. On theCulture of the Vine and Pine Apple, with Hints on the Formation ofVineyards in England. On the Culture of the Pine Apple, and theManagement of the Hot-House; 8vo. He made a tour in Holland, chiefly toobserve the Dutch mode of cultivating the Pine, and the Grape. Mr. Loudon, in his Encyclop. Calls him "the Moses of modern British vinedressers;" and in the Gardener's Magazine for January, 1828, has givenan interesting and honourable character of him. He died at Great Milton, in 1819, aged eighty-six. [60] Marshall, in his Planting and RuralOrnament, has given us Mr. Speechley's sensible letter on the Duke ofPortland's Plantations. Mr. Johnson says "he perhaps surpassed everypractical gardener of his age. "

PHILIP LE BROCQ, chaplain to the Duke of Gloucester, wrote, 1, A Description of Certain Methods of Planting, Training, and Managingall Kinds of Fruit Trees, Vines, &c. London, 8vo. 1786. 

2, Sketch of a Plan for making the New Forest, a Real Forest. _Stockdale_, 8vo. 1793. 

WALTER NICHOL, whom Mr. Loudon, in his Encyclopædia, calls an author ofmerit, and informs us that Mr. Nichol, "in the year 1810, undertook anextensive journey through England, for the purpose of visiting theprincipal seats and plantations, with a view, on his return, to composethe _Planter's Calendar_. This work had scarcely commenced, when he wasseized with an illness which carried him off suddenly, in March, 1811. "His works appear to be the following:--

The Gardener's Kalendar; or, Monthly Directory of every Branch ofHorticulture; 8vo. 

The Planter's Kalendar; or, the Nurseryman's and Forester's Guide; 8vo. 

The Villa Garden Directory; or, Monthly Index of Work to be done inGardens, Shrubberies, &c. ; 12mo. 

Scotch Forcing Gardener; 8vo. 

The Practical Planter. 

Mr. Johnson says "his works are of the first authority, and rank as theequals of those of Abercrombie, being the result of long practice duringan enlightened era of our art. "

JAMES MADDOCK, of the Society of Friends, and commercial florist, atWalworth, where, about the middle of last century, he established theflorist garden there, now belonging to Milliken and Curtis. He diedabout 1806. He published the Florist's Directory, and Complete Treatiseon the Culture of Flowers; 8vo. 1792. New editions in 1810 and 1822. 

THOMAS S. D. BUCKNALL, Esq. Published the Orchardist; extracted from theSociety's Trans. For the Encouragement of Arts, &c. ; _with additions_. 8vo. 1797. 

I had omitted the following, for which I am indebted to Mr. Johnson'sHistory of English Gardening:--

RICHARD RICHARDSON. De cultu Hortorum, Carmen. 4to. London, 1669. 

Of either of the above enumerated Authors on Gardening, I have not beenable to discover any Portrait. 

[Illustration]

 Of the following we _have_ Portraits:--

LEONARD MASCALL'S portrait appears at the bottom of the curious titlepage to his "Government of Cattle, " 4to. And is _scarce_. He published, in 1572, "The New Art of Planting and Grafting;" 4to. And in 12mo. Another edition in 1652. 

DR. WILLIAM BULLEYN practised physic at Durham. He died in 1576. He hadthe misfortune to lose great part of his library by shipwreck. He wasthrown into prison for debt, where he wrote a great part of his medicaltreatises. Bishop Tanner says he was a man of acute judgment, and truepiety. He was universally esteemed as a polished scholar, and as a manof probity, benevolence, and piety. I gather the following from Dr. Pulteney:--"Of Dr. Bulleyn there is a profile with a long beard, beforehis "Government of Health, " and a whole length of him, in wood, prefixedto the "Bulwarke of Defence;" which book is a collection of most of hisworks. He was an ancestor of the late Dr. Stukely, who, in 1722, was atthe expence of having a small head of him engraved. He proves that wehad excellent apples, pears, plums, cherries and hops, of our owngrowth, (before the importation of these articles into England), byLondon and Kentish gardeners. His zeal for the promotion of the usefularts of gardening, the general culture of the land, and the commercialinterests of the kingdom, deserved the highest praise; and for theinformation he has left of these affairs, in his own time, posterity owehim acknowledgments. " In a note to his Life, in the Biog. Dict. , 7 vols. Folio, 1748, is a curious account of many fruits, &c. Then in ourgardens. The same note is in Kippis. Richardson's portraits to Grangergives us the above profile. Mr. Johnson, at page 51 of his History ofEnglish Gardening, pointedly says, "Dr. Bulleyn deserves the venerationof every lover of gardening, for his strenuous advocating its cause, ata time when it had become a fashion to depreciate the products of ourEnglish gardens. " And at page 57, pays him a further just tribute. 

THOMAS HYLL, who, in 1574, published, in 4to. , "The Profitable Arte ofGardeninge. " Another edition in 1593, 4to. His interesting chapter onBees is annexed to these editions. "[61] There appears another edition insmall 12mo. Imprinted at London, in Flete-strete, neare to St. Dunstone's Church, by Thomas Marshe, 1658. There are other editions, as1570 and 1574, 4to. ; 1568, 12mo. ; and 1563 and 1594, 16mo. Bromley thusmentions a portrait of him:--"Thomas Hill, wooden cut, prefixed to hisPhysiognomie; 12mo. 1571. Aged 42. A friend to Hyll, in a complimentaryletter, prefixed to the above book, thus, in part, addresses thereader:--

 _With painfull pen the writer hath exprest in English plane, The needfull ayd, and mightie force, that doth in hearbes remaine, The time to set, the time to plant, the time to raise again, This man by treble diligence hath brought to light with paine. _

The portraits of the Lord Chancellor BACON are well known; but in Mr. Montagu's late edition of his works, a new or juvenile portrait isadded, namely, a most expressive, intelligent, and beautiful miniatureof him at his age of eighteen, by Hilyard, of whom Dr. Donne said, ----_a hand or eye By Hilyard drawn, is worth a history By a worse painter. _

This fine edition of his works is illustrated by five portraits, takenat different periods of his lordship's life; by engravings of hisresidence, and monument, fac-similes, and other embellishments. InMallett's edition are two portraits, one by Vertue, finelyengraved. [62]

GERARDE'S portrait (a fine one) is prefixed to his own edition of hisHerbal. Two coats of arms are at the bottom. No painter, or engraver'sname, except the initials, W. R. Intertwined, which I suppose are thoseof W. Rogers, the engraver. There is another good head of Gerarde, asmall oval one, in the title page to Johnson's edition. A portrait, inoil, of Gerarde, was sold by Mr. Christie, Nov. 11, 1826. Dr. Pulteneyreviews both these Herbals. Gerarde is highly extolled by Dr. Bulleyn, and indeed attained deserved eminence in his day. Dr. Pulteney relatesthat "the thousand novelties which were brought into England by ourcircumnavigators, Raleigh and Cavendish, in 1580 and 1588, excited adegree of attention, which at this day cannot, without the aid ofconsiderable recollection, be easily conceived. Raleigh himself appearsto have possessed a larger share of taste for the curious productions ofnature, than was common to the seafaring adventurers of that period. Andposterity will rank these voyagers among the greatest benefactors tothis kingdom, in having been the means, if tradition may be credited, ofintroducing the most useful root that Providence has held forth for theservice of man. A voyage round the globe, howsoever familiarized inours, was, in that age, a most interesting and fruitful occasion ofenquiry. The return of Raleigh, and the fame of his manifold discoveriesand collections, brought over from the continent the celebrated Clusius, then in the fifty-fifth year of his age. He, who added more to the stockof botany, in his day, than all his contemporaries united, visitedEngland for the third time, to partake, at this critical juncture, inthe general gratification. At this eventful period, Gerarde was in thevigour of life, and, without doubt, felt the influence, and reapedthe advantage of all the circumstances I have enumerated. " Oneof the editions of Gerarde thus appears in a bookseller'scatalogue:--"Gerarde's Herball; or Generall Historie of Plants, verymuch enlarged by Johnson, folio, _beautiful impression of thefrontispiece by Payne, fine copy, old Russia, gilt back, £3. 18s. 1633_. [63]

WALTER BLYTHE'S whole-length portrait (exhibiting a pensive andpenetrating aspect), is prefixed to his "English Improver Improved;" andwhich work Professor Martyn terms "an original and incomparable work forthe time. " Dr. Beale calls him "honest Captain Blithe. "

GERVASE MARKHAM'S portrait is prefixed to his "Perfect Horseman;" 8vo. It is re-engraved for Richardson's portraits to Granger. Markhamappears to have been a good soldier, as well as a good scholar. Hepublished in 4to. 1623, "The Country House-Wife's Garden. " He wroteHerod and Antipater, a tragedy. Langbaine speaks very much in hispraise, and seemingly not without reason. Dr. Dibden, in his "LibraryCompanion, " says, "on many accounts does Markham seem entitled to morenotice and commendation. " He translated Leibault's Maison Rustique, in1616, in 4to. Or small folio, and augmented it with many additions fromOliver de Serres, and others. Weston, in his Catalogue, says here-printed the editions in 1614 and 1631, of Barnaby Gooche's Husbandry. He published many books on husbandry, on fowling, on angling, onmilitary discipline, on horsemanship. Many of their titles areenumerated in Langbaine, and in Weston, and they appear all to be morefully stated in Watts's Bibl. Brit. Much information, as to Markham, maybe seen in vol. Ii. Of the Censura Literaria; and in Sir E. Brydges'sedition of Phillips's Theatrum Poetarum Anglicanorum, appears, perhaps, the best list of his works, with a brief memoir. [64]

PARKINSON'S excellent portrait, by Marshall, appears in the title pageto his _Theatrum Botanicum_, in 1640. Some one _may_ now possess theoriginal. In his _Paradisus_, 1635, there is a very scurvy engraving ofhis healthy, and hearty-looking old countenance. In this miserable cut, which is on wood, the graver, Christopher Switzer, does not seem to havehad a strife "_with nature to outdo the life_. " Marshall's head isre-engraved for Richardson's Illustrations to Granger. Parkinson rose tosuch a degree of reputation, as to be appointed Apothecary to KingJames. He was appointed herbalist to Charles I. Dr. Pulteney speakshighly of both the above works, particularly of the _Theatrum_. All thememorials we have of the private history of this most industrious andzealous herbalist, are very scanty. He died about 1645, aged about 78. The curious contents of his _Paradisus_ are diffusively narrated inJohnson's English Gardening. When perusing the pages of either of theabove, one may exclaim, ----"not a tree, A plant, a leaf, a blossom, but contains A folio volume. We may read, and read, And read again; and still find something new, Something to please, and something to instruct, E'en in the humble weed. "

[Illustration]

The above is scarcely better than Switzer's. There appears no faithfulportrait of Parkinson, but Marshall's, who _had the felicity_ to drawother portraits besides his. 

Hollar's striking portraits of the TRADESCANTS, are well known. On theirtomb, at Lambeth, the following lines form part of the inscription:--

 These famous Antiquarians, that had been Both Gardeners to the rose and lily Queen, Transplanted now themselves, sleep here; and when Angels shall with their trumpets waken men, And fire shall purge the world, these hence shall rise, And change this Garden for a Paradise. 

In the Ashmolean Museum, is a portrait of the SON, _in his garden_, witha spade in his hand. In Mr. Nichols's "Illustrations to Granger, "consisting of seventy-five portraits, appear those of the Tradescants, father and son. Smith also engraved John Tradescant, with his son, andtheir monument, 1793. Mr. Weston, in his Catalogue, fully describes the_Museum Tradescantium_. Dr. Pulteney observes, that "in a work devotedto the commemoration of Botanists, their name stands too high not todemand an honourable notice; since they contributed, at an early period, by their garden and museum, to raise a curiosity that was eminentlyuseful to the progress and improvement of natural history in general. The reader may see a curious account of the remains of this garden, drawn up in the year 1749, by the late Sir W. Watson, and printed invol. Xlvi. Of the Phil. Trans. The son died in 1662. His widow erected acurious monument, in memory of the family, in Lambeth church-yard, ofwhich a large account, and engravings from a drawing of it in thePepysian Library, at Cambridge, are given by the late learned Dr. Ducarel, in vol. Lxiii. Of the Phil. Trans. "

SIR HENRY WOTTON, Provost of Eaton. His portrait is given in IsaacWalton's Lives of Wotton, and others. It, of course, accompaniesZouch's, and the other well-known editions of Isaac Walton's Lives. InEvans's Illustrations to Granger, is Sir H. Wotton, from the picture inthe Bodleian Library, engraved by _Stow_. In Sir Henry's Reflections onAncient and Modern Learning, is his chapter "On Ancient and ModernAgriculture and Gardening. " Cowley wrote an elegy on him, which thuscommences:--

 What shall we say since silent now is he, Who when he spoke, all things would silent be; Who had so many languages in store, That only Fame can speak of him with more. 

Isaac Walton published the "_Reliquiæ Wottonianæ_, or, Lives, Letters, Poems, &c. By Sir Henry Wotton, " 12mo. 1654, with portraits of Wotton, Charles I. , Earl of Essex, and Buckingham. Sir E. Brydges printed at hisprivate press, at Lee Priory, Sir Henry's Characters of the Earl ofEssex and Buckingham. In the _Reliquiæ_, among many curious andinteresting articles, is preserved Sir Henry's delicately complimentaryletter to Milton on receiving from him _Comus_. Sir Henry, when aresident at Venice, (where he was sent on three several embassies byJames) purchased for that munificent encourager of painting, the Duke ofBuckingham, several valuable pictures, which were added to the Duke'smagnificent collection. Isaac Walton's Life of Wotton thusconcludes:--"Dying worthy of his name and family, worthy of the love ofso many princes, and persons of eminent wisdom and learning, worthy ofthe trust committed unto him for the service of his prince and country. "And, in his Angler, he thus sweetly paints the warm attachment he hadfor Wotton:--"a man with whom I have often fished and conversed, whoselearning, wit, and cheerfulness, made his company to be esteemed one ofthe delights of mankind. Peace and patience, and a calm content, didcohabit in the cheerful heart of Sir Henry Wotton. "

SIR THOMAS BROWNE. Mr. Dallaway, in his Anecdotes of the Arts, mentionsthe following portrait of Sir Thomas:--"At Devonshire-house is a familygroupe, by Dobson, of Sir Thomas Browne. He is smiling with the utmostcomplacency upon his children, who surround him. " His portrait is alsoprefixed to his works. The Biograph. Dict. , folio, 1748, says, "hispicture, in the College of Physicians, shews him to have been remarkablyhandsome, and to have possessed, in a singular degree, the blessings ofa grave, yet cheerful and inviting, countenance. " The same work farthergives him a most amiable character. Mr. Ray, in his Ornithology, doesnot omit paying a just compliment to his assistant and friend, "thedeservedly famous Sir Thomas Browne. " Evelyn, in 1671, mentions SirThomas Browne's garden at Norwich, as containing a paradise ofvarieties, and the gardens of all the inhabitants as full of excellentflowers. Switzer says, "The noble elegance of his style has sinceinduced many to read his works, (of which, that of _Cyrus's gardens_ issome of the brightest, ) though they have had little inclination to thepractice of gardening itself. There remains nothing that I have heard ofhis putting gardening actually into practice himself; but some of hislast works being observations on several scarce plants mentioned inScripture; and of Garlands and Coronary garden plants and flowers, 'tisreasonable to suppose he did; and the love he had so early and latediscovered toward it, was completed in the delightful practice thereof. "He further says, " his elaborate and ingenious pen has not a littleadded to the nobleness of our subject. "[65] His works were published in1 vol. Folio, 1686, with his portrait, engraved by White. His portraitappears also to his "Certain Miscellany Tracts, " 8vo. A list of hisnumerous works may be seen in the Biogr. Dictionaires, or in Watts'sBibl. Britt. To his "Christian Morals, " Dr. Johnson has prefixed hisLife. It is so masterly written, that it is impossible to give even anabstract. Dr. Kippis has, however, in part, transcribed it. He waschosen Honorary Fellow of the College of Physicians, as a man _virtuteet literas ornatissimus_. In 1671, he received the honour of Knighthoodfrom Charles II. , a prince, (says Dr. Johnson) "who, with many frailtiesand vices, had yet skill to discover excellence, and virtue to reward itwith such honorary distinctions, at least, as cost him nothing, yet, conferred by a king so judicious and so much beloved, had the power ofgiving merit new lustre and greater popularity. " Thus he lived in highreputation, till, in his seventy-sixth year, an illness, which torturedhim a week, put an end to his life, at Norwich, on his birth-day, October 19, 1682. "Some of his last words (we are told by _Whitefoot_)were expressions of submission to the will of God, and fearlessness ofdeath. " Dr. Johnson observes, "It is not on the praises of others, buton his own writings, that he is to depend for the esteem of posterity;of which he will not be easily deprived, while learning shall have anyreverence among men: for there is no science in which he does notdiscover some skill; and scarce any kind of knowledge, profane orsacred, abstruse or elegant, which he does not appear to have cultivatedwith success. His exuberance of knowledge, and plenitude of ideas, sometimes obstruct the tendency of his reasoning, and the clearness ofhis decisions. On whatever subject he employed his mind, there startedup immediately so many images before him, that he lost one by graspinganother. His memory supplied him with so many illustrations, parallel ordependent notions, that he was always starting into collateralconsiderations. But the spirit and vigour of his pursuit always givesdelight; and the reader follows him, without reluctance, through hismazes, of themselves flowery and pleasing, and ending at the pointoriginally in view. There remains yet an objection against the writingsof _Browne_, more formidable than the animadversions of criticism. Thereare passages from which some have taken occasion to rank him amongdeists, and others among atheists. It would be difficult to guess howany such conclusion should be formed, had not experience shewn thatthere are two sorts of men willing to enlarge the catalogue of infidels. When _Browne_ has been numbered among the contemners of religion by thefury of its friends, or the artifices of its enemies, it is no difficulttask to replace him among the most zealous professors of christianity. He may perhaps, in the ardour of his imagination, have hazarded anexpression, which a mind intent upon faults may interpret into heresy, if considered apart from the rest of his discourse; but a phrase is notto be opposed to volumes. There is scarcely a writer to be found, whoseprofession was not divinity, that has so frequently testified his beliefof the sacred writings, has appealed to them with such unlimitedsubmission, or mentioned them with such unvaried reverence. "

JOHN EVELYN, ESQ. His portrait by Nanteuil, and that by Kneller, holdinghis _Sylva_ in his hand, are well engraved in Mr. Bray's Memoirs. Thefollowing remark is from the Quarterly Review, in its review of the samework, in 1818:--"At four years old he was taught to read by the parishschool-master, whose school was over the church porch; and 'at six hispicture was drawn by one Chanteral, no ill painter. ' If this portrait, as is not unlikely, be preserved in the family, it should have beenengraved for the present work; it would have been very interesting tocompare the countenance of such a person, in childhood, in the flower ofyears, when his head was engraved by Nanteuil, and in ripe old age, whenhe sat to Sir G. Kneller. " In Aubrey's Surrey, vol. Iv. Are manyinteresting particulars of Mr. Evelyn, and his family, and he gives alist of his works. He says "his picture was thrice drawn in oil; first, in 1641, by one Vanderborcht, brought out of Germany at the same timewith Hollar, the graver, by the Earl of Arundel; a second time in 1648, by Walker; and the third time by Sir G. Kneller, for his friend Mr. Pepys, of the Admiralty, of which that at the Royal Society is a copy. There is a print of him by Nanteuil, who likewise drew him more thanonce in black and white, with Indian ink; and a picture, in crayon, byLuterel. " Mr. Evelyn lived in the busy times of Charles I. , Cromwell, Charles II. , James II. , and William. He had much personal intercoursewith Charles II. And James II. , and was in the habits of great intimacywith many of the ministers of those two monarchs, and of the eminent menof those days. Foreigners, distinguished for learning or arts, who cameto England, did not leave it without visiting him. His manners we maypresume to have been of the most agreeable kind, for his company wassought by the greatest men, not merely by inviting him to their owntables, but by their repeated visits to him at his own house. Mr. Evelynlived to the great age of eighty-six, and wished these words to beinscribed on his tomb:--"all is vanity that is not honest, and there isno solid wisdom but in real piety. "[66] Cowley, in a letter to him, says, "I know nobody that possesses more private happiness than you doin your garden; and yet no man who makes his happiness more publick, bya free communication of the art and knowledge of it to others. All thatI myself am able yet to do, is only to recommend to mankind the searchof that felicity, which you instruct them how to find and to enjoy. " TheQuarterly Review thus speaks of his _Sylva_:--"The Sylva remained abeautiful and enduring memorial of his amusements, his occupations, andhis studies, his private happiness, and his public virtues. The greaterpart of the woods, which were raised in consequence of Evelyn'swritings, have been cut down; the oaks have borne the British flag toseas and countries which were undiscovered when they were planted, andgeneration after generation has been coffined in the elms. The trees ofhis age, which may yet be standing, are verging fast toward their decayand dissolution: but his name is fresh in the land, and his reputation, like the trees of an Indian Paradise, exists, and will continue to existin full strength and beauty, uninjured by the course of time. " Mr. Loudon, in his Encycl. Of Gardening, thus speaks of him:--"Evelyn isuniversally allowed to have been one of the warmest friends toimprovements in gardening and planting, that has ever appeared. He iseulogized by Wotton, in his _Reflections on Ancient and ModernLearning_, as having done more than all former ages. " Switzer calls him"that good esquire, the king of gardeners. " His life (says Mr. Walpole)"was a course of inquiry, study, curiosity, instruction, andbenevolence. He knew that retirement, in his own hands, was industry andbenefit to mankind; in those of others, laziness and inutility. "

There appears the following more modern publications respecting Mr. Evelyn:--

1. Sylva, with Notes by Hunter; in 4to, and 8vo. 

2. Memoirs and Correspondence of Mr. Evelyn. Edited by Mr. Bray. 5 vols. 8vo. _Portraits_, and other plates. £3. 10s. Another edition, in 2vols. , 4to. 

3. Evelyn's Miscellaneous Writings, collected and edited, with Notes, byMr. Upcott. Forming a Supplement to the Evelyn Memoirs. 1 vol. 4to. Withplates, 1825. £3. 10s. 

The Encycl. Of Gardening enumerates the whole of Mr. Evelyn's works. Sodoes Dr. Watts in his Bibl. Britt. ; and Mr. Johnson in his History ofEnglish Gardening. [67]

ABRAHAM COWLEY. The portraits of him are well known. That in BishopHurd's edition is very neat. This same portrait is also well engravedfor Ankars's edition of Cowley; and also in that by Aikens, in 8vo. DeanSprat has prefixed to his edition of Cowley, his portrait, engraved byFaithorne, and, in his preface, pays a warm and just tribute to hismemory. When his death was announced to Charles II. , he declared, thatMr. Cowley had not left a better man behind him in England. Cowleyaddresses his chapter _Of Gardens_ (which strongly paints his delight inthem) to Mr. Evelyn. He wrote this epitaph for himself:--

 From life's superfluous cares enlarg'd, His debt of human toil discharg'd, Here COWLEY lies, beneath this shed, To ev'ry worldly interest _dead_: With decent poverty content; His hours of ease not idly spent; To fortune's goods a foe profess'd, And, hating wealth, by all caress'd. 'Tis sure he's _dead_; for, lo! how small A spot of earth is now his all! O! wish that earth may lightly lay, And ev'ry care be far away! Bring flow'rs, the short-liv'd roses bring, To _life deceased_ fit offering! And sweets around the poet strow, Whilst yet with life his ashes glow. 

JOHN ROSE, head gardener to the Lord Essex, at Essex-house, in theStrand. He sent him to study the celebrated beauties in the gardens ofVersailles. He became afterwards the chief gardener to Charles II. , atthe royal gardens in St. James's Park. His portrait may be seen atKensington, in an oil painting, where he is presenting a pine to hisMajesty, whilst on a visit to the Duchess of Cleveland, at Downey Court, Buckinghamshire. It has lately been engraved in mezzotinto. He was theauthor of "The English Vineyard Vindicated, and the Way of Making Winein France;" first printed with Evelyn's French Gardener, in 1672, 12mo. Other editions in 1675, 1676, and 1690, in 8vo. The preface is byEvelyn, as well as The Art of Making Wine. Rose brought to greatperfection dwarf fruit trees, in the gardens at Hampton Court, Carlton, and Marlborough House. Switzer thus speaks of him:--"He was esteemed tobe the best of his profession in those days, and ought to be rememberedfor the encouragement he gave to a servant of his, that has since madethe greatest figure that ever yet any gardener did, I mean Mr. London. Mr. Rose may be well ranked amongst the greatest virtuosos of that time, (now dead) who were all well pleased to accept of his company whileliving. "

CHARLES COTTON. He published "The Planter's Manual, " 12mo. 1675. Thereis prefixed to it a rural frontispiece, by Van Houe. Mr. Johnsonproperly calls him "one of the _Scriptores minores_ of horticulture. "His "devoted attachment to Izaak Walton, forms the best evidence we haveof his naturally amiable disposition. " His portrait is finely engravedin Mr. Major's extensively illustrated and most attractive editions ofthe Angler; a delightful book, exhibiting a "matchless picture of ruralnature. " Mr. Cotton's portrait is also well engraved in Zouch's Life ofWalton; and in the many other curious and embellished editions of Waltonand Cotton's Angler. He translated with such truth and spirit, thecelebrated Essays of Montaigne, that he received from that superiorcritic, the Marquis of Halifax, a most elegant encomium. Sir JohnHawkins calls it "one of the most valuable books in the Englishlanguage. " A complete list of Mr. Cotton's works appears in Watts'sBibl. Britt. When describing, in his _Wonders of the Peake_, the Queenof Scot's Pillar, he thus breaks out:--

 Illustrious _Mary_, it had happy been, Had you then found a cave like this to skreen Your sacred person from those frontier spies, That of a sovereign princess durst make prize, When Neptune too officiously bore Your cred'lous innocence to this faithless shore. Oh, _England_! once who hadst the only fame Of being kind to all who hither came For refuge and protection, how couldst thou So strangely alter thy good nature now, Where there was so much excellence to move, Not only thy compassion, but thy love? 'Twas strange on earth, save _Caledonian_ ground, So impudent a villain could be found, Such majesty and sweetness to accuse; Or, after that, a judge would not refuse Her sentence to pronounce; or that being done, Even amongst bloody'st hangmen, to find one Durst, though her face was veil'd, and neck laid down, Strike off the fairest head e'er wore a crown. And what state policy there might be here, Which does with right too often interfere, I 'm not to judge: yet thus far dare be bold, A fouler act the sun did ne'er behold. [68]

Plott, in his Staffordshire, calls Mr. Cotton "his worthy, learned, andmost ingenious friend. " Sir John Hawkins thus speaks of him:--"He wasboth a wit and a scholar; of an open, cheerful, and hospitable temper;endowed with fine talents for conversation, and the courtesy andaffability of a gentleman. " He farther thus speaks of one of hispoems:--"It is not for their courtly and elegant turn, that the versesof Charles Cotton ought to be praised; there is such a delightful flowof feeling and sentiment, so much of the best part of our nature mixedup in them, and so much fancy displayed, that one of our mostdistinguished living poets has adduced several passages of his Ode uponWinter, for a general illustration of the characteristics of fancy. " Hemust have possessed many endearing qualities, for the benevolent andpious Walton thus concludes a letter to his "most honoured friend, Charles Cotton, Esq. :"--"though I be more than a hundred miles from you, and in the eighty-third year of my age, yet I will forget both, and nextmonth begin a pilgrimage to beg your pardon: for I would die in yourfavour, and till then will live, Sir, your most affectionate father andfriend, Isaac Walton. " One cannot wonder at the good old man wishing tovisit the courteous and well-bred Mr. Cotton, and to enjoy theintercourse of hospitable urbanity, near the pastoral streams of theDove, when he had received such an invitation as the following, addressed to his "dear and most worthy friend, Mr. Isaac Walton:"--

 Whilst in this cold and blustering clime, Where bleak winds howl and tempests roar, We pass away the roughest time Has been of many years before;

 Whilst from the most tempestuous nooks The chillest blasts our peace invade, And by great rains our smallest brooks Are almost navigable made;

 Whilst all the ills are so improved, Of this dead quarter of the year, That even you, so much beloved, We would not now wish with us here;

 In this estate, I say, it is Some comfort to us to suppose, That, in a better clime than this, You, our dear friend, have more repose;

 And some delight to me the while, Though nature now does weep in rain, To think that I have seen her smile, And haply may I do again. 

 If the all-ruling Power please We live to see another May, We'll recompense an age of these Foul days in one fine fishing day. 

 We then shall have a day or two, Perhaps a week, wherein to try What the best master's hand can do With the most deadly killing fly:

 A day with not too bright a beam, A warm, but not a scorching sun, A southern gale to curl the stream, and, master, half our work is done. 

 There, whilst behind some bush we wait The scaly people to betray, -- We'll prove it just, with treacherous bait To make the preying _Trout_ our prey. 

 And think ourselves, in such an hour, Happier than those, though not so high, Who, like _Leviathans_, devour Of meaner men the smaller fry. 

 This, my best friend, at my poor home Shall be our pastime and our theme; But then--should you not deign to come, You make all this a flattering dream. 

In wandering over the lovely scenes, the pleasant brooks, theflower-bespangled meadows, which the moral pages of Isaac Walton sounaffectedly delineate, it is impossible not to recur to the name of thelate author of _Salmonia_, and to reflect, that on these pages he oftunbended his vigorous mind from his severe and brilliant discoveries. Wecan now only lament the (almost) premature death of this high-rankedphilosopher, this great benefactor to the arts, and deep promoter ofscience, whose mortal remains were consigned to his unostentatious tomb, at Geneva, in one of the finest evenings of summer, followed by theeloquent and amiable historian, De Sismondi, and by other learned andillustrious men. One may apply to his last moments at Geneva, (where hehad arrived only one day before) these lines of his own favouriteHerbert:--

 _Sweet day, so cool, so calm, so bright, The bridal of the earth and sky, Sweet dews shall weep thy fall to-night, For thou must die!_[69]

SAMUEL GILBERT'S portrait is prefixed to his "Florist's Vade Mecum;"12mo. In his "Gardener's Almanack, " is a particular description of theroses cultivated in the English gardens at that period. He was theauthor of "Fons Sanitatis, or the Healing Spring at Willowbridge Wells. "He was son-in-law to John Rea, the author of Flora, and who planned thegardens at Gerard's Bromley. Willowbridge Wells are at a little distancefrom where these once superb gardens were. 

JACOB BOBART, the elder, is an admirable portrait, by D. Loggan, takenat his age of eighty-one, and engraved by Burghers. Granger says it isextremely scarce. Beneath the head, which is dated 1675, is thisdistich:--

 _Thou Germane prince of plants, each year to thee, Thousands of subjects grant a subsidy. _

It is a venerable countenance, of deep thought. Richardson re-engravedthis among his Illustrations to Granger. Granger mentions also awhole-length of Bobart in a garden, dog, goat, &c. 4to. The Encycl. OfGardening says, "Bobart's descendants are still in Oxford, and known ascoach proprietors. " Do none of them possess the original painting? Themunificence of the Earl of Danby placed Bobart in the physic garden atOxford, in 1632, as supervisor; and this garden flourished many yearsunder his care, and that of his son Jacob, whose zeal and diligence Dr. Pulteney records. The elder Bobart was the author of the _HortusOxoniensis_, 1648. Wood, in his Athenæ, informs us, that "Jacob Bobartdied in his garden-house, in February, 1679, whereupon his body wasburied in the church of St. Peter, Oxon. " He left two sons, _Jacob_ and_Tillemant_. Tillemant became a master coachman between Oxford andLondon, but having had the misfortune to break his leg, became one ofthe beadles of the university. In the preface to Mr. Nicholls's latecurious work on autographs, among other _albums_, in the British Museum, it mentions that of David Krein, in which is the autograph of JacobBobart, with these verses;--

 ----"virtus sua gloria. 

 Think that day lost whose descending sun Views from thy hand no noble action done. 

 Yr success and happyness is sincerely wished by Ja. Bobart, Oxford. "

It appears from Ray's History of Plants, that Jacob Bobart, the son, wasa frequent communicator to him of scarce plants. It was this son whopublished the second volume of Morrison's Oxford History of Plants, whowrote its excellent preface, and who engaged _Burghers_ to engrave manyof the new plants; which engravings are highly commended by Pulteney. Mr. Johnson, in page 148 of his History of Gardening, thus pays Bobart ahigh compliment:--"a phalanx of botanists were then contemporaries, which previous ages never equalled, nor succeeding ones surpassed. Ray, Tournefort, Plumier, Plukenet, Commelin, Rivinus, _Bobart_, Petiver, Sherard, Boccone, Linnæus, may be said to have lived in the same age. "

JAMES GARDINER. His portrait is engraved by Vertue, from after Verelst, and prefixed to his translation of _Rapin on Gardens_, 8vo. Secondedition; no date. A third edition, 8vo. 1728. I believe he also wrote"On the Beatitudes;" 2 vols. 8vo. Switzer says, that this "incomparableLatin poem was translated by an ingenious and worthily dignifiedclergyman, and a great lover of gardening, Mr. Gardiner, Sub-Dean ofLincoln. " He became afterwards (I believe) Bishop of Lincoln; and aLatin epitaph on this bishop is in Peck's _Desid. Curiosa. _ There is aprint of "Jacobus Gardiner, Episc. Lincoln, " engraved by George White, from after Dahl. 

SIR WILLIAM TEMPLE. The portraits of this worthy man are numerous. Vanderbane's engraving, from Sir Peter Lely's, is particularly fine. Vertue's engravings, from Sir Peter, in the folio editions of 1720 and1740, are also fine. This same portrait is neatly engraved in the lateMr. Nichol's Collection of Poems. Houbraken has also engraved the samefor Birch's Lives. Sir William Temple, after spending twenty years innegociations with foreign powers, retired in 1680 from public life, andemployed his time in literary pursuits. He was ambassador for many yearsat the court of Holland, and there acquired his knowledge and taste ingardening. He had a garden at Sheen, and afterwards, another at MoorPark, where he died in 1700; and though his body was buried inWestminster Abbey, his heart was enclosed in a silver urn under asun-dial in the latter garden. His Essay "Upon the Gardens of Epicurus, or of Gardening in the year 1685, " is printed in all the editions of hisworks. [70] These works are published in 2 vols. Folio, and 4 vols. 8vo. Switzer, in his History of Gardening, first published in 1715, says, "That he was a great lover of gardening, appears by his own writings, and several kinds of fruit brought over by him out of Holland, &c. Aswell as by the testimony of his neighbours _yet living_, the greatestconsolation of his life being, in the lucid intervals he had from publicemploys, in his beloved gardens at _Sheen_. " And, in his Fruit Gardenerhe says, that "the magnificence and generosity of this great lover ofplanting, distributed vast numbers of the finest grapes among thenurserymen about London, as well as amongst the nobility and gentry. "Lord Mountmorris thus speaks of him:--"The retirement of this great manhas bequeathed the most invaluable legacy to posterity. Of the taste andelegance of his writings too much can never be said, illuminated as theyare by that probity and candour which pervade them, and those charmswhich render truth irresistible. Though other writers may be more theobjects of imitation to the scholar, yet his style is certainly the bestadapted to the politician and the man of fashion; nor would such anopinion be given, were it not for an anecdote of Swift, which I had fromthe late Mr. Sheridan, who told me the dean always recommended him asthe best model, and had repeatedly said that the style of Sir WilliamTemple was the easiest, the most liberal, and the most brilliantin our language. In a word, when we consider his probity, hisdisinterestedness, his contempt of wealth, the genuine beauty of hisstyle, which was as brilliant, as harmonious, and as pure as his lifeand manners; when we reflect upon the treasures which he has bequeathedby his example and by his works to his country, which no man ever lovedbetter, or esteemed more; we cannot avoid considering Sir William Templeas one of the greatest characters which has appeared upon the politicalstage; and he may be justly classed with the greatest names ofantiquity, and with the most brilliant characters which adorn andillustrate the Grecian or Roman annals. " Mr. Mason, in his EnglishGarden, contrasts Sir William's idea of "a perfect garden, " with thoseof Lord Bacon, and Milton; but he candidly says, ----and yet full oft O'er Temple's studious hour did truth preside, Sprinkling her lustre o'er his classic page; There hear his candour own, in fashion's spite, In spite of courtly dulness hear it own, _There is a grace in wild variety Surpassing rule and order. _ Temple, yes, There is a grace; and let eternal wreaths Adorn their brows who fixt its empire here. "

He then, in glowing lines, pays an animated tribute to Addison, Pope, and Kent. Hume records that "he was full of honour and humanity. " SirWilliam thus concludes one of his philosophic essays:--"When this isdone, human life is, at the greatest and the best, but like a frowardchild, that must be played with and humoured a little to keep it quiettill it falls asleep, and then the care is over. " His garden was one ofhis last delights. He knew what kind of life was best fitted to make aman's last days happy. Mr. Walpole, though he censures Sir William'swarm panegyric on the garden at Moor Park, yet scruples not doing himfull justice, in styling him an excellent man, and an admired writer, whose style, as to his garden, is animated with the colouring and glowof poetry. Mr. Cobbett, in his _English Gardener_, thus deplores thefate of Moor Park:--"This really wise and excellent man, Sir W. Temple, who, while he possessed the soundest judgment, and was employed in someof the greatest concerns of his country, so ardently, yet so rationallyand unaffectedly, praises the pursuits of gardening, in which hedelighted from his youth to his old age; and of his taste in which, hegave such delightful proofs in those gardens and grounds at Moor Park, beneath the turf of one spot of which, he caused by his will, his heartto be buried, and which spot, together with all the rest of thebeautiful arrangement, has been torn about and disfigured within thelast fifty years, by a succession of wine merchants, spirit merchants, West Indians, and God knows what besides. " And, in his _Woodlands_, hesays, "I have stood for hours, when a little boy, looking at this object(the canal and borders of beautiful flowers at Moor Park); I havetravelled far since, and have seen a great deal; but I have never seenany thing of the gardening kind so beautiful in the whole course of mylife. " Mr. Johnson, in his History of English Gardening, after noticingmany general particulars of Sir William, devotes an interesting page toSir William's attachment to gardening; and every line in this generouspage, betrays his own delight in this art. He thus concludes thispage:--"Nothing can demonstrate more fully the delight he took ingardening, than the direction left in his will, that his heart should beburied beneath the sun-dial of his garden, at Moor Park, near Farnham, in Surrey. In accordance with which, it was deposited there in a silverbox, affording another instance of the ruling passion unweakened even indeath. Nor was this an unphilosophical clinging to that which it wasimpossible to retain; but rather that grateful feeling, common to ournature, of desiring finally to repose where in life we have been happy. In his garden, Sir William Temple had spent the calmest hours of awell-spent life, and where his heart had been most peaceful, he wishedits dust to mingle, and thus, at the same time, offering his lasttestimony to the sentiment, that in a garden

 _Hic secura quies, et nescia fallere vita. _"

JOHN LOCKE wrote "Observations upon the Growth of Vines and Olives; theProduction of Silk, the Preservation of Fruits. Written at the requestof the Earl of Shaftesbury; now first printed from the originalmanuscript in the possession of the present Earl of Shaftesbury, 1s. 6d. Sandby, 1766. " Among the many portraits we have of this learned man, thepublic are indebted to Lord King, for having prefixed to his Life of Mr. Locke, a very fine portrait of him, from after Greenhill. This great andgood man possessed, in the highest degree, those virtues that havegiven him a claim to the highest rank in the admiration of posterity. InRutter's delineations of a part of Somersetshire, he gives a neatwood-cut of the cottage at Wrington, wherein Locke was born, and heinforms us, that in the garden belonging to Mrs. Hannah More, near thatvillage, she has placed an urn commemorative of Locke, which was a giftto her from the justly celebrated Mrs. Montague. He was drawn also byKneller. Bromley gives a list of many of his engraved portraits. Houbraken engraved one for Birch's Lives. Vertue gave two engravingsfrom Kneller. 

WILLIAM FLEETWOOD, successively Bishop of St. Asaph and Ely, and whodied in 1723, was author of "Curiosities of Nature and Art in Husbandryand Gardening, " 8vo. 1707. His portrait is prefixed to his "Sermons onthe Relative Duties, " 8vo. 1716; and also to his "Essay on theMiracles. " His works were published in a collected form in 1 vol. Folio, 1737. He was incontestibly the best preacher in his time. Dr. Doddridgecalls him "silver tongued. " Pope's line of

 _The gracious dew of pulpit eloquence_, might, no doubt, have been justly applied to him. Dr. Drake, in thethird volume of his Essays, to illustrate the Tatler, Spectator, andGuardian, has some interesting pages respecting him. His benevolentheart and exemplary life, added great effect to his persuasive eloquencein the pulpit. "His sermons (says Lempriere), and divinity tracts, werewidely circulated; but the firmness of his opinions drew upon him thecensure of the House of Commons. His preface to his sermons on thedeaths of Mary, the Duke of Gloucester, and of William, and on theaccession of Anne, gave such offence to the ministry, that the book waspublicly burnt in 1712; but it was more universally read, and evenappeared in the Spectator, No. 384. " As to this burning, Dr. Johnsonremarked, that fire is a conclusive, but not a convincing argument; itwill certainly destroy any book, but it refutes none. [71] In an_Obituary_, preserved in Peck's Desid. Curiosa, it thus mentions thedeath of a Jeffery Fleetwood, "leaving a wife and six little childrenbehind him. God bless them. One of these little children was the famousWilliam Fleetwood, Bishop of Ely. "

JOSEPH ADDISON, Esq. There is an original portrait of this eminent man, at Holland House. Another at Oxford. Noble's continuation of Grangerenumerates several engravings of him, from Kneller's portraits. Dayl, the painter, also drew him. His portrait appears in the Kit Cat Club. InIreland's "Picturesque Views on the River Avon, " he gives an interestingdescription of Mr. Addison's house at Bilton, near Rugby, two miles fromDunchurch; with a view of the same. The house "remains precisely in thestate it was at the decease of its former possessor, nor has theinterior suffered much change in its former decoration. The furnitureand pictures hold their places with an apparent sacred attention to hismemory. Among the latter, are three of himself, at different periods ofhis life; in each of which is strongly marked with the pencil, the easeof the gentleman, and the open and ingenuous character of the friend tohumanity. " From Dr. Drake's Biographical Sketch of Addison, it appears, that these portraits were still remaining in his house in 1797. A copyof the above view is given in the Monthly Magazine for February, 1822, and it there says, that "the spacious gardens retain the fashion of theage of the Spectator. " The origin of the modern style of landscapegardening, or the first writers on that subject, were unquestionably Mr. Addison, in Nos. 414 and 477 of the _Spectator_, and Mr. Pope in hiscelebrated _Guardian_. The first artists who practised in this style, were Bridgman and Kent. [72] Mr. Addison's pure taste on these subjectsis visible even where he prefers Fontainebleau to the magnificentVersailles, in his paper in the _Guardian_, No. 101:--"It is situatedamong rocks and woods, that give you a fine variety of savage prospects. The king has humoured the genius of the place, and only made use of somuch art as is necessary to help and regulate nature, without reformingher too much. The cascades seem to break through the clefts and cracksof rocks that are covered over with moss, and look as if they were piledupon one another by accident. There is an artificial wildness in themeadows, walks, and canals; and the garden, instead of a wall, is fencedon the lower end by a natural mound of rock-work that strikes the eyevery agreeably. For my part, I think there is something more charming inthese rude heaps of stone than in so many statues, and would as soon seea river winding through woods and meadows, as when it is tossed up in somany whimsical figures at Versailles. " In No. 414 of his Spectator, hesays, "English gardens are not so entertaining to the fancy as those inFrance, and Italy, where we see a large extent of ground covered overwith an agreeable mixture of garden, and forest, which represent everywhere an artificial rudeness, much more charming than that neatness andelegancy which we meet with in those of our own country. " Mr. Murphythus compares Addison with Johnson:--"Addison lends grace and ornamentto truth; Johnson gives it force and energy. Addison makes virtueamiable; Johnson represents it as an awful duty. " Addison has beencalled the English Fenelon. Johnson calls him the Raphael of essaywriters. The imposing and commanding attitude of the statue erected afew years since in the Poets' Corner, seems to have arisen, and to havebeen devoted to his memory, from his _Reflections on the Tombs in theAbbey_. Those reflections I here subjoin; and I am sure my reader willagree with me, that I could not offer a purer honour to his genius andmemory:--"No. 26, Friday, March 30. 

 _Pallida mors aequo pulsat pede pauperum tabernas Regumque turres, O beate sexti. Vitae summa brevis spem nos vetat inchoare longam, Jam te premet nox, fabulaeque manes, Et domus exilis Plutonia. _--HOR. 

 With equal foot, rich friend, impartial fate Knocks at the cottage, and the palace gate: Life's span forbids thee to extend thy cares, And stretch thy hopes beyond thy tender years: Night soon will seize, and you must quickly go To storied ghosts, and _Pluto's_ house below. --CREECH. 

"When I am in a serious humour, I very often walk by myself inWestminster Abbey; where the gloominess of the place, and the use towhich it is applied, with the solemnity of the building, and thecondition of the people who lie in it, are apt to fill the mind with akind of melancholy, or rather thoughtfulness, that is not disagreeable. I yesterday passed a whole afternoon in the church-yard, the cloisters, and the church, amusing myself with the tomb-stones and inscriptionsthat I met with in those several regions of the dead. Most of themrecorded nothing else of the buried person, but that he was born uponone day and died upon another: the whole history of his life beingcomprehended in those two circumstances, that are common to all mankind. I could not but look upon these registers of existence, whether of brassor marble, as a kind of satire upon the departed persons; who had leftno other memorial of them, but that they were born and that they died. They put me in mind of several persons mentioned in the battles ofheroic poems, who have sounding names given them, for no other reasonbut that they may be killed, and are celebrated for nothing but beingknocked on the head. 

 _Glaucumque, Medontaque, Thersilochumque. _--VIRG. 

"The life of these men is finely described in holy writ by _the path ofan arrow_, which is immediately closed up and lost. Upon my going intothe church, I entertained myself with the digging of a grave; and saw inevery shovel-full of it that was thrown up, the fragment of a bone orskull intermixed with a kind of fresh mouldering earth that some time orother had a place in the composition of an human body. Upon this I beganto consider with myself what innumerable multitudes of people layconfused together under the pavement of that ancient cathedral; how menand women, friends and enemies, priests and soldiers, monks andprebendaries, were crumbled amongst one another, and blended together inthe same common mass; how beauty, strength, and youth, with old age, weakness, and deformity, lay undistinguished in the same promiscuousheap of matter. After having thus surveyed this great magazine ofmortality, as it were in the lump; I examined it more particularly bythe accounts which I found on several of the monuments which are raisedin every quarter of that ancient fabrick. Some of them were covered withsuch extravagant epitaphs, that if it were possible for the dead personto be acquainted with them, he would blush at the praises which hisfriends have bestowed upon him. There are others so excessively modest, that they deliver the character of the person departed in _Greek_ or_Hebrew_, and by that means are not understood once in a twelvemonth. Inthe poetical quarter, I found there were poets who had no monuments, andmonuments which had no poets. I observed indeed that the present war hadfilled the church with many of these uninhabited monuments, which hadbeen erected to the memory of persons whose bodies were buried in theplains of _Blenheim_, or in the bosom of the ocean. I could not but bevery much delighted with several modern epitaphs, which are written withgreat elegance of expression and justness of thought, and therefore dohonour to the living as well as to the dead. As a foreigner is very aptto conceive an idea of the ignorance or politeness of a nation from theturn of their public monuments and inscriptions, they should besubmitted to the perusal of men of learning and genius before they areput in execution. Sir_Cloudesly Shovel's_ monument has very often givenme great offence: instead of the brave rough _English_ admiral, whichwas the distinguishing character of that plain gallant man, he isrepresented on his tomb by the figure of a beau, dressed in a longperiwig, and reposing himself upon velvet cushions under a canopy ofstate. The inscription is answerable to the monument; for, instead ofcelebrating the many remarkable actions he had performed in the serviceof his country, it acquaints us only with the manner of his death, inwhich it was impossible for him to reap any honour. The _Dutch_, whom weare apt to despise for want of genius, shew an infinitely greater tasteof antiquity and politeness in their buildings and works of this nature, than what we meet with in those of our own country. The monuments oftheir admirals, which have been erected at the public expense, representthem like themselves; and are adorned with rostral crowns and navalornaments, with beautiful festoons of sea-weed, shells, and coral. Butto return to our subject. I have left the repository of our Englishkings for the contemplation of another day, when I shall find my minddisposed for so serious an amusement. I know that entertainments of thisnature are apt to raise dark and dismal thoughts in timorous minds, andgloomy imaginations; but, for my own part, though I am always serious, I do not know what it is to be melancholy; and can therefore take a viewof nature in her deep and solemn scenes, with the same pleasure as inher most gay and delightful ones. By this means I can improve myselfwith those objects which others consider with terror. When I look uponthe tombs of the great, every emotion of envy dies in me; when I readthe epitaphs of the beautiful, every inordinate desire goes out; when Imeet with the grief of parents upon a tomb-stone, my heart melts withcompassion; when I see the tomb of the parents themselves, I considerthe vanity of grieving for those whom we must quickly follow: When I seekings lying by those who deposed them, when I consider rival wits placedside by side, or the holy men that divided the world with their contestsand disputes, I reflect with sorrow and astonishment on the littlecompetitions, factions, and debates of mankind. When I read the severaldates of the tombs, of some that died yesterday, and some six hundredyears ago, I consider that great day when we shall all of us becontemporaries, and make our appearance together. "[73]

REV. JOHN LAWRENCE published "The Clergyman's Recreation, shewing thePleasure and Profit of the Art of Gardening;" 8vo. 1714. Also a poem, called "Paradise Regained, or the Art of Gardening;" 8vo. 1728. Thesixth edition of "The Clergyman's Recreation" has "the effigies of theauthor, engraved by Vertue. " I have seen eight copies of this sixthedition, and in neither of them has this portrait been. No doubt thecollecting to form Granger's, has deprived each copy of its portrait. This is an expressive portrait, ornamented with a vine wreath, and witha rich cornucopia or clusters of ripe fruit. The original picture fromwhich Vertue's print was taken, was at Pallion, near Durham, the seat ofhis grandson, John Goodchild, Esq. In Rodd's catalogue of engravedportraits, printed a few years ago, was "John Lawrence, prebend ofSalisbury, _original drawing by Vertue_, price 5s. " Mr. Lawrencepublished also, in folio, in 1726, his System of Agriculture andGardening. Mr. Nichols, in vol. Iv. Of his Literary Anecdotes, has givena list of all his works, has preserved a few particulars respecting him, and pays a just tribute to him. A list of his works may also be seen inWatts's Bibl. Brit. , and in Mr. Johnson's work. The Encycl. Of Gardeninginforms us that he was "of a hospitable and benevolent disposition, taking great pleasure in presenting a rich dessert of fruit to hisfriends. " He was presented to the rectory of Yelvertoft, Northamptonshire, in 1703, "by the extraordinary uncommon bounty of agenerous patron. " In 1721, he was presented to that of Bishop'sWearmouth, Durham, where he died in 1732. He was also a prebend ofSalisbury. [74]

Mr. Lawrence thus enforces the pleasures of a garden, to his ownorder:--"to make them happy by loving an innocent diversion, theamusements of a garden being not only most delightful to those that lovethem, but most wholesome to those that use them. A good man knows how torecapitulate all his pleasures in a devout lifting up of his hands, hiseyes and his heart, to the great and bountiful author of nature, whogives beauty, relish, and success to all our honest labours. " His penlikewise paints with "soft and tempting colours, " the extreme beauty ofour fruit-trees, when clothed with their different coloured blossoms, (what Lord Byron calls _the sweet and blooming fruits ofearth_):--"What a pleasing entertainment is it to the eye, to beholdthe apricot in its full blossom, white as snow, and at the same time thepeach with its crimson-coloured blooms; both beginning to beinterspersed with green leaves! These are succeeded by the pear, thecherry, and the plum, whose blossoms and leaves make a very beautifulmixture in the spring; and it cannot be a less pleasant sight to seeclusters of swelling fruit all the summer, as the earnest of the fullgratification of another sense in autumn. And now we have come hither, what painter can draw a landskip more charming and beautiful to the eye, than an old Newington peach-tree laden with fruit in August, when thesun has first begun to paint one side of the fruit with such soft andtempting colours? The apricot, the pear, the cherry and plum, when theyappear in plenty as they ought, present themselves to the eye at thetime of ripening in very inviting blushes. In short, all the severalsorts of fruit trees have such pleasing varieties, that were there noother sense to be gratified but the sight, they may vie with a parterreeven of the finest flowers. " He thus mentions the month of _July_:--"Howbeautiful and refreshing are the mornings and evenings of such days, when the very air is perfumed with pleasant odours, and every thing thatpresents itself to the eye gives fresh occasion to the devout admirer topraise and adore the Great Creator, who hath given such wisdom and powerto man to diversify nature in such various instances, and (for his ownuse, pleasure, and profit, ) to assist her in all her operations. " Thisworthy clergyman might have applied to the delights of a garden, thesacred words of scripture:--"her ways are ways of pleasantness, and allher paths are peace. "[75]

ALEXANDER POPE. Numerous are the engraved portraits of this graceful andharmonious poet. Noble's continuation of Granger, gives all, or thegreater part of the engravings from his portraits, from which it will beseen, that he was drawn by Kneller, by Richardson, by many others, andparticularly by his friend Jervas. As a portrait painter, Mr. Jervaswas far from eminent. Pope's attachment to him, however, has enshrinedhis name in glowing lines to future generations. The portraits of Popewhich Jervas drew, were done _con amore_. Mr. Jennings, of Cheapside, has prefixed to his elegant folio edition of the "Essay on Man, " a_whole-length_ of Mr. Pope, from after Jervas. In Dodsley's Collectionof Poems, vol. Iii. Is a very striking bust of Mr. Pope, as anaccompaniment to Mr. Dodsley's affecting poem to his memory, which heentitles _The Cave of Pope_. Surely this bust must have stronglyresembled Pope, or Mr. Dodsley would not have inserted it. The profileto Ruffhead's Life, in 4to. 1769, _must_ have been a likeness, or BishopWarburton would not have permitted its insertion. His age was thentwenty-four. It is finely engraved by Ravenet, from Kneller. It is astriking portrait. A copy of this is admirably engraved in Bell's Poets, richly ornamented. A copy from that by Richardson is prefixed toWarton's edition. Among the portraits at _Hagley_, is that of Pope, andhis dog Bounce, by Richardson. [76] Lord Chesterfield thus speaks ofPope:--"His poor, crazy, deformed body, was a mere Pandora's box, containing all the physical ills that ever afflicted humanity. This, perhaps, whetted the edge of his satire, and may, in some degree, excuseit. I will say nothing of his works; they speak sufficiently forthemselves; they will live as long as taste and letters shall remain inthis country, and be more and more admired, as envy and resentment shallsubside. But I will venture this piece of classical blasphemy: which is, that however he may be supposed to be obliged to Horace, Horace is moreobliged to him. " Mr. Ruffhead (generally supposed to have had hisinformation from Dr. Warburton) thus states:--"Mr. Pope was low instature, and of a diminutive and misshapen figure, which no oneridiculed more pleasantly than himself. His constitution was naturallytender and delicate, and in his temper he was naturally mild andgentle, yet sometimes betrayed that exquisite sensibility which is theconcomitant of genius. His lively perception and delicate feeling, irritated by wretched ill health, made him too quickly take fire, buthis good sense and humanity soon rendered him placable. With regard tothe extent of his genius, it was so wide and various, that perhaps itmay not be too much to say, that he excelled in every species ofcomposition; and, beside his excellence as a poet, he was both anantiquarian and an architect, and neither in an inferior degree. [77] Noman ever entertained more exalted notions of friendship, or was evermore sincere, steady, warm, and disinterested, in all his attachments. Every inch of his heart was let out in lodgings for his friends. " LordOrrery thus speaks of him:--"His prose writings are little lessharmonious than his verse; and his voice, in common conversation, was sonaturally musical, that I remember honest Tom Southern used to call himthe Little Nightingale; his manners were delicate, easy, and engaging;he treated his friends with a politeness that charmed, and a generositythat was much to his honour. Every guest was made happy within hisdoors; pleasure dwelt under his roof, and elegance presided at histable. " One may trace Mr. Pope's hospitality throughout his letters. Iwill merely select one or two instances. In a letter to _Swift_, hesays, "My house is too large; my gardens furnish too much wood andprovision for _my_ use. My servants are sensible and tender of me. Theyhave intermarried, and are become rather low friends than servants. Would to God you would come over with Lord Orrery, whose care of you inthe voyage I could so certainly depend on; and bring with you your oldhousekeeper, and two or three servants. I have room for all, a heart forall, and (think what you will) a fortune for all. " In another letter toSwift, he says, "I wish you had any motive to see this kingdom. I couldkeep you; for I am rich, that is, I have more than I want. I can affordroom for yourself and two servants. I have, indeed, room enough, nothingbut myself at home: the kind and hearty housewife is dead! the agreeableand instructive neighbour is gone! yet my house is enlarged, and thegardens extend and flourish, as knowing nothing of the guests they havelost. I have more fruit trees and kitchen garden than you have anythought of; nay, I have good melons and pineapples of my own growth. " Ina letter to _Mr. Allen_, he says, "Let me know your day for coming, andI will have every room in my house as warm for you as the owner alwayswould be. " Mr. Mathias, in his Pursuits of Literature, (besidesexpatiating with fond delight, in numerous pages, on the genius ofPope, ) thus speaks of him:--"Familiar with the great, intimate with thepolite, graced by the attentions of the fair, admired by the learned, afavourite with the nation, independent in an acquired opulence, thehonourable product of his genius, and of his industry; the companion ofpersons distinguished for their virtue, birth, high fashion, rank, orwit, and resident in the centre of all public information andintelligence; every avenue to knowledge, and every mode of observationwere open to his curious, prying, piercing, and unweariedintellect. "[78]

One may with truth further apply to Mr. Pope what was said of Buchanan, that his mind was stored with all the fire, and all the graces ofancient literature. Mr. Pope's attachment to _gardens_, appears not onlyin his letter to Martha Blount, describing Sir W. Raleigh's seat--but inhis own garden at Twickenham, (where, as Mr. Loudon feelingly observes, _only the soil of which now remains_)--and in his letter to Mr. Blount, describing his grotto--but it also bursts forth in many passagesthroughout his works--and in his celebrated _Guardian_ (No. 173), whichattacks, with the keenest wit, "our study to recede from nature, " in ourgiants made out of yews, and lavender pigs with sage growing in theirbellies. His epistle to Lord Burlington confirms the charms he felt instudying nature. Mr. Mason, in a note to his English Garden, says, "Ihad before called Bacon the prophet, and Milton, the herald of truetaste in gardening. The former, because, in developing the constituentproperties of a princely garden, he had largely expatiated upon thatadorned natural wildness which we now deem the essence of the art. Thelatter, on account of his having made this natural wildness the leadingidea in his exquisite description of Paradise. I here call Addison, _Pope_, Kent, &c. The champions of this true taste. " As Mr. Mason hasadded an _&c. _, may we not add to these respected names, that of honestold Bridgman? It was the determination of Lord Byron (had his life beenlonger spared), to have erected, at his own expence, a monument toPope. [79] We can gather even from his rapid and hurried "Letter on theRev. W. L. Bowles's Strictures, " his attachment to the high name ofPope:--"If Lucretius had not been spoiled by the Epicurean system, weshould have had a far superior poem to any now in existence. As merepoetry, it is the first of Latin poems. What then has ruined it? Hisethics. Pope has not this defect; his moral is as pure as his poetry isglorious. "--"Pope's charities were his own, and they were noble andextensive, far beyond his fortune's warrant. "--"I have loved andhonoured the fame and name of that illustrious and unrivalled man, farmore than my own paltry renown, and the trashy jingle of the crowd ofschools and upstarts, who pretend to rival, or even surpass him. Soonerthan a single leaf should be torn from _his_ laurel, it were better thatall which these men, and that I, as one of their set, have everwritten, should

 Line trunks, clothe spice, or, fluttering in a row, Befringe the rails of Bedlam, or Soho. "

"The most _perfect_ of our poets, and the purest of our moralists. "--"Heis the _moral_ poet of all civilization; and, as such, let us hope thathe will one day be the national poet of mankind. He is the only poetthat never shocks; the only poet whose _faultlessness_ has been made hisreproach. Cast your eye over his productions; consider their extent, andcontemplate their variety:--pastoral, passion, mock-heroic, translation, satire, ethics, --all excellent, and often perfect. If his great charm behis _melody_, how comes it that foreigners adore him even in theirdiluted translations?"[80]

Mr. Mason has also farther recorded the resplendent fame of thiscelebrated man; for in his _Musæus_, a monody to the memory of Pope, heinvokes the shades of Chaucer, Spencer, and Milton, to do homage to hisdeparting spirit:--

 ----to cheer thee at this rueful time While black death doth on thy heart-strings prey. So may we greet thee with a nobler strain, When soon we meet for aye in yon star-sprinkled plain. 

Milton thus begins _his_ homage:--

 Thrice hail, thou heaven-taught warbler, last and best Of all the train! Poet, in whom conjoin'd All that to ear, or heart, or head, could yield Rapture; harmonious, manly, clear, sublime! Accept this gratulation: may it cheer Thy sinking soul; or these corporeal ills Ought daunt thee, nor appal. Know, in high heav'n Fame blooms eternal on that spirit divine, Who builds immortal verse. "[81]

Sir E. Brydges, in his "Letters on the Genius of Lord Byron, " thuscharacterizes the grace and sweetness of his pathetic powers, in his_Eloisa_:--"When either his passions or imaginations _were_ roused, theywere deep, strong, and splendid. Notwithstanding _Eloisa_ was anhistorical subject, his invention of circumstances of detail, hisimagery, the changes and turns of passion, the brilliancy of hues thrownupon the whole, the eloquence, the tenderness, the fire, the inimitablegrace and felicity of language, were all the fruits of creative genius. This poem stands alone in its kind; never anticipated, and never likelyto be approached hereafter. "

Young uttered this sublime apostrophe when the death of Pope was firstannounced to him:--

 _Thou, who couldst make immortals_, art thou dead?

Of his _Essay on Man_, the Nouveau Dict. Hist. Portatif thusspeaks:--"Une metaphysique lumineuse, ornée des charmes de la poësie, une morale touchante, dont les leçons pénetrent le coeur etconvainquent l'esprit, des peintures vives, ou l'homme apprend a seconnoître, pour apprendre à deviner meilleur; tels sont les principauxcaracteres qui distinguent le poëme Anglois. Son imagination estégalement sage et féconde, elle prodigue les pensées neunes, et donne lepiquant de la nouveanté, aux pensées anciennes; il embelloit lesmatieres les plus seches, par la coloris d'une élocution noble, facile, energèque, variée avec un art infini. "

In the gardens of Stowe is the following inscription to

 ALEXANDER POPE, Who, uniting the correctness of judgment To the fire of genius, By the melody and power of his numbers, Gave sweetness to sense, and grace to philosophy. He employed the pointed brilliancy of his wit To chastise the vices, And the eloquence of poetry To exalt the virtues of human nature; And, being without a rival in his own age, Imitated and translated with a spirit equal to the originals, The best Poets of antiquity. 

WILLIAM KENT, whose portrait appears in Mr. Dallaway's rich edition ofthe Anecdotes of Painting. Kent, with Bridgman, Pope, and Addison, havebeen termed the fathers of landscape gardening. [82] Mr. Walpole, afterreviewing the old formal style of our gardens, in language which it ispainful to me thus only to advert to, instead of copying at length, (forI am fully "aware of the mischiefs which generally ensue in _meddling_with the productions of genius"); and after stating that when _nature_was taken into the plan, every step pointed out new beauties, andinspired new ideas: "at that moment appeared Kent, painter enough totaste the charms of landscape, bold and opiniative enough to dare and todictate, and born with a genius to strike out a great system from thetwilight of imperfect essays. He leaped the fence, and saw that allnature was a garden. Thus the pencil of his imagination bestowed all thearts of landscape on the scenes he handled. But of all the beauties headded to the face of this beautiful country, none surpassed hismanagement of water. Thus, dealing in none but the colours of nature, and catching its most favourable features, men saw a new creationopening before their eyes. " And again he calls him "the inventor of anart that realizes painting, and improves nature: Mahomet imagined anelysium, but Kent created many. " The greatest of all authorities tellsus, that in Esher's peaceful grove, both

 Kent and Nature vied for Pelham's love. 

Mr. Mason, in his English Garden, thus panegyrises his elysian scenes:--

 ---- Kent, who felt The pencil's power; but fix'd by higher hopes Of beauty than that pencil knew to paint, Work'd with the living lives that _nature_ lent, And realized his landscapes. 

Mr. Pope, as well as Kent, would, and Mr. Walpole, and Mr. Mason, musteach of them have read with high approbation the following remark of thelate Sir Uvedale Price:--"the noble and varied works of the eminentpainters of every age and every country, and those of their suprememistress, Nature, should be the great models of imitation. "

Mr. Whateley paints in glowing language, the genius of Kent, both atStowe, and at Claremont. Mr. George Mason thus honestly and finelypleads for him:--"According to my own ideas, all that has since beendone by the most deservedly admired designers, as Southcote, Hamilton, Lyttleton, Pitt, Shenstone, Morris, for themselves, and by Wright forothers, all that has been written on the subject, even the gardeningdidactic poem, and the didactic essay on the picturesque, have proceededfrom Kent. Had Kent never exterminated the bounds of regularity, neveractually traversed the way to freedom of manner, would any of thesecelebrated artists have found it of themselves? Theoretic hints from thehighest authorities, had evidently long existed without sufficienteffect. And had not these great masters actually executed what Kent'sexample first inspired, them with, the design of executing, would thesubsequent writers on gardening have been enabled to collect materialsfor precepts, or stores for their imaginations? Mr. Price acknowledgeshimself an admirer of the water-scene at Blenheim. Would it ever haveappeared in its present shape, if no Kent had previously abolished thestiffness of canals! If this original artist had barely rescued theliquid element from the constraint of right lines and angles, thatservice alone would have given him an indubitable claim to the respectof posterity. " The Rev. Mr. Coventry, in his admirable exposure of thegrotesque absurdities in gardening, (being No. 15 of the World) thusspeaks of Kent:--"The great Kent at length appeared in behalf of nature, declared war against the taste in fashion, and laid the axe to the rootof artificial evergreens. Gardens were no longer filled with yews in theshape of giants, Noah's ark cut in holly, St. George and the Dragon inbox, cypress lovers, laurustine bears, and all that race of root-bornmonsters which flourished so long, and looked so tremendous round theedges of every grass-plat. The great master above mentioned, truly thedisciple of nature, imitated her in the agreeable wildness and beautifulirregularity of her plans, of which there are some noble examples stillremaining, that abundantly show the power of his creative genius. " Mr. Dallaway, when treating on architecture, in his Anecdotes of the Arts, says, "Kent designed the noble hall at Holkham, terminated by a vaststaircase, producing, in the whole, an imposing effect of grandeur notto be equalled in England. " Kent died in 1748. He was a contemporarytherefore of Horace Walpole. He was buried in the vault at Chiswick, belonging to his friend and patron, Lord Burlington. 

BRIDGMAN'S portrait was a private plate. It exhibited a kind-hearted, hale old countenance. As he has the honour of being classed with Mr. _Addison_, and with _Pope_, and _Kent_, as one of the champions whoestablished the picturesque scenery of landscape gardening, (which_Bacon_, and _Spencer_, and _Milton_, as hath been observed, foresaw)his portrait must surely be interesting. The engraved portrait which Isaw of him more than fifty years ago, made then a strong impression onme. I think it was an etching. It marked a venerable healthy man. Ineither recollect its painter nor engraver; and it is so scarce, thatneither Mr. Smith, of Lisle Street, nor Mr. Evans, of Great QueenStreet, the intelligent collectors and illustrators of Granger, havebeen able to obtain it. Perhaps it will be discovered that it was aprivate plate, done at the expence of his generous and noble employer, Lord Cobham. Of this once able and esteemed man, I can procure littleinformation. The Encycl. Of Gardening says, "Lord Cobham seems to havebeen occupied in re-modelling the grounds at _Stowe_, about the sametime that Pope was laying out his gardens at Twickenham. His lordshipbegan these improvements in 1714, _employing Bridgman_, whose plans andviews for altering old Stowe from the most rigid character of theancient style to a more open and irregular design, are still inexistence. Kent was employed a few years afterwards, first to paint thehall, and afterwards in the double capacity of architect andlandscape-gardener; and the finest scenes there are his creation. " Thefinest views of Stowe gardens were drawn by Rigaud, and published by_Sarah Bridgman_, in 1739. The fine and magnificent amphitheatre at theDuke of Newcastle's, at Claremont, was designed, I believe, by Bridgman. When Queen Caroline added nearly three hundred acres from Hyde Park tothe gardens at Kensington, they were laid out by him. He also laid outthe gardens at Shardeloes, near Amersham. Mr. Walpole thus mentionsBridgman, after alluding to the shears having been applied to the lovelywildness of nature: "Improvements had gone on, till _London_ and _Wise_had stocked our gardens with giants, animals, monsters, coats of arms, and mottos, in yew, box and holly. Absurdity could go no farther, andthe tide turned. _Bridgman_, the next fashionable designer of gardens, was far more chaste; and whether from good sense, or that the nation hadbeen struck and reformed by the admirable paper in the Guardian, No. 173, he banished verdant sculpture, and did not even revert to thesquare precision of the foregoing age. He enlarged his plans, disdainedto make every division tally to its opposite; and though he stilladhered much to straight walks with high clipped hedges, they were onlyhis great lines, the rest he diversified by wilderness and with loosegroves of oak, though still within surrounding hedges. I have observedin the garden at Gubbins, in Hertfordshire, many detached thoughts, thatstrongly indicate the dawn of modern taste. As his reformation gainedfooting, he ventured farther, and in the royal garden at Richmond, daredto introduce cultivated fields, and even morsels of a forest appearance, by the sides of those endless and tiresome walks that stretched out ofone into another without intermission. But this was not till otherinnovators had broke loose too from rigid symmetry. But the capitalstroke, the leading step to all that has followed, was (_I believe thefirst thought was Bridgman's_) the destruction of walls for boundaries, and the invention of fosses, --an attempt then deemed so astonishing, that the common people called them ha! ha's! to express their surpriseat finding a sudden and unperceived check to their walk. [83] One of thefirst gardens planted in this simple though still formal style, was myfather's at Houghton. It was laid out by Mr. Eyre, an imitator ofBridgman. "

PHILIP MILLER died at the age of eighty, and was emphatically styled byforeigners _hortulanorum princeps_. Switzer bears testimony to his"usual generosity, openness and freedom. " Professor Martyn says, "heaccumulated no wealth from his respectable connection with the great, orfrom the numerous editions of his works. He was of a disposition toogenerous, and too careless of money, to become rich, and in all histransactions observed more attention to integrity and honest fame, thanto any pecuniary advantages. " There is a finely engraved portrait of Mr. Miller, by Maillet, prefixed to the "Dictionnaire des Jardiniers, dePhilipe Miller, traduit de l'Anglois, " en 8 tom. 4to. Paris, 1785. 

Dr. Pulteney says of him, "He raised himself by his merit from a stateof obscurity to a degree of eminence, but rarely, if ever before, equalled in the character of a gardener. " Mr. Loudon (in that "variedand voluminous mass of knowledge, " his Encyclopædia), thusremarks:--"Miller, during his long career, had no considerablecompetitor, until he approached the end of it, when several writers tookthe advantage of his unwearied labours of near half a century, and fixedthemselves upon him, as various marine insects do upon a decayingshell-fish. I except Hitt and Justice, who are both originals, as isalso Hill, after his fashion, but his gardening is not much founded inexperience. " The sister of Mr. Miller married Ehret, whose fine tasteand botanical accuracy, and whose splendid drawings of plants, are thefinest ornaments of a botanical library. 

Mr. Miller fixed his residence adjoining that part of Chelseachurch-yard where he lies interred. He died December 18, 1771. Mr. Johnson gives a list of his writings, and of the different editions ofhis celebrated Dictionary, which he terms "this great record of ourart. " He farther does full justice to him, by associating his name, atp. 147 and p. 151, with that of "the immortal Swede, whose master mindreduced the confusion and discord of botany to harmony. " He calls Miller"the perfect botanist and horticulturist. "[84] The following spiritedtribute to Mr. Miller, appeared in the Gentleman's Magazine for June, 1828:--

 "_Chelsea, June 5. _

"MR. URBAN, --In the first volume, page 250, of the second edition of_Faulkner's History of Chelsea_, just published, which contains a verycopious fund of historical, antiquarian, and biographical information, Ifind inserted the monument and epitaph of Philip Miller, who was sojustly styled 'the prince of horticulture' by contemporary botanists, and whose well-earned fame will last as long as the sciences of botanyand horticulture shall endure. The epitaph of this distinguished man iscorrectly given; but the historian appears not to have duly appreciated, if he was even aware of, the circumstances which induced the Fellows ofthe Linnæan and Horticultural Societies of London to erect this gratefultribute of respectful esteem to him, who in his life-time, had done morethan any individual, ancient or modern, towards enlarging the boundariesof the science of horticulture, and very extensively the far moredifficult one of botany likewise. These he accomplished in the numerouseditions of his unrivalled Dictionary, and in his elaborateintroductions to botanical knowledge. 

"The reasons which induced the above-mentioned societies to erect themonument in question, were, chiefly, because neither monument, nor tomb, nor even any recording public notice whatever (the 'monumentum æreperennius' of his own immortal works excepted) had previously beenprovided by any one. 

"The relatives of Miller were very few; he had no family, save two sons, one of whom died early, and the other, Charles Miller, at the age of 78, who spent the greater part of his long life in India, and returned notuntil after his father's funeral; and over his grave, in the oldchurch-yard of Chelsea, a stone and sculptured brass record his name andage and parentage, together with that of his aged and more distinguishedsire. This stone, too, was placed by the above-mentioned public-spiritedsocieties, (unto both which the writer has the honour to belong) at thesame time as the monument, stated by Faulkner, to the never-dying fameof the father. 

"But it is even now scarcely known, that when those meritorioustestimonials of public gratitude were showered over the memory of PhilipMiller, who had laboured so long and so successfully in the scienceswhich he loved, there was only one individual in existence, and that avery aged person, who had seen and attended the funeral of Miller, andwho alone could point out the very spot where the 'Prince ofHorticulture' was inhumed. This venerable person's name was Goodyer; hewas the parish clerk of Chelsea church for half a century, and died assuch in 1818, at the great age of ninety-four. 

"Nevertheless, though last, it should not be concealed that I myself hadactually stated and published, in the winter of 1794-5, the neglectfuland opprobrious fact of Miller's having no single grave-stone, much lessa monument, nor even one funeral line, to designate the spot whererested in its 'narrow house' the mortal relics of so great a man; see myObservations on the Genus Mesembryanthemum, p. 311-14; and, as everyreader may not possess that publication, the following extract from itis added:--

"'So much for Miller; he, alas! who pleased so well, or, rather let mesay, he who instructed and edified so much, and was even caressed by thegreat while living, now lies, forgotten by his friends, inhumed amongstthe common undistinguished dead, in the bleak cold yard of Chelseachurch, the very theatre of his best actions, the physic gardens of theWorshipful Company of Apothecaries, at Chelsea, not half a mile distant, without a tomb! without a stone! nay, destitute of a single line to markthe spot where rests, retired from all its cares and useful toils, thetime-worn frame of the 'Prince of Horticulture!' How are thosediscerning foreigners, who so meritoriously rendered the language of hisDictionary into their own, to judge of this? by what measure are they toestimate the fact? Miller was the author of several publications, besides the very numerous editions of his Dictionary and Kalendar. '

 Yours, &c. 

 "A. H. HAWORTH. "

SIR JOHN HILL. His works are many of them enumerated in the Encyclo. OfGardening. The most full list is in Weston's Catalogue. His portrait isengraved in metz by Houston, from after Coates. It is an oval, with a_solitaire_. A short account of his life and writings was published atEdinburgh in 1779. The most general account of him is in Hutchinson'sBiog. Medica. 2 vols. 8vo. See also the Biog. Dramatica, 2nd edit. 1782. 

BATTY LANGLEY was born at Twickenham, where he resided. He was theauthor of, 1. Practical Geometry, 1726. 

2. New Principles of Gardening, or the laying out and plantingparterres, groves, wildernesses, labyrinths, avenues, parks, &c. Cuts, 1728, 4to. 

3. The sure Method of Improving Estates by Trees, 8vo. One of hischapters is "On the magnitude and prodigious Growth of Trees. "

4. Pomona, or the Fruit Gardener, _with plates_, fol. 1729. At the endis a letter to Mr. Langley, on Cyder, from Hugh Stafford, Esq. Of Pynes. 

There is a 4to. Metz portrait of Mr. Langley, with the name ofCarwirtham, as the engraver or print-seller, 1741. 

SIR WILLIAM WATSON, an eminent physician, who died in 1787, wrote

1. On the Culture of Mushrooms. In vol. 42 and 43 of the Phil. Trans. 

2. Account of the Remains of Tradescant's Garden. In vol. 46 of thePhil. Trans. 

3. Account of the Bishop of London's Garden, at Fulham. In vol. 47 ofthe Phil. Trans. Besides many valuable papers in several volumes ofthese Transactions. 

He had the pleasure of introducing _Kalm_, as well as _Pallas_, to mostof the curious gardens in the environs of London. On the firstestablishment of the British Museum, he was most active in furnishingits garden, with no fewer than six hundred plants. His house (as Dr. Pulteney observes) "became the resort of the most ingenious andillustrious experimental philosophers that England could boast. " Dr. Pulteney has closed a very liberal memoir of him, by inserting Dr. Garthshore's testimony to the humane feeling, the social politeness, andbenignity of Sir William. His portrait is painted by Abbot, and engravedby Ryder, 1791. There is a full account of him in Chalmers. 

The Rev. WILLIAM HANBURY, the intimate friend of Churchill, and ofLloyd, in his singular "History of the Charitable Foundations at ChurchLangton, " (and which exhibits his own benevolent heart, and great lovefor planting and gardening) mentions, at page 185, a full-lengthportrait of himself, by Penny. Had there been any other portrait of him, it is likely Mr. Nicholls would have mentioned it in his Leicestershire, for that gentleman, as well as Joseph Cradock, Esq. (both of whom arelately deceased), would have been most likely to have known, if anyother portrait of this zealous planter did exist; so would Dr. ThomasWarton, who always spoke of Mr. Hanbury as a generous, disinterested, and benevolent man. Earlom engraved, in 1775, a three-quartermetzotinto, from the above portrait by Penny. Mr. Hanbury also published"A Complete Body of Planting and Gardening;" 2 vols. Folio. Also, "AnEssay on Planting, and a Scheme to make it conducive to the Glory ofGod, and the Advantage of Society;" Oxford, 8vo. 1s. 1758. And "TheGardener's New Calendar;" 8vo. 1758. 

Mr. Hanbury first conceived, in 1751, the establishing at ChurchLangton, for benevolent purposes, his immense plantations; havingprocured (particularly from North America) "almost every sort of seedthat could be procured. " He proposed that an annual sermon should bepreached, either in praise of church music, the duty of decoratingreligious houses, charity in general, or the wonders of the creation;and that a hospital should be founded for the relief of the reallydistressed. All these extensive plans were frustrated. Even when hisfirst twenty thousand trees had just been planted out, the cattlebelonging to the tenants of Mrs. Dorothy Pickering, and Frances Byrd, (who a few years after died worth two hundred thousand pounds, and whosevillage biography is curiously dispersed throughout the above history)were _purposely_ turned amongst the young trees, and in a little timedestroyed them all. "Neither was this all; I was served for a trespasswith twenty-seven different copies of writs in one day (by theirattorney, Valentine Price, of Leicester); to such a degree of rage andfury were these old gentlewomen raised, at what one should have thoughtevery heart would have rejoiced, and kindly lent an assisting hand. " Mr. Hanbury gives many instances of the "venomous rage and passion" of thesetwo old women. They had, says he, "the mortification to find themselvestotally despised. Not a gentleman or lady would go near them, twoneighbouring clergymen excepted, who were invited to dine with them uponvenison. " They attempted making a tool of the sow-gelder's son, toenable them to carry on their mean plans, and sent him word, thatnothing they could do for him in the parish should be wanting. Hisanswer was, "that favours granted from such people, on such terms, couldnever prosper, and he desired the other to tell them, they were _two oldbitches_. "--"This summer, (says Mr. Hanbury, ) was murdered, in the mostbarbarous manner, the best spaniel that perhaps ever entered the field, and the best greyhound that ever run. With these I had been oftenentertained in my morning walks. To deprive me of these pleasures, afforded me in my morning recreations, I had discharges from Mrs. Pickering, and Mrs. Byrd, for taking them with me in their manors. Tothese I paid no regard, and as they never brought any action on thataccount, it may be supposed they could find no just cause to ground one. What then is to be done? Some method is to be contrived to deprive me ofmy attendants; the spaniel therefore was the first object destined fordestruction. He was small, and of a beautiful black, and had been usedto the parlour; and being absent about an hour, came reeling home in theagonies of death; and in about a quarter of an hour after, died in theseemingly most excruciating tortures. Suspecting some villany, I orderedhim to be opened, but found everything perfect and entire; I thendirected him to be skinned, and coming to the loins, found the traces ofa table-fork, which was stuck into the kidneys, and which was theoccasion of his speedy and dreadful death. A few days after this, mybest greyhound was stuck in the loins, in the like barbarous manner, which brought on the same kind of speedy and agonizing death; and thiswas the catastrophe of these two noted dogs, which had been much talkedof, and were famous amongst sportsmen, as being most perfect in theirkind. Some time after this, their game-keeper, in company with hisnephew, _buried two dogs alive_; they were the property of Mr. Wade, asubstantial grazier, who had grounds contiguous to a place of cover, called Langton Caudle, where was often game; and where the unfortunatetwo dogs, straying from their master, had been used to hunt. Thegame-keeper and his nephew being shooting in this place, the dogs, uponthe report of the gun, made towards them. Their shooting them or hangingthem would have been merciful, but they buried them alive; and whatwords can express the abhorrence of such barbarity to such innocentcreatures following the dictates of nature? To prevent a possibility oftheir scratching a way out, they covered them down with black thorns;over these they laid a sufficient quantity of earth and one large stone, which the rammed down with their heels. Day after day the dogs wereheard in this place, with the howling, barking noise of dogs that werelost. Some people resorted to find them out, and wondered it was to nopurpose, for nobody could suspect the dogs were under ground; and thusafter calling and whistling them, and seeking them for some time, returned, amazed that lost dogs should continue so long in that place;but a sight of none could ever be had. The noise was fancied to comesometimes from one quarter, sometimes from another; and when they camenear the place they were in, they ceased howling, expecting theirdeliverance was at hand. I myself heard them _ten days_ after they hadbeen buried; and seeing some people at a distance, enquired what dogsthey were. _They are some dogs that are lost, Sir_, said they; _theyhave been lost some time_. I concluded only some poachers had been thereearly in the morning, and by a precipitate flight had left their dogsbehind them. In short, the howling and barking of these dogs was heardfor near three weeks, when it ceased. Mr. Wade's dogs were missing, buthe could not suspect those to be his; and the noise ceasing, thethoughts, wonder, and talking about them, soon also ceased. Some timeafter, a person being amongst the bushes where the howling was heard, discovered some disturbed earth, and the print of men's heels ramming itdown again very close; and seeing Mr. Wade's servant, told him, hethought something had been buried there. _Then_, said the man, _it isour dogs, and they have been buried alive: I will go and fetch a spade, and will find them, if I dig all Caudle over_. He soon brought a spade, and upon removing the top earth, came to the blackthorns, and then tothe dogs, the biggest of which had eat the loins and greatest share ofthe hind parts of the little one. " Mr. Hanbury states the deaths ofthese two sisters in the course of a few months after. The sums theyaccumulated by their penurious way of living, were immense. Theybequeathed legacies by will to almost every body that were no kin tothem except their assiduous attorney, Valentine Price, to whom they leftnothing. "But what is strange and wonderful, though their charities intheir life-time at Langton were a sixpenny loaf a week only, which wasdivided into as many parts as there were petitioners, and distributed byeleven of the clock on a Sunday, unless they left the town the daybefore, which was often the case, and when the poor were sure to fail oftheir bounty; these gentlewomen, at the death of the last, bequeathed bywill upwards of twelve thousand pounds to the different hospitals andreligious institutions in the kingdom. A blaze of goodness issued fromthem at last, and thus ended these two poor, unhappy, uncharitable, charitable old gentlewomen. "

Mr. Marshall calls him, "the indefatigable Hanbury, whose immenselabours are in a manner lost to the public. " No man delighted more thanMr. Hanbury did, in describing the beauty of trees and shrubs: this isvisible in the extracts which Mr. Marshall has made in his "Planting andRural Ornament. "

WILLIAM SHENSTONE, Esq. , justly celebrated for his pure and classictaste in landscape gardening. His tender and pathetic feelings shinethroughout most of his works; and the sweetness and simplicity of histemper and manners, endeared him to the neighbourhood and to hisacquaintance. Dr. Johnson says, his life was unstained by any crime. Hefarther says of him, "He began from this time to entangle his walks, andto wind his waters; which he did with such judgment and such fancy, asmade his little domain the envy of the great and the admiration of theskilful. His house was mean, and he did not improve it; his care was ofhis grounds. When he came home from his walks, he might find his floorflooded by a shower through the broken roof; but could spare no moneyfor its reparation. In time his expences brought clamours about him, that overpowered the lamb's bleat and the linnet's song; and his groveswere haunted by beings very different from fawns and fairies. He spenthis estate in adorning it, and his death was probably hastened by hisanxieties. He was a lamp that spent its oil in blazing. It is said, thatif he had lived a little longer he would have been assisted by apension: such bounty could not have been ever more properly bestowed;but that it was ever asked is not certain; it is too certain that itnever was enjoyed. "

His intimate friend, Robert Dodsley, thus speaks of him: "Tenderness, indeed, in every sense of the word, was his peculiar characteristic; hisfriends, his domestics, his poor neighbours, all daily experienced hisbenevolent turn of mind. He was no economist; the generosity of histemper prevented him from paying a proper regard to the use of money: heexceeded, therefore, the bounds of his paternal fortune, which before hedied was considerably incumbered. But when one recollects the perfectparadise he had raised around him, the hospitality with which he lived, his great indulgence to his servants, his charities to the indigent, andall done with an estate not more than three hundred pounds a year, oneshould rather be led to wonder that he left any thing behind him, thanto blame his want of economy. He left, however, more than sufficient topay all his debts; and, by his will, appropriated his whole estate forthat purpose. "

His portrait is prefixed to his works, published in 3 vols. 8vo. 1764. His second volume contains his "Unconnected Thoughts on LandscapeGardening;" and the description of the celebrated _Leasowes_, in thatvolume, was written by ("the modest, sensible, and humane") RobertDodsley. His Epistolary Correspondence appeared in 2 vols. 8vo. Thetitle pages of the above first three volumes are attractive from theirvignette, or rural embellishments. A portrait of Shenstone was taken in1758, by Ross, which Hall engraved for Dodsley, in 1780; and thispicture by Ross was in the possession of the late most worthy Dr. Graves, of Claverton, who died a few years ago, at the advanced age ofninety. Bell's edition of the Poets has a neat copy of this portrait. Dr. Graves wrote "Recollections of the late William Shenstone. " He alsodedicated an urn to him, and inscribed these lines thereon:--

 Stranger! if woods and lawns like these, If rural scenes thy fancy please, Ah! stop awhile, and pensive view Poor Shenstone's urn: who oft, like you, These woods and lawns well-pleased has rov'd, And oft these rural scenes approv'd. Like him, be thou fair virtue's friend, And health and peace thy steps attend. 

Mr. Shenstone died in 1763, and is buried in Hales Owen church yard. Anurn is placed in the church to his memory, thus inscribed:--

 Whoe'er thou art, with reverence tread These sacred mansions of the dead. -- Not that the monumental bust Or sumptuous tomb HERE guards the dust Of rich or great: (Let wealth, rank, birth, Sleep undistinguish'd in the earth;) This simple urn records a name That shines with more exalted fame. Reader! if genius, taste refined, A native elegance of mind; If virtue, science, manly sense; If wit, that never gave offence; The clearest head, the tenderest heart, In thy esteem e'er claim'd a part; Ah! smite thy breast, and drop a tear, For, know, THY Shenstone's dust lies here. 

Mr. Mason thus speaks of Shenstone:

 ----"Nor thou Shalt pass without thy meed, thou son of peace, Who knew'st perchance to harmonize thy shades Still softer than thy song; yet was that song Nor rude nor unharmonious, when attuned To pastoral plaint, or tales of slighted love. "

And Mr. Whateley pays his memory the following tribute, previous to hismasterly survey of his far-famed and enchanting seat: "An allusion tothe ideas of pastoral poetry evidently enters into the design of theLeasowes, where they appear so lovely as to endear the memory of theirauthor, and justify the reputation of Mr. Shenstone, who inhabited, madeand directed that celebrated place. It is a perfect picture of his mind, simple, elegant, and amiable, and will always suggest a doubt whetherthe spot inspired his verses, or whether, in the scenes which he formed, he only realized the pastoral images which abound in his songs. "[85]George Mason, in many pages, pays high compliments to Shenstone's taste:"Paine's Hill has every mark of creative genius, and Hagley ofcorrectest fancy; but the most intimate _alliance with nature_ wasformed by Shenstone. " Mr. Marshall, in his "Planting and RuralOrnament, " has some critical remarks on the _Leasowes_, the expences inperfecting which threw Shenstone "on the rack of poverty, and probablyhastened the dissolution of an amiable and valuable man. " He says that_Enville_ was originally designed by Shenstone, and that the cascadeand chapel were spoken of, with confidence, as his. [86]

LORD KAMES. His portrait is prefixed to the memoirs of him, by LordWoodhouselee, in 2 vols. 4to. 1807. There is an edition of the samework, in 3 vols. 8vo. 1814, with the same portrait, which is engravedfrom a drawing by D. Martin. His "Gentleman Farmer" spread his famethrough Scotland. Its preface is particularly interesting. Mr. Smellie, in his Literary Lives of Gregory, Home, Hume, Adam Smith, and LordKames, after giving many interesting particulars of the latter, andafter noticing his benevolence to the poor, during the whole course ofhis long life, proceeds:--"One great feature in the character of LordKames, besides his literary talents, and his public spirit, was aremarkable innocency of mind. He not only never indulged in detraction, but when any species of scandal was exhibited in his company, he eitherremained silent, or endeavoured to give a turn to the conversation. Asnatural consequences of this amiable disposition, he never meddled withpolitics, even when politics ran to indecent lengths in this country;and what is still more remarkable, he never wrote a sentence, notwithstanding his numerous publications, without a direct and amanifest intention to benefit his fellow creatures. In his temper he wasnaturally warm, though kindly and affectionate. In the friendships heformed, he was ardent, zealous and sincere. So far from being inclinedto irreligion, as some ignorant bigots insinuated, few men possessed amore devout habit of thought. A constant sense of Deity, and aveneration for Providence, dwelt upon his mind. From this source arosethat propensity, which appears in all his writings, of investigatingfinal causes, and tracing the wisdom of the Supreme Author of Nature. "He had the honour to be highly esteemed by the celebrated Mrs. Montagu. 

The European Magazine of Nov. 1790, which gives an engraved portrait ofhim, being a copy of the above, thus speaks: "He was one of the veryfirst who to great legal knowledge, added a considerable share of politeliterature. He arrived at the highest rank to which a lawyer couldattain in his own country; and he has left to the world such literaryproductions, as will authorize his friends to place him, if not in thehighest, yet much above the lowest, class of elegant and polite writers. He died in 1783, leaving to the world a proof, that an attention to theabstrusest branches of learning, is not incompatible with the morepleasing pursuits of taste and polite literature. " He was kind-heartedand humane. His pure taste in landscape scenery, is acknowledged by Mr. Loudon, in p. 81 of the Encyclopædia of Gardening. _Blair Drummond_ willlong be celebrated as having been his residence, and he there displayedhis superior taste in planting and improving. 

In his "Elements of Criticism, " (a truly original work) there is adistinct chapter on architecture and gardening. He therein thusaddresses the reader:--"These cursory observations upon gardening, shallbe closed with some reflections that must touch every reader. Roughuncultivated ground, dismal to the eye, inspires peevishness anddiscontent: may not this be one cause of the harsh manners of savages? Afield richly ornamented, containing beautiful objects of various kinds, displays in full lustre the goodness of the Deity, and the ampleprovision he has made for our happiness. Ought not the spectator to befilled with gratitude to his Maker, and with benevolence to his fellowcreatures? Other fine arts may be perverted to excite irregular and evenvicious emotions; but gardening, which inspires the purest and mostrefined pleasures, cannot fail to promote every good affection. Thegaiety and harmony of mind it produceth, inclineth the spectator tocommunicate his satisfaction to others, and to make them happy as he ishimself, and tends naturally to establish in him a habit of humanity andbenevolence. "

JOHN ABERCROMBIE'S manly and expressive countenance is best given in theportrait prefixed to an edition in 2 vols. 8vo. Published Feb. 1, 1783, by Fielding and Debrett. He is also drawn at full-length at his age ofseventy-two, in the sixteenth edition, printed in 1800, with a pleasingview of a garden in the back-ground, neatly engraved. This honest, unassuming man, persevered "through a long life of scarcely interruptedhealth, " in the ardent pursuit of his favourite science. The tenor ofhis life exemplified how much a garden calms the mind, and tranquillysets at rest its turbulent passions. Mr. Loudon's Encyclop. OfGardening, after giving some interesting points of his history, thusconcludes: "In the spring of 1806, being in his eightieth year, he metwith a severe fall, by which he broke the upper part of his thigh bone. This accident, which happened to him on the 15th of April, terminated inhis death. After lying in a very weak exhausted state, without muchpain, he expired in the night, between April and May, as St. Paul'schurch struck twelve. He was lamented by all who knew him, as cheerful, harmless, and upright. " One of his biographers thus relates of him:"Abercrombie from a fall down stairs in the dark, died at the age ofeighty, and was buried at St. Pancras. He was present at the famousbattle of Preston Pans, which was fought close to his father's gardenwalls. For the last twenty years of his life he lived chiefly on tea, using it three times a-day: his pipe was his first companion in themorning, and last at night. [87] He never remembered to have taken a doseof physic in his life, prior to his last fatal accident, nor of having aday's illness but once. " A list of his works appears in Watts's Bibl. Brit. , and a most full one in Johnson's History of English Gardening, who, with many collected particulars of Abercrombie, relates the greatand continually increasing sale of some of his works. 

LAUNCELOT BROWNE, Esq. His portrait was painted by Dance, and engraved by Sherwin. Under thisportrait are engraved the following lines, from the pen of Mr. Mason, which are also inscribed on the tomb of Mr. Browne, in the church ofFen-Staunton, Huntingdonshire:

 _Ye sons of elegance, who truly taste The simple charms which genuine art supplies, Come from the sylvan scenes his genius drew, And offer here your tributary sighs. But know, that more than genius slumbers here, Virtues were his that art's best powers transcend, Come, ye superior train! who these revere, And weep the christian, husband, father, friend. _

Mr. Walpole, too, pays Mr. Browne this elegant compliment: "Did livingartists come within my plan, I should be glad to do justice to Mr. Browne; but he may be a gainer by being reserved for some abler pen. "This celebrated landscape gardener died suddenly, in Hertford Street, May Fair, on the 6th of February, 1783, on his return from a visit tohis old friend the Earl of Coventry. Mr. Browne, though bred a commongardener at Stowe, possessed a cultivated mind, and his society was muchcourted. Joseph Cradock, Esq. Called him "a most agreeable, unassumingman. " He amassed a large fortune. He was consulted by most of thenobility and gentry, and the places he laid out or altered, were, as Mr. Loudon observes, beyond all reckoning. Mr. Repton has given a list ofhis principal works. 

It has been the fate of this eminent master of landscape embellishment, to be severely censured by some, and lavishly praised by others. Thelate keen and consummate observer of landscape scenery, Sir UvedalePrice, harshly condemns the too frequent cold monotony and tameness ofmany of Mr. Browne's creations, and his never transfusing into his worksany thing of the taste and spirit which prevail in the poet Mason'sprecepts and descriptions; and in one of his acute, yet pleasant pages, he alludes to his having but _one_ and the same plan of operation;_Sangrado_-like, treating all disorders in the same manner. Perhaps thetoo general smoothness and tameness of Mr. Browne's pleasure-grounds illaccorded with Sir Uvedale's enthusiasm for the more sublime views offorest scenery, rapid and stony torrents and cascades, wild entangleddingles, and craggy breaks; or with the high and sublime notions he hadimbibed from the rich scenery of nature so often contemplated by him inthe landscapes of _Claude_, or in those of _Rubens_, _Gaspar Poussin_, _Salvator Rosa_, or of _Titian_, "the greatest of all landscapepainters. " Perhaps Sir Uvedale preferred "unwedgeable and gnarled oaks, "to "the tameness of the poor pinioned trees of a gentleman's plantation, drawn up straight, " or the wooded banks of a river, to the "bare shavenborder of a canal. "[88]

Daines Barrington happily said, "Kent has been succeeded by Browne, whohath undoubtedly great merit in laying out pleasure-grounds; but Iconceive that in some of his plans, I see rather traces of thekitchen-gardener of old Stowe, than of Poussin or Claude Lorraine: Icould wish, therefore, that Gainsborough gave the design, and thatBrowne executed it. "[89] Mr. Loudon observes, "that Browne must havepossessed considerable talents, the extent of his reputation abundantlyproves; but that he was imbued with much of that taste for picturesquebeauty, which distinguished the works of Kent, Hamilton, and Shenstone, we think will hardly be asserted by any one who has observed attentivelysuch places as are known to be his creations. " Mr. George Mason candidlyasks, "why Browne should be charged with all the defects of those thathave called themselves his followers, I have seen no good reasonalleged, nor can I suppose it possible to produce one. " Many of hisimitators exhibited so little talent in their creations, that Mr. Browne's name considerably suffered in the estimation of many. 

Mr. Gilpin speaks of Browne's improvements at Blenheim in high terms. Mr. Marshall in his Survey of Stowe and Fisherwick, in vol. I. Of his"Planting and Rural Ornament, " and at p. 384, pays a fair tribute tohim. Much general information respecting him may be seen in Mr. Loudon'schapter "Of the rise, progress, and present state of gardening in theBritish Isles. " The candour and rich conciseness of this review, embraces the whole _magic of the art_, as respects landscapegardening. [90]

FRANCIS ZAVIER VISPRE wrote "A Dissertation on the Growth of Wine inEngland", Bath, 8vo. 1786. Mr. Vispré died poor, between thirty andforty years ago, in St. Martin's Lane. He excelled in painting portraitsin crayons: Sir Joshua much esteemed him. He was a most inoffensive man, of the mildest manners, and of the purest integrity. I have seen hisportrait in crayons, in an oval, finely finished by himself, but knownot now where that is. On his mode of training the vine _very near theground_, see p. 757 of the Encyclop. Of Gardening. 

WILLIAM MASON, precentor and canon of York, died in 1797. His friend, Sir Joshua Reynolds, painted an impressive portrait of him, which isengraved by Doughty. A masterly copy of this fine portrait is in Mr. Cadell's Contemporary Portraits. A copy is also prefixed to the editionof his works, in 4 vols. 8vo. 1811, published by Mr. Cadell. Hisportrait was also taken by Vaslet, and engraved by Carter, 1771. It is alarge metz etching. He translated Du Fresnoy's Art of Painting, to whichSir Joshua added some notes. Mr. Mason has prefixed an Epistle to SirJoshua, which thus concludes:

 And oh! if ought thy poet can pretend Beyond his favourite wish, to _call thee friend_: Be it that here his tuneful toil has dress'd The muse of _Fresnoy_ in a modern vest; And, with what skill his fancy could bestow, Taught the close folds to take an easier flow; Be it that here, thy partial smile approv'd The pains he lavish'd on the art he lov'd. 

Mr. Mason's attachment to painting was an early one, is conspicuous inmany of his writings, and in his English Garden, is visible throughout:

 ----feel ye there What _Reynolds_ felt, when first the Vatican Unbarr'd her gates, and to his raptur'd eye Gave all the god-like energy that flow'd From _Michael's_ pencil; feel what _Garrick_ felt, When first he breath'd the soul of _Shakspeare's_ page. 

Sir Joshua, in his will, bequeaths his then supposed portrait of Miltonto Mr. Mason. 

Mr. Gray thus observes of Mason, when at Cambridge:--"So ignorant of theworld and its ways, that this does not hurt him in one's opinion; sosincere and so undisguised, that no mind with a spark of generositywould ever think of hurting him, he lies so open to injury; but soindolent, that if he cannot overcome this habit, all his good qualitieswill signify nothing at all. "

Mr. Mason, in 1754, found a patron in the Earl of Holderness, whopresented him with the living of _Aston_, in Yorkshire. This sequestredvillage was favourable to his love of poetry and picturesque scenery;which displayed itself at large in his English Garden, and was thefoundation of his lasting friendship with Mr. Gilpin, who to testify hisesteem, dedicated to him his _Observations on the Wye_. A biographer ofthe late Mr. Shore, of Norton Hall, (the friend of Priestley), thusmentions _Aston_:--"That truly conscientious, and truly learned andexcellent man, Mr. Lindsey, spent a whole week in this neighbourhood. Hewas during that time the guest of his friend Mr. Mason, who was residingon his rectory at _Aston_, the biographer of Gray, and one whose taste, gave beauty, and poetry, celebrity, to that cheerful village. " Hisfriendship for Mr. Gray, terminated only with the life of the latter. In1770 Mr. Mason was visited at Aston, for the last time, by him. His lastletter to Mr. Mason was from Pembroke-hall, in May, 1771, and on the31st of the next month, and at that place, this sublime genius paid thedebt of nature. The following epitaph was written by Mr. Mason, andinscribed on the monument in Westminster Abbey:

 No more the Grecian muse unrivall'd reigns; To Britain let the nations homage pay: She felt a Homer's fire in Milton's strains, A Pindar's rapture in the lyre of Gray. 

He farther evinced his attachment to this elegant scholar by publishinghis poems and letters, to which he prefixed memoirs of him. He commencesthe third book of his English Garden with an invocation to his memory, and records, in lofty language, his eye glistening and his accentsglowing, when viewing the charms of all-majestic Nature--the heights ofSkiddaw and the purple crags of Borrowdale. And on a rustic alcove, inthe garden at Aston, which he dedicated to Mr. Gray, he inscribed thisstanza from the celebrated elegy:

 _Here scatter'd oft, the loveliest of the year, By hands unseen, are showers of violets found; The red-breast loves to build and warble here, And little footsteps lightly print the ground. _

Mr. Mason married in 1765 a most amiable woman; she fell at length intoa rapid consumption, and at Bristol hot-wells she died. Gray's letter toMr. Mason while at that place, is full of eloquence; upon which thelatter observes, "I opened it almost at the precise moment when it wouldbe necessarily most affecting. His epitaph on the monument he erected onthis lady, in the Bristol cathedral, breathes such tender feeling andchaste simplicity, that it can need no apology for being noticed here:

 Take, holy earth! all that my soul holds dear; Take that best gift which heav'n so lately gave: To Bristol's fount I bore with trembling care Her faded form: she bow'd to taste the wave And died. Does youth, does beauty, read the line? Does sympathetic fears their breasts alarm? Speak, dead Maria! breathe a strain divine: E'en from the grave thou shalt have power to charm. Bid them be chaste, be innocent, like thee; Bid them in duty's sphere as meekly move; And if so fair, from vanity as free; As firm in friendship, and as fond in love. Tell them, though 'tis an awful thing to die, ('Twas e'en to thee) yet the dread path once trod, Heav'n lifts its everlasting portals high, And bids "the pure in heart behold their God. "

A very short time after Mrs. Mason's death, he began his EnglishGarden, and invokes the genius both of poetry and painting

 ----that at my birth Auspicious smil'd, and o'er my cradle dropp'd Those magic seeds of Fancy, which produce A Poet's feeling, and a Painter's eye. ----with lenient smiles to deign to cheer, At this sad hour, my desolated soul. For deem not ye that I resume the lyre To court the world's applause; my years mature Have learn'd to slight the toy. No, 'tis to soothe That agony of heart, which they alone, Who best have lov'd, who best have been belov'd, Can feel, or pity: sympathy severe! Which she too felt, when on her pallid lip The last farewell hung trembling, and bespoke A wish to linger here, and bless the arms She left for heav'n. --She died, and heav'n is her's! Be mine, the pensive solitary balm That recollection yields. Yes, angel pure! While memory holds her seat, thine image still Shall reign, shall triumph there; and when, as now, Imagination forms a nymph divine, To lead the fluent strain, thy modest blush, Thy mild demeanour, thy unpractis'd smile, Shall grace that nymph, and sweet Simplicity Be dress'd (ah, meek Maria!) in thy charms. 

Dr. Thomas Warton thus speaks of the above poem, when reviewing Tusser'sHusbandry:--"Such were the rude beginnings in the English language ofdidactic poetry, which, on a kindred subject, the present age has seenbrought to perfection, by the happy combination of judicious precepts, with the most elegant ornaments of language and imagery, in Mr. Mason'sEnglish Garden. " His Elfrida and Caractacus, are admired for boldness ofconception and sublime description. Elfrida was set to Music by Arne, and again by Giardini. Caractacus was also set to music. Mr. Mason'ssuccess with both these dramatic poems was beyond his most sanguineexpectation. 

Dr. Darwin wrote an epitaph on Mr. Mason; these lines are its concludingpart:

 Weave the bright wreath, to worth departed just, And hang unfading chaplets on his bust; While pale Elfrida, bending o'er his bier, Breathes the soft sigh and sheds the graceful tear; And stern Caractacus, with brow depress'd Clasps the cold marble to his mailed breast. In lucid troops shall choral virgins throng, With voice alternate chant their poet's song. And, oh! in golden characters record Each firm, immutable, immortal word!

"Those last two lines from the final chorus of Elfrida, (says MissSeward), admirably close this tribute to the memory of him who standssecond to Gray, as a lyric poet; whose English Garden is one of thehappiest efforts of didactic verse, containing the purest elements ofhorticultural taste, dignified by freedom and virtue, renderedinteresting by episode, and given in those energetic and undulatingmeasures which render blank verse excellent; whose unowned satires, yetcertainly his, the heroic epistle to Sir William Chambers, and itspostscript, are at once original in their style, harmonious in theirnumbers, and pointed in their ridicule; whose tragedies are the onlypathetic tragedies which have been written in our language upon thesevere Greek model. The Samson Agonistes bears marks of a stronger, butalso of an heavier hand, and is unquestionably less touching than thesweet Elfrida, and the sublime Caractacus. "

Mr. Mason, in 1756 published four Odes. "It would be difficult to say, (says the biographer of the annual Necrology of 1797, ) which is most tobe admired, the vividness of the conception, or the spirit of liberty, and the ardent love of independance throughout. The address to Milton inhis Ode to Memory, and to Andrew Marvel, in that to Independance, cannotbe too much admired. At the period when the Middlesex election was somuch agitated, he united with those independant freeholders, who, bytheir declarations and petitions, throughout the nation, opposedcorruption, and claimed a reform in parliament; and when the county ofYork assembled in 1779, he was of the committee, and had a great sharein drawing up their spirited resolutions. The animated vindication ofthe conduct of the freeholders, and other papers, though printedanonimously in the newspapers, and so printed in Mr. Wyvill's collectionof political tracts, in 3 vols. Are well known to be Mr. Mason'sproduction. This conduct rendered him obnoxious to the court party. Hewas at this time one of the king's chaplains, but when it became histurn to preach before the royal family, the queen appointed anotherperson to supply his place. It has been observed, that his sentiments ina later period of his life, took a colour less favourable to liberty. Whether alarmed at the march of the French revolution, or from thetimidity of age, we know not. His friend Horace Walpole, charges himwith flat apostacy:" The _Heroic Epistle_ to Sir W. Chambers, and the_Heroic Postscript_, are now positively said to have been written by Mr. Mason. Mr. Thomas Warton observed, "they may have been written byWalpole, and buckramed by Mason. "

The late Sir U. Price, in the generous and patriotic conclusion of hisletter to Mr. Repton, pays a delicate compliment to the genius of Mr. Mason in whatever concerns rural scenery; and his respect for Mr. Mason, and his high opinion of his talents, is farther shewn in pp. 295 and371 of his first volume, and in p. 94 of vol. Ii. Mr. Mathias, aftersupposing Mr. Mason to have been the author of the Heroic Epistle, andafter paying a high compliment to his general poetry, thus concludes hisgenerous tribute:

 Whence is that groan? no more Britannia sleeps, But o'er her lov'd Musæus bends and weeps. Lo, every Grecian, every British muse Scatter the recent flowers and gracious dews Where MASON lies! And in his breast each soft affection dwelt, That love and friendship know; each sister art, With all that colours, and that sounds impart, All that the sylvan theatre can grace, All in the soul of MASON found their place! Low sinks the laurell'd head: in Mona's land I see them pass, 'tis Mador's drooping band, To harps of woe, in holiest obsequies, In yonder grave, they chant, our Druid lies!

ERASMUS DARWIN. In the life of this justly celebrated physician, by MissSeward, she informs us, that in the year 1770, he sat to Mr. Wright ofDerby; and that it was "a contemplative portrait, of the most perfectresemblance. " Whether it has been engraved I know not. He was then inhis thirty-eighth year. Dr. Thornton, in his superb work on botany, hasgiven a fine portrait of Dr. Darwin, at a more advanced period of hislife. It breathes intelligence in every feature, and is a masterlylikeness. The late Mr. Archdeacon Clive preserved a highly-finishedminiature portrait of him, which was ordered by Dr. Darwin for theexpress purpose of being presented to this worthy clergyman, whom he somuch esteemed. [91]

Dr. Darwin published, 1. Zoonomia, or the Laws of Organic Life. 

2. Phytologia, or the Philosophy of Agriculture and Gardening, 4to. 1800. "A vast field of treasured observation and scientific literature. "

3. The Botanic Garden. 

Lord Byron, and others, have been severe on this poem. The lines, however, on the soldier's wife and infants, after watching the battle ofMinden--those animated ones to Mr. Howard--or when the mother, duringthe plague in London, commits her children to the grave, _When o'er the friendless bier no rites were read, No dirge slow chanted, and no pall outspread;_

these make one gladly acknowledge, that pathetic powers were the gift ofDarwin's muse. The sublimity of the following address to our _first_daring æronaut, merits insertion:

 --Rise, great Mongolfier! urge thy venturous flight High o'er the moon's pale, ice-reflected light; High o'er the pearly star, whose beamy horn Hangs in the east, gay harbinger of morn; Leave the red eye of Mars on rapid wing, Jove's silver guards, and Saturn's dusky ring; Leave the fair beams, which issuing from afar Play with new lustres round the Georgian star; Shun with strong oars the sun's attractive throne, The burning Zodiac, and the milky Zone: Where headlong comets with increasing force Through other systems bend their burning course! For thee Cassiope her chair withdraws, For thee the Bear retracts his shaggy paws; High o'er the north thy golden orb shall roll, And blaze eternal round the wondering pole. [92]

Miss Seward, after stating that professional generosity distinguishedDr. Darwin's medical practice at Lichfield, farther says, that"diligently also did he attend to the health of the poor in that city, and afterwards at Derby, and supplied their necessities by food, and allsorts of charitable assistance. In each of those towns, _his_ was thecheerful board of almost open-housed hospitality, without extravaganceor pride; deeming ever the first unjust, the latter unmanly. Generosity, wit and science, were his household gods. "[93] She again states thatwhen he removed from Lichfield to Derby, "his renown, as a physician, still increased as time rolled on, and his mortal life declined from itsnoon. Patients resorted to him more and more, from every part of thekingdom, and often from the continent. All ranks, all orders of society, all religions, leaned upon his power to ameliorate disease, and toprolong existence. The rigid and sternly pious, who had attempted torenounce his aid, from a superstition that no blessing would attend theprescriptions of a sceptic, sacrificed, after a time, theirsuperstitious scruples to their involuntary consciousness of his mightyskill. " Mr. Mathias, though he severely criticizes some of Dr. Darwin'sworks, yet he justly calls him "this very ingenious man, and mostexcellent physician, for such he undoubtedly was. "

[Illustration]

From scattered passages in Miss Seward's Life of him, one can easilytrace the delight he took (notwithstanding his immense professionalengagements, ) in the scenery of nature and gardens;--witness hisfrequent admiration of the tangled glen and luxuriant landscape at_Belmont_, its sombre and pathless woods, impressing us with a sense ofsolemn seclusion, like the solitudes of _Tinian_, or _Juan Fernandes_, with its "silent and unsullied stream, " which the admirable lines headdresses to the youthful owner of that spot so purely and temperatelyallude to:--

 O, friend to peace and virtue, ever flows For thee my silent and unsullied stream, Pure and untainted as thy blameless life! Let no gay converse lead thy steps astray, To mix my chaste wave with immodest wine, Nor with the poisonous cup, which Chemia's hand Deals (fell enchantress!) to the sons of folly! So shall young Health thy daily walks attend, Weave for thy hoary brow the vernal flower Of cheerfulness, and with his nervous arm Arrest th' inexorable scythe of Time. 

So early, and indeed throughout his whole life, did Dr. Darwin enforcethe happy consequences of temperance and sobriety; from his convictionof the pernicious effects of all kinds of intemperance on the youthfulconstitution. He had an absolute horror of spirits of all sorts, howeverdiluted. Pure water was, throughout the greater part of his temperatelife, his favourite beverage. He has been severely censured (no doubtvery justly so), for some of his religious prejudices. Old Walter Mapes, the jovial canon of Salisbury, precentor of Lincoln, and arch-deacon ofOxford, in the eleventh century, considered _water_ as fit only for_heretics_. 

One may again trace his fondness for the rich scenery of nature, when hein 1777 purchased a wild umbrageous valley near Lichfield, with itsmossy fountain of the purest water. This spot he fondly cultivated. Thebotanic skill displayed by him on this spot, did not escape thesearching eye of Mr. Loudon, for in p. 807 of his Encyclop. OfGardening, he pays a deserved compliment to him. [94] Miss Seward wrotesome lines on this favoured valley, and these are part of them:

 O! may no ruder step these bowers profane, No midnight wassailers deface the plain; And when the tempests of the wintry day Blow golden autumn's varied leaves away, Winds of the north, restrain your icy gales, Nor chill the bosom of these hallow'd vales. 

His attachment to gardens, induced him to honour the memory of Mr. Mason, by lines once intended for his monument; and he was suggestingimprovements at the priory at Derby (and which he had just described thelast morning of his life in a sprightly letter to a friend), when thefatal signal was given, and a few hours after, on the 18th of April, 1802, and in his sixty-ninth year, he sunk into his chair and expired. "Thus in one hour (says his affectionate biographer) was extinguishedthat vital light, which the preceding hour had shone in flatteringbrightness, promising duration; (such is often _the cunning flattery ofnature_), that light, which through half a century, had diffused itsradiance and its warmth so widely; that light in which penury had beencheered, in which science had expanded; to whose orb poetry had broughtall her images; before whose influence disease had continuallyretreated, and death so often "turned aside his levelled dart!"[95] ThatDr. Darwin, as to his religious principles or prejudices, displayedgreat errors of judgment in his _Zoonomia_, there can be no doubt. Aneminent champion of Christianity, truly observed, that Dr. Darwin "wasacquainted with more links in the chain of _second_ causes, than hadprobably been known to any individual, who went before him; but that hedwelt so much, and so _exclusively_ on second causes, that he toogenerally seems to have forgotten that there is a first. " For theseerrors he must long since have been called to his account, before onewho can appreciate those errors better than we can. Though the _AccusingSpirit_ must have blushed when he gave them in, yet, let us hope, thatthe _Recording Angel_, out of mercy to his humane heart, and his manygood and valuable qualities, may have blotted them out for ever. 

REV. WILLIAM GILPIN, who, as Mr. Dallaway, in his Observations on theArts, observes, "possesses unquestionably the happy faculty to paintwith words;" and who farther highly compliments him in his supplementarychapter on Modern Gardening, annexed to his enriched edition of Mr. Walpole's Anecdotes. The Topographer says he "describes with thelanguage of a master, the artless scenes of uncultivated nature. " Mr. Walpole in his postscript to his Catalogue of Engravers, afterpremising, that it might, perhaps, be worth while "to melt down thisvolume and new cast it, " pays this tribute to him: "Were I of authoritysufficient to name my successor, or could prevail on him to condescendto accept an office which he could execute with more taste and ability;from whose hands could the public receive so much information andpleasure as from the author of the _Essay on Prints_, and from the_Tours_, &c. ? And when was the public ever instructed by the pen andpencil at once, with equal excellence in the style of both, but by Mr. Gilpin?"

Had Mr. Gilpin written nothing more than his "Lectures on theCatechism, " that alone would have conferred on him the name of ameritorious writer. His allusion to Plato, his reflections on the LastJudgment, his animated address to youth, and his conclusion of hissixteenth lecture, must strike deep into the heart of every reader. His"Sermons preached to a Country Congregation, " prove him a pious, charitable, and valuable man. [96]

The glowing imagery of his style, when viewing the beautiful scenery inmany parts of England, and some of the vast and magnificent ones ofScotland, is fraught with many fervid charms. Still we are forced tojoin Mr. Mathias, in the remonstrance he so justly makes as to thejargonic conceit of some of his language. Mr. Gilpin's first work onpicturesque beauty, was his Observations on the River Wye, made in theyear 1770. He afterwards published:

Forest Scenery--Picturesque Beauties of the Highlands--Mountains ofCumberland and Westmoreland--Western parts of England--Cambridge, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex--Hampshire, Sussex and Kent. Three Essays, onPicturesque Beauty, on Picturesque Travel, and on Sketching Landscape, to which is added, a poem on Landscape Painting. A full account of hisnumerous works may be seen in Watts's Bibl. Brit. A complete list ofthem is also given by Mr. Nichols, in vol. I. Of his Illustrations, witha brief memoir. Mr. Johnson also gives a list of such of his works asrelate to picturesque scenery, with their titles at large. His portraitwas painted by Walton, and engraved in metz by Clint. 

JAMES ANDERSON published the following works; and I have given the priceof such of them as appeared in the late Mr. Harding's AgriculturalCatalogue:--

 1. The Bee, or Literary Intelligencer, 18 vols. 8vo. _Edinb. _ 1791. 

 2. Recreations in Agriculture, Natural History, Arts and Miscellaneous Literature, 6 vols. 8vo. _Lond. _ 3_l. _ 10s. 

 3. Essays relating to Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 3 vols. 8vo. 1_l. _ 7s. 

 4. Practical Treatise on draining Bogs, 8vo. 6s. 

 5. Practical Treatise on Peat Moss, 8vo. 5s. 

 6. On Lime as a Cement and Manure, 8vo. 2s. 6d. 

 7. An Account of the different kinds of Sheep found in the Russian Dominions, and amongst the Tartar Hordes, 8vo. 6s. 

 8. Investigation of the Causes of Scarcity of 1800. 8vo. 2s. 6d. 

 9. Miscellaneous Thoughts on Planting Timber Trees, chiefly for the climate of Scotland, by Agricola, 8vo. _Edinb. _ 1777. 

 10. Description of a Patent Hot-house, 1804. 12mo. 5s. 

In "Public Characters of 1800 and 1801, " a portrait is given of him, alist of his works, and it thus speaks of him: "The manners of thisingenious and very useful man were plain and frank, an indication of anhonest and good heart. He was benevolent and generous, a tender parent, and a warm friend, and very highly respected in the circle of hisacquaintance. " There is a portrait of him, painted by Anderson, andengraved by Ridley. A copy is given in the Mirror, (published by Vernonand Hood), of Nov. 1799. Another is given in the Gentleman's Magazine. He died at West Ham, Essex, in 1808, aged 69. Mr. Lysons, in theSupplement to his Environs of London, gives a few particulars of him. 

HORACE WALPOLE. He was the youngest son of Sir Robert Walpole, who solong guided the destinies of England, and whose attractive andbenevolent private life, seems to have fully merited the praise ofPope's elegant muse:

 _Seen him I have; but in his happier hour Of social pleasure, --ill exchang'd for power-- Seen him uncumber'd with the venal tribe, Smile without art, and win without a bribe. _

The best portraits of this intelligent and acute writer, Horace Walpole, are the portrait in Mr. Dallaway's richly decorated edition of theAnecdotes of Painting, from Sir Joshua Reynolds, and that in Mr. Cadell's Contemporary Portraits, from Lawrence. Dance also drew him. Another portrait is prefixed to the ninth volume of his works, in 4to. 1825, from a picture in the possession of the Marquis of Hertford. Thereis another portrait, engraved by Pariset, from Falconot. Mr. Walpoledied in March, 1797, at his favourite seat at Strawberry-hill, at theage of eighty. His manners were highly polished, from his having, duringthe course of a long life, frequented the first societies. Hisconversation abounded with interesting anecdote and playful wit. Felicity of narration, and liveliness of expression, mark his gracefulpen. The Prince de Ligne (a perfect judge) thus speaks of his _Historyof the Modern Taste in Gardening_:--"Je n'en admire pas moinsl'eloquence, et la profondeur, de son ouvrage sur les jardins. " Mr. Walpole himself says:--"We have given the true model of gardening to theworld: let other countries mimic or corrupt our taste; but let it reignhere on its verdant throne, original by its elegant simplicity, andproud of no other art than that of softening nature's harshnesses, andcopying her graceful touch. "

Sir U. Price, in vol. I. P. 18 of his Essays, pays high respect to Mr. Walpole, and differs from him "with great deference and reluctance. " Heobserves:--"I can hardly think it necessary to make any excuse forcalling Lord Orford, Mr. Walpole; it is the name by which he is bestknown in the literary world, and to which his writings have given acelebrity much beyond what any hereditary honour can bestow. " Mr. Johnson observes:--"To his sketch of the improvements introduced byBridgman and Kent, and those garden artists, their immediate successors, we may afford the best praise; he appears to be a faithful, and is, aneloquent annalist. " It is impossible to pass by this tribute, withoutreminding my reader, that Mr. Johnson's own review of our ornamentalgardening, is energetic and luminous; as is indeed the whole of hiscomprehensive general review of gardening, from the earliest period, down to the close of the last century. 

THE HON. DAINES BARRINGTON. He devoted himself to literary pursuits; wasa profound antiquary, and a truly worthy man. He died in 1800, aged 73, at his chambers in the Temple, and was buried in the Temple church. Theattractive improvements in the gardens there, may be said to haveoriginated with him. He possibly looked on them as classic ground; forin these gardens, the proud Somerset vowed to dye their white rose to abloody red, and Warwick prophesied that their brawl

 ----in the Temple garden, Shall send, between the red rose and the white, A thousand souls to death and deadly night. 

He published, 1. Observations on the more Ancient Statutes, 4to. To the 5th edition of which, in 1796, is prefixed his portrait. 

 2. The Naturalist's Calendar, 8vo. 

 3. A translation of Orosius, ascribed to Alfred, with notes, 8vo. 

 4. Tracts on the probability of reaching the North Pole, 4to. 

 5. In vol. Vii. Of the Archæologia, is his paper On the Progress of Gardening. It was printed as a separate tract by Mr. Nichols, price 1s. 6d. 

 6. Miscellanies on various subjects, 4to. 

Mr. Nichols, in his Life of Bowyer, calls him "a man of amiablecharacter, polite, communicative and liberal;" and in the fifth volumeof his Illustrations of the Literary History of the Eighteenth Century, he gives a neatly engraved portrait of Mr. Barrington, and somememorials or letters of his. Mr. Boswell ("the cheerful, the pleasant, the inimitable biographer of his illustrious friend"), thus relates Dr. Johnson's wish to become acquainted with Mr. Barrington:--"Soon after hehad published his excellent Observations on the Statutes, Johnsonwaited on that worthy and learned gentleman, and having told him hisname, courteously said, 'I have read your book, Sir, with greatpleasure, and wish to be better known to you. ' Thus began anacquaintance which was continued with mutual regard as long as Johnsonlived. " John Harris, Esq. The learned author of Philological Enquiries, thus speaks of Mr. Barrington's Observations on the Statutes:--"avaluable work, concerning which it is difficult to decide, whether it ismore entertaining or more instructive. "

JOSEPH CRADOCK, Esq. Whose "Village Memoirs" display his fine taste inlandscape gardening. This feeling and generous-minded man, whose gentlemanners, polite learning, and excellent talents, entitled him to anacquaintance with the first characters of the age, died in 1826, at thegreat age of eighty-five. This classical scholar and polished gentleman, who had (as a correspondent observes in the Gentleman's Magazine forJanuary, 1827) "the habit of enlivening and embellishing every thingwhich he said with a certain lightning of eye and honied tone of voice, "shone in the first literary circles, and ranked as his intimate andvalued friends (among many other enlightened persons), David Garrick, and Warburton, Hurd, Johnson, Goldsmith, Percy, and Parr. Dr. Johnsoncalled him "a very pleasing gentleman. " Indeed, he appears from everyaccount to have been in all respects an amiable and accomplished person. He had the honour of being selected to dance a minuet with the mostgraceful of all dancers, Mrs. Garrick, at the Stratford Jubilee. It wasto Mr. Cradock, that Dr. Farmer addressed his unanswerable Essay on theLearning of Shakspeare. In acts of humanity and kindness, he wassurpassed by few. Pope's line of _the gay conscience of a life wellspent_, might well have been applied to Mr. Cradock. When inLeicestershire, "he was respected by people of all parties for hisworth, and idolized by the poor for his benevolence. " This honest andhonourable man, depicted his own mind in the concluding part of hisinscription, for the banks of the lake he formed in his romantic andpicturesque grounds, in that county:--

 _Here on the bank Pomona's blossoms glow, And finny myriads sparkle from below; Here let the mind at peaceful anchor rest, And heaven's own sunshine cheer the guiltless breast. _[97]

In 1773 he partly took his "Zobeide" from an unfinished tragedy byVoltaire. On sending a copy to Ferney, the enlightened veteran thusconcluded his answer: "You have done too much honour to an old sick manof eighty. I am, with the most sincere esteem and gratitude, "Sir, your obedient servant, "VOLTAIRE. "[98]

I cannot refrain from adding a short extract from the above quotedmagazine, as it brings to one's memory another much esteemed and worthyman:--"Here, perhaps, it may be allowable to allude to the sincereattachment between Mr. Cradock, and his old friend Mr. Nichols. Forvery many years Mr. Nichols had been accustomed to pay Mr. Cradock anannual visit at Gumley Hall; but on Mr. Cradock settling in London, theintercourse became incessant, and we doubt not that the dailycorrespondence which took place between them, contributed to cheer thelatter days of these two veterans in literature. They had both of themin early life enjoyed the flattering distinction of an intimacy with thesame eminent characters; and to hear the different anecdotes elicited intheir animated conversations respecting Johnson and others, was indeedan intellectual treat of no ordinary description. Mr. Cradock and Mr. Nichols possessed a similarity in taste and judgment. They were bothendowed with peculiar quickness of comprehension, and with powers andaccuracy of memory rarely equalled. " One may say of the liberal mindedMr. Nichols, what Mr. Murphy said of Dr. Johnson, that his love ofliterature was a passion that stuck to his last stand. The works of Mr. Cradock have, since his decease, been published by Mr. J. B. Nichols, in4 vols. 8vo. They contain his Essay on Gardening and Village Memoirs. They are enriched by a miniature portrait of him, by Hone, in 1764, whenMr. Cradock was in his prime of life, in his twenty-second year, andwhen his piercing eyes and intelligent countenance, were thought to haveresembled those of Mr. Garrick. There is also a profile shade of Mr. Cradock, taken of him only a month before his decease. In the abovequoted magazine, is a copy of this profile, with a memoir. 

SIR JOSEPH BANKS. There is a fine portrait of him by Russel, engraved byCollyer. In Mr. Cadell's Contemporary Portraits is another fine one, from the pencil of Lawrence. His portrait is preserved by theHorticultural Society of London, and in the British Museum is his bust, chiselled and presented by the Hon. Mrs. Damer. A good copy of theengraving by Collyer is in the European Magazine for Feb. 1795, andfrom the memoir there given I select the following:

"If to support the dignity of the first literary society in the world, and by firmness and candour to conciliate the regard of its members; ifrejecting the allurements of dissipation, to explore sciences unknown, and to cultivate the most manly qualities of the human heart; if todispense a princely fortune in the enlargement of science, theencouragement of genius, and the alleviation of distress, becircumstances which entitle any one to a more than ordinary share ofrespect, few will dispute the claim of the person whose portraitornaments the present magazine. . . . In short, he is entitled to everypraise that science, liberality, and intelligence can bestow on theirmost distinguished favourites. "

Dr. Pulteney, in his handsome dedication of his Sketches on the progressof Botany, to Sir Joseph, thus alludes to his voyage with Cook:--"Towhom could a work of this nature with so much propriety be addressed, asto him who had not only relinquished, for a series of years, all theallurements that a polished nation could display to opulence; but hadexposed himself to numberless perils, and the repeated risk of lifeitself, that he might attain higher degrees of that knowledge, whichthese sketches are intended to communicate. "

The Academy of Sciences at Dijon, in their "Notice sur Sir Jos. Banks, "thus apostrophizes his memory:--"Ombre de Banks! apparois en ce lieuconsacré au culte des sciences et des lettres; viens occuper la placeque t'y conservent les muses, accepter les couronnes qu'elles-mêmest'ont tressées! viens recevoir le tribut de nos sentimens, témoignagesincère de notre douleur et de not regrets; et par le souvenir de tesvertus, viens enflammer nos coeurs de cet amour pour le bien, qui futle mobile de toutes tes actions!"[99]

Mr. Johnson, in his History of English Gardening, justly calls him "Thisuniversal patron of the arts and sciences. Natural history was thefavourite of his scientific studies, and every part of it was enrichedby his researches. " He again hails him as "a munificent friend ofscience and literature. " The name of Banks will always be associatedwith that of Solander, the favourite pupil of Linnæus, and with that ofthe immortal Cook. De Lille closes his _Jardins_ with a most generousand animated invocation to the memory of this intrepid navigator. 

WILLIAM FALCONER. The portrait of this eminent physician of Bath, isengraved by Fitler, from a painting by Daniel, of Bath, in 1791. It isprefixed to his "Influence of the Passions upon Disorders. " He died inAugust, 1824, at the age of eighty-one. He published, 1. Essay on the Preservation of the Health of Persons employed in Agriculture, 1s. Bath, 1789. 

 2. Miscellaneous Tracts relating to Natural History; selected from the principal writers of antiquity. 1793. 4to. 

 3. Remarks on the Influence of Climate, Situation, Nature of Country, &c. The Encyclop. Of Gardening calls this "a most interesting work. " A writer in the New Monthly Mag. Says "it displays an almost unlimited extent of learning and research. "

 4. An Historical View of the Taste for Gardening and Laying out Grounds among the Nations of Antiquity. 8vo. 1s. 6d. 1783. _Dilly. _

A list of his other works (nearly twenty in number), may be seen in theDictionary of Living Authors, or in vol. Xii. Of the New Monthly Mag. ;which last work says that the late Lord Thurlow, at whose table he wasalmost a constant guest, declared that "he never saw such a man; that heknew every thing, and knew it better than any one else. " Neither thislast publication, nor Dr. Watts in his Bibl. Brit. Mention Dr. Falconer's Historical View of the Taste for Gardening. 

WILLIAM CURTIS. This honest, much-esteemed, and inoffensive man, thoughso deservedly eminent as a botanist, published only the following workon horticulture:--"Directions for Cultivating the Crambe Maritima, orSea-kale for the Use of the Table. " A new edition, enlarged, with threeengravings. 2s. 6d. Mr. Loudon says, that this pamphlet has done more torecommend the culture of _sea-kale_ and diffuse the knowledge of it, than all his predecessors. Nearly three pages of the Encyclopædia areenriched with the result of all that has appeared on the cultivation ofthis vegetable by English, Scotch, or French writers. 

The botanical works of Mr. Curtis have long been held in high esteem. The first number of his Flora Londinensis appeared in 1777. He commencedhis Botanical Magazine in 1787. His Observations on British Grasses, appeared in a second edition, with coloured plates, in 1790. HisLectures were published after his death, to which is prefixed hisportrait. His portrait is also given in Dr. Thornton's Botany. He diedin 1799, was buried in Battersea church-yard, and on his grave-stonethese lines are inscribed:--

 _While living herbs shall spring profusely wild, Or gardens cherish all that's sweet and gay, So long thy works shall please, dear nature's child, So long thy memory suffer no decay. _

THOMAS MARTYN, Professor of Botany at Cambridge, whose strikingportrait, from a picture by Russel, appears in Dr. Thornton's superbwork on botany. He died in June, 1825, in the ninetieth year of his age. His edition of Miller's Gardener's Dictionary, appeared in 4 vols. Folio. Mr. Johnson observes, that this work "requires no comment. It isa standard, practical work, never to be surpassed. " Mr. Martyn alsopublished _Flora Rustica_, a description of plants, useful or injuriousin husbandry, _with coloured plates_, 4 vols. 8vo. 

SIR W. CHAMBERS. There are portraits of him by Sir J. Reynolds, engravedby Collyer and by Green; one by Cotes, engraved by Houston, in 1772; anda profile by Pariset, after a drawing by Falconot. He died in 1796, agedsixty-nine. He published, 1. Designs for Chinese Buildings. 

 2. Plans and Views of the Buildings and Gardens at Kew. 

 3. A Dissertation on Oriental Gardening, second edition, with additions. To which is annexed an Explanatory Discourse, 4to. 1773. This work gave rise to those smart satires, _An Heroic Epistle_, and _An Heroic Postscript_. 

HUMPHREY REPTON, Esq. His portrait is prefixed to his Observations onthe Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening, folio. 1803. He alsopublished on this subject:

 1. Letter to U. Price, Esq. On Landscape Gardening, 8vo. 1794. 

 2. Sketches and Hints on Landscape Gardening, folio, 1795. 

 3. Enquiry into the Changes in Landscape Gardening, 8vo. 1806. 

 4. On the Introduction of Indian Architecture and Gardening, folio, 1808. 

 5. On the supposed Effect of Ivy upon Trees. A charming little essay inserted in the _Linn. Trans. _ vol. Xi. 

 6. Fragments on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening, 4to. 1816. In p. 80 of the Encyclop. Of Gardening, is some general information respecting Mr. Repton. 

WILLIAM FORSYTH, Esq. His portrait is prefixed to the seventh edition ofhis Treatise on the Culture and Management of Fruit Trees, 8vo. 1824;also to the 4to. Edition of the same work in 1802. He also publishedObservations on the diseases, defects, and injuries in all kinds ofFruit and Forest Trees, with an account of a particular method of cure, 8vo. 1791. Mr. Forsyth died in 1804. 

MR. JAMES DICKSON, who established the well-known seed and herb shop inCovent-garden, and died at the age of eighty-six, a few years ago, appears to have been very much esteemed. His family at Croydon possesshis portrait, and there is another preserved by the HorticulturalSociety. He married for his second wife a sister of the intrepidtraveller Mungo Park. Mr. Dickson, when searching for plants in theHebrides, in 1789, was accompanied by him. Handsome mention is made ofMr. Dickson in the Life of Mungo Park, prefixed to the "Journal of aMission to the Interior of Africa. " In the above life, the friendly andgenerous assistance which Sir Joseph Banks shewed both to Mr. Dickson, and to Mungo Park, is very pleasingly recorded. A memoir of Mr. Dicksonis given in the 5th vol. Of the Hort. Transactions. He published, Fasciculus Plantarum Cryptog. Brit. 4 parts 4to. 1785-1801. 

RICHARD PAYNE KNIGHT, Esq. Author of The Landscape, a didactic poem, 4to. 1794. A second edition, _with a preface_, appeared in 4to. In 1795. This poem is the only production of Mr. Knight, on the subject oflandscape scenery, except his occasional allusions thereto, in hisAnalytical Enquiry into the Principles of Taste, the second edition ofwhich appeared in 8vo. In 1805. This latter work embraces a variety ofsubjects, and contains many energetic pages, particularly those onHomer, and on the English drama. His philosophical survey of human life"in its last stages, " (at p. 461), and where he alludes to "the hooksand links which hold the affections of age, " is worthy of all praise; itis deep, solemn, and affecting. The other publications of this gentlemanare enumerated in Dr. Watts's Bibl. Brit. Mr. Knight, in his Landscape, after invoking the genius of Virgil, in reference to his

 _----O qui me gelidis in vallibus Hoemi Sistat, et ingenti ramorum protegat unbrâ, _

thus proceeds, after severely censuring Mr. _Browne_, who

 ----bade the stream 'twixt banks close shaved to glide; Banish'd the thickets of high-bowering wood, Which hung, reflected o'er the glassy flood: Where screen'd and shelter'd from the heats of day, Oft on the moss-grown stone reposed I lay, And tranquil view'd the limpid stream below, Brown with o'er hanging shade, in circling eddies flow. Dear peaceful scenes, that now prevail no more, Your loss shall every weeping muse deplore! Your poet, too, in one dear favour'd spot, Shall shew your beauties are not quite forgot: Protect from all the sacrilegious waste Of false improvement, and pretended taste, _One tranquil vale!_[100] where oft, from care retir'd He courts the muse, and thinks himself inspired; Lulls busy thought, and rising hope to rest, And checks each wish that dares his peace molest. 

After scorning "wisdom's solemn empty toys, " he proceeds:

 Let me, retir'd from business, toil, and strife, Close amidst books and solitude my life; Beneath yon high-brow'd rocks in thickets rove, Or, meditating, wander through the grove; Or, from the cavern, view the noontide beam Dance on the rippling of the lucid stream, While the wild woodbine dangles o'er my head, And various flowers around their fragrance spread. 

 * * * * *

 Then homeward as I sauntering move along, The nightingale begins his evening song; Chanting a requiem to departed light, That smooths the raven down of sable night. 

After an animated tribute to _Homer_, he reviews the rising and theslumbering, or drooping of the arts, midst storms of war, and gloomybigotry. 

 Hail, arts divine!--still may your solace sweet Cheer the recesses of my calm retreat; And banish every mean pursuit, that dares Cloud life's serene with low ambitious cares. Vain is the pomp of wealth: its splendid halls, And vaulted roofs, sustain'd by marble walls. -- In beds of state pale sorrow often sighs, Nor gets relief from gilded canopies: But arts can still new recreation find, To soothe the troubles of th' afflicted mind; Recall the ideal work of ancient days, And man in his own estimation raise; Visions of glory to his eyes impart, And cheer with conscious pride his drooping heart. 

After a review of our several timber trees, and a tribute to our nativestreams, and woods; and after describing in happy lines _Kamtschatka's_dreary coast, he concludes his poem with reflections on the ill-fated_Queen of France_, whose

 Waning beauty, in the dungeon's gloom, Feels, yet alive, the horrors of the tomb!

Mr. Knight's portrait, painted by Sir Thomas Lawrence, is preserved atDownton Castle, near Ludlow; and is engraved among Cadell's ContemporaryPortraits. It is also engraved by Bromley, from the same painter. Another portrait was in the library of the late Mr. Johnes, at Havod. 

DR. ANDREW DUNCAN. He died at Edinburgh in June 1828, at the great ageof eighty-four. His portrait was drawn by Raiburn, and engraved byMitchell. He was a contemporary of several eminent persons, whosesociety and friendship formed one of the chief pleasures of his life. There was scarcely an institution proposed for the benefit of his nativecity, Edinburgh, to which his name will not be found a contributor. Hewas, in fact, the patron and benefactor of all public charities. In 1809he projected, and by his exertions, succeeded in establishing, theHorticultural Society of Edinburgh. His animated and scientificdiscourses, delivered at the meetings of the Caledonian HorticulturalSociety, will always be perused with eager pleasure by everyhorticulturist. In that delivered in December, 1814, and inserted in thefifth number of their Memoirs, this zealous well-wisher of his nativecity, thus exults:--"I am now, gentlemen, past the seventieth year of myage, and I have been a steady admirer both of Flora and Pomona from thevery earliest period of my youth. During a pretty long life, it has beenmy lot to have had opportunities of visiting gardens in three differentquarters of the globe, in Europe, in Asia, and in Africa; and from whatI have seen, I am decidedly of opinion, that at the present day, thereis not a large city in the world, which enjoys a supply of vegetablefood in more abundance, in greater variety, or in higher excellence, than the city of Edinburgh. From the potatoe to the pine-apple, --fromthe most useful to the most delicious productions of the vegetablekingdom, we are not at present outdone, as far as my observation goes, by any large city on the face of the earth. " His medical talents maywell be believed not to have been small, when it is told, that he wasthe rival in practice, and by no means an unsuccessful one, of theillustrious Cullen, of the Monros, and of Gregory. In private life, Dr. Duncan was eminently distinguished for his sociality, and the desire tobenefit all mankind. He was a member of several social clubs. Hisfavourite amusement was _gardening_. He possessed a garden in theneighbourhood of Edinburgh, which he cultivated entirely with his ownhands, and on the door of which was placed, in conspicuous letters, '_hinc salus_. ' He was particularly kind to the students attending hislectures, and gave a tea-drinking every Sunday evening to about a dozenof them, by rotation, who assembled at six o'clock and went away ateight. When old, he used sometimes to forget the lapse of time, and inhis lectures, frequently spoke about the _late_ Mr. Haller, who lived acentury before. To the last year of his life he never omitted going up, on the morning of the 1st of May, to wash his face in the dew of thesummit of a mountain near Edinburgh, called Arthur's Seat. He had themerit of being the father of the present Dr. Duncan, the celebratedauthor of the Edinburgh Dispensatory, and professor of materia medica. Dr. Duncan's funeral was properly made a public one, at which theprofessors, magistrates, and medical bodies of Edinburgh attended, totestify their sorrow and respect. 

SIR UVEDALE PRICE. His portrait was taken by Sir Thomas Lawrence, and isnow at Foxley. [101] The Hereford Journal of Wednesday, September 16, 1829, thus relates his decease:--"On Monday last died, at Foxley, inthis county, Sir Uvedale Price, Bart. In the eighty-third year of hisage. The obituary of 1829 will not record a name more gifted or moredear! In a county where he was one of the oldest, as well as one of themost constant of its inhabitants, it were superfluous to enumerate hismany claims to distinction and regret. His learning, his sagacity, hisexquisite taste, his indefatigable ardour, would have raised to eminencea man much less conspicuous by his station in life, by hiscorrespondence with the principal literati of Europe, and by theattraction and polish of his conversation and manners. Possessing hisadmirable faculties to so venerable an age, we must deplore that agentleman who conferred such honour on our county is removed from thatlearned retirement in which he delighted, and from that enchanting scenewhich, in every sense, he so greatly adorned. He is succeeded in histitle by his only son, now Sir Robert Price, one of ourrepresentatives. "

Sir Uvedale published the following:

 1. An Essay on the Picturesque, as compared with the Sublime and Beautiful, and on the use of studying pictures for the purpose of improving real landscape, 8vo. 1794. This volume was afterwards published in 1796, in 8vo. With _considerable additions_, and in 1798 was published at _Hereford_ a second volume, being an Essay on Artificial Water, an Essay on Decorations near the House, and an Essay on Architecture and Buildings as connected with Scenery. 

 2. A Letter to H. Repton, Esq. On the application of the practice and principles of Landscape Painting to Landscape Gardening. Intended as a supplement to the Essays. To which is prefixed Mr. Repton's Letter to Mr. Price. Lond. 1795, 8vo. Second edition, _Hereford_, 1798, 8vo. This is a sportive display of pleasant wit, polished learning, and deep admiration of the great landscape painters. Keen as some of his pages are, and lamenting that there should have been any controversy ("or tilting at each other's breasts, ") on the subject of Launcelot Browne's works, "I trust, (says he, ) however, that my friends will vouch for me, that whatever sharpness there may be in my style, there is no rancour in my heart. " Mr. Repton in his Enquiry into the Changes of Landscape Gardening, acknowledges "the elegant and gentleman-like manner in which Mr. Price has examined my opinions. " Indeed, many pages in this present letter shew this. 

 3. A Dialogue on the distinct Characters of the Picturesque and the Beautiful, in answer to the objections of Mr. Knight, 1801, 8vo. [102]

A general review of Sir Uvedale's ideas on this subject, is candidlygiven by Mr. Loudon at p. 78 of his Encyclop. After a mature study of_all_ the modern writers who have endeavoured to form "a taste for theharmony and connection of natural scenery. " Mr. Loudon farther calls him"the great reformer of landscape gardening. "

We have to regret, that though so many springs must have cheered thelong life of Sir Uvedale Price, (and which he calls the _dolce primavera, gioventu dell'anno_, and whose blossoms, flowers, and"profusion of fresh, gay, and beautiful colours and sweets, " he sowarmly dwelt on in many of his pages, ) and though the number of thesesprings must have nearly equalled those which gilded the days of LordKames, of the honourable Horace Walpole, of Mr. Gilpin, and of JosephCradock, Esq. Yet we have to regret that his classic pen has presentedto the public no other efforts of his genius and cultivated taste, thanthe few respectable ones above stated. Had he chose to have indulged hisown powers in describing what has been done towards "embellishing theface of this noble kingdom, " (to quote his own words, ) we might haveperused descriptive pages equal to his own critical and refined reviewof Blenheim, or of Powis Castle, and of a character as high and pure, asthose of Thomas Whateley. In proof of this, we need only refer to manypages in his Essays, --not only when he so well paints the charms ofsequestered nature, whether in its deep recesses, _o'er canopied withluscious eglantine_, --in the "modest and retired character of abrook, "--the rural simplicity of a cottage, with its lilacs and fruittrees, its rustic porch, covered with vine or ivy, but when he dwells onthe ruins and on "the religious calm" of our abbeys, [103] or on our oldmansion-houses, with their terraces, their summer-houses covered withivy, and mixed with wild vegetation. And we need farther only to referto those feeling pages in his second volume, where he laments that hisown youth and inexperience should (in order to follow the silly folly of_being in the fashion_, ) have doomed to sudden and total destruction anold paternal garden, with all its embellishments, and whose destructionrevives in these pages all the emotions of his youth; and he concludesthese pages of regret, by candidly confessing, that he gained little but"much difficulty, expence and dirt, " and that he thus detains hisreaders in relating what so personally concerns himself, "because thereis nothing so useful to others, however humiliating to ourselves, asthe frank confession of our errors and of their causes. No man canequally with the person who committed them, impress upon others theextent of the mischief done, and the regret that follows it. " It ispainful to quit pages so interesting as those that immediately followthis quotation. [104]

There are few objects that the enlightened mind of Sir Uvedale has notremarked. Take the following as an instance:

"Nothing is so captivating, or seems so much to accord with our ideas ofbeauty, as the smiles of a beautiful countenance; yet they havesometimes a striking mixture of the other character. Of this kind arethose smiles which break out suddenly from a serious, sometimes fromalmost a severe countenance, and which, when that gleam is over, leaveno trace of it behind--

 _Brief as the lightning in the collied night, That in a spleen unfolds both heaven and earth, And e'er a man has time to say, behold! The jaws of darkness do devour it up. _

There is another smile, which seems in the same degree to accord withthe ideas of beauty only: it is that smile which proceeds from a mindfull of sweetness and sensibility, and which, when it is over, stillleaves on the countenance its mild and amiable impression; as after thesun is set, the mild glow of his rays is still diffused over everyobject. This smile, with the glow that accompanies it, is beautifullypainted by Milton, as most becoming an inhabitant of heaven:

 To whom the angel, with a smile that glow'd Celestial rosy red, love's proper hue, Thus answered. "

The great object in the above Essays, is to improve the laying out ofgrounds by studying the productions "of those great artists _who havemost diligently studied the beauties of nature_. On this subject he hasin these volumes poured forth the effusions of his richly gifted mind, in his contemplation of the works of those really great painters, whoselandscape scenery, from the most rural to the grandest, "have beenconsecrated by long uninterrupted admiration. " Instead of the narrow, mechanical practice of a few English gardeners, or layers-out ofgrounds, he wishes "the noble and varied works of the eminent paintersof every age, and of every country, and those of _their_ suprememistress NATURE, should be the great models of imitation. "[105] He hassupported many of his opinions or observations, or embellished orenlivened them, by acute allusions, not only to Milton but toShakspeare, whom he calls "that most original creator, and most accurateobserver. "[106]

He has depicted his own mind in p. 378 of the first volume of hisEssays; for after lamenting that despotic system of improvement whichdemands all to be laid open, --all that obstructs to be levelled to theground, --houses, orchards, gardens, all swept away, --nothing tending tohumanize the mind--and that a despot thinks every person an intruder whoenters his domain, wishing to destroy cottages and pathways, and toreign alone, he thus proceeds:--"Here I cannot resist paying a tributeto the memory of a beloved uncle, and recording a benevolence towardsall the inhabitants around him, that struck me from my earliestremembrance; and it is an impression I wish always to cherish. It seemedas if he had made his extensive walks as much for them as for himself;they used them as freely, and their enjoyment was his. The village boreas strong marks of his and of his brother's attentions (for in thatrespect they appeared to have but one mind), to the comforts andpleasures of its inhabitants. Such attentive kindnesses, are amplyrepaid by affectionate regard and reverence; and were they generalthroughout the kingdom, they would do much more towards guarding usagainst democratical opinions

 _Than twenty thousand soldiers, arm'd in proof. _

The cheerfulness of the scene I have mentioned, and all the interestingcircumstances attending it, (so different from those of solitarygrandeur, ) have convinced me, that he who destroys dwellings, gardensand inclosures, for the sake of mere extent, and parade of property, only extends the bounds of monotony, and of dreary, selfish pride; butcontrasts those of vanity, amusement and humanity. "

One may trace, too, his feeling mind towards the conclusion of hissecond volume, where, after many pleasing pages on the rural scenery ofcottages, and in hamlets and villages, ("where a lover of humanity mayfind so many sources of amusement and interest, ") and on the means ofembellishing them, "I could wish (says he) to turn the minds ofimprovers from too much attachment to solitary parade, towards objectsmore connected with general habitation and embellishment; . . . And it maybe truly said, that there is no way in which wealth can produce suchnatural unaffected variety, and such interest, as by adorning a realvillage, and promoting the comforts and enjoyments of its inhabitants. _Goldsmith_ has most feelingly described (more, I trust, from the warmthof a poetical imagination and quick sensibility than from real fact), the ravages of wealthy pride. My aim is to shew, that they are no lesshostile to real taste, than to humanity; and should I succeed, it ispossible that those, whom all the affecting images and pathetic touchesof Goldsmith would not have restrained from destroying a village, mayeven be induced to build one, in order to shew their taste in thedecoration and disposition of village-houses and cottages. " After manytraces of village scenery, he thus proceeds: "The church, together withthe church-yard, is, on various accounts, an interesting object to thevillagers of every age and disposition; to the old and serious, as aspot consecrated to the purposes of religion, where the living christianperforms his devotions, and where, after his death, his body isdeposited near those of his ancestors and departed friends, andrelations: to the young and thoughtless, as a place where, on the day ofrest from labour, they meet each other in their holiday clothes; andalso (what forms a singular contrast with tombs and grave-stones), asthe place which at their wakes, is the chief scene of their gaiety andrural sports. " After speaking of the yew, which from the solemnity ofits foliage, is most suited to church-yards, being as much consecratedto the dead as the cypress among the ancients, he says that "there seemsto be no reason, why in the more southern parts of England, cypressesshould not be mixed with yews, or why cedars of Libanus, which areperfectly hardy, and of a much quicker growth than yews, should not beintroduced. In high romantic situations, particularly, where thechurch-yard is elevated above the general level, a cedar, spreading hisbranches downwards from that height, would have the most picturesque, and at the same time, the most solemn effect. "

ADDENDA. 

Page 5. --I am enabled from Mr. Johnson's lately published History ofEnglish Gardening, to add a very early tract on that subject, and I takethe liberty of transcribing his exact words: "A Boke of Husbandry, London, 4to. This little work is very rare, being one of the productionsfrom the press of Wynkin de Worde. It consists of but twelve leaves, andis without date, but certainly was not of a later year than 1500. Thefollowing extracts explain its nature. 'Here begyneth a treatyse ofHusbandry which Mayster Groshede somtyme Bysshop of Lyncoln made, andtranslated it out of Frensshe into Englyshe, whiche techeth all maner ofmen to governe theyr londes, tenementes, and demesnes ordinately. '

'Here endeth the Boke of Husbandry, _and of Plantynge, and Graffynge ofTrees and Vynes_. '"

About the year 1797 the late Mr. Nichols printed the Life of Robert_Grosseteste_, the celebrated Bishop of Lincoln. By Samuel Pegge, LL. D. With an Account of the Bishop's _Works_, &c. Illustrated with plates ofhis Tomb, Ring, and Crosier. 4to. Price 13s. In boards. 

Page 17. --I have in this page alluded to the hard fate of Correggio. That my reader may know who he was, let him inspect those pages in vol. I. Of Sir U. Price's Essays, where he thus concludes a critique on hisgenius: "I believe that if a variety of persons, conversant in painting, were asked what pictures (taking every circumstance together) appearedto them most beautiful, and had left the softest and most pleasingimpression, --the majority would fix upon Correggio. "

Page 17. --W. Lawson, in the dedication to his New Orchard and Garden, gives the name of an author on gardening, whose book I have not metwith. He dedicates it "to the right worshipfull _Sir Henry Belosses_, "and he acknowledges, "1st. The many courtesies you have vouchsaved me. 2dly. Your delightfull skill in matters of this nature. 3dly. The profitwhich I received from your _learned discourse of Fruit-trees_. 4thly. Your animating and assisting of others to such endeavours. Last of all, the rare worke of your owne in this kind, all which to publish underyour protection, I have adventured as you see. " From this it wouldappear, that this "learned discourse" is transfused into the New Orchardand Garden. After all, perhaps, this "learned discourse" was merely inconversation. At all events, it has recorded the name of Sir Henry aswarmly devoted to orcharding, or to horticulture. W. Lawson, in hispreface, dwells upon the praises of this art, "how some, and not a fewof the best, have accounted it a chiefe part of earthly happinesse tohave faire and pleasant orchards--how ancient, how profitable, howpleasant it is. " His fourteenth chapter is On the Age of Fruit-trees. After stating that some "shall dure 1000 years, " and the age of many ofthe apple-trees in his little orchard, he says: "If my trees be 100yeares old, and yet want 200 of their growth before they leaveincreasing, which make 300, then we must needs resolve, that this 300yeere are but the third part of a tree's life, because (as all thingsliving besides) so trees must have allowed them for their increase onethird, another third for their stand, and a third part of time also fortheir decay. "--"So that I resolve upon good reason, that Fruit-treeswell ordered, may live and live 1000 yeeres, and beare fruit, and thelonger, the more, the greater, and the better, because his vigour isproud and stronger, when his yeeres are many. You shall see old treesput their buds and blossoms both sooner and more plentifully than youngtrees by much. And I sensibly perceive my young trees to inlarge theirfruit, as they grow greater, both for number, and greatnesse. "--"And ifFruit-trees last to this age, how many ages is it to be supposed, strongand huge Timber-trees will last? whose huge bodies require the yeeres ofdivers _Methushalaes_, before they end their days; whose sap is strongand better, whose barke is hard and thicke, and their substance solidand stiffe: all which are defences of health and long life. Theirstrength withstands all forcible winds. " His seventeenth chapter is onthe Ornaments of an Orchard. I here give the whole of that chapter:

"Me thinks hitherto we haue but a bare Orchard for fruit, and but halfegood, so long as it wants those comely ornaments, that should giuebeauty to all our labours, and make much for the honest delight of theowner and his friends. 

"For it is not to be doubted: but as God hath giuen man thingsprofitable, so hath he allowed him honest comfort, delight, andrecreation in all the workes of his hands. Nay, all his labours vnderthe sunne without this are troubles, and vexation of mind: For what isgreedy gaine, without delight, but moyling, and turmoyling slauery? Butcomfortable delight, with content, is the good of euery thing, and thepatterne of heauen. A morsell of bread with comfort, is better by muchthan a fat oxe with vnquietnesse. And who can deny, but the principallend of an Orchard, is the honest delight of one wearied with the worksof his lawfull calling? The very workes of and in an Orchard and Garden, are better than the ease and rest of and from other labours. When Godhad made man after his owne image, in a perfect state, and would hauehim to represent himselfe in authority, tranquillity and pleasure vponthe earth, he placed him in Paradise. What was Paradise? but a Gardenand Orchard of trees and hearbs, full of pleasure? and nothing there butdelights. The gods of the earth, resembling the great God of heauen inauthority, maiestie, and abundance of all things, wherein is their mostdelight? and whither doe they withdraw themselues from the troublesomeaffaires of their estate, being tyred with the hearing and iudging oflitigious Controuersies? choked (as it were) with the close ayres oftheir sumptuous buildings, their stomacks cloyed with variety ofBanquets, their eares filled and ouerburthened with tediousdiscoursings? whither? but into their Orchards, made and prepared, dressed and destinated for that purpose, to renue and refresh theirsences, and to call home their ouer-wearied spirits. Nay, it is (nodoubt) a comfort to them, to set open their cazements into a mostdelicate Garden and Orchard, whereby they may not onely see that, wherein they are so much delighted, but also to giue fresh, sweet, andpleasant ayre to their galleries and chambers. 

"And looke, what these men do by reason of their greatnes and ability, prouoked with delight, the same doubtlesse would euery of vs doe, ifpower were answerable to our desires, whereby we shew manifestly, thatof all other delights on earth, they that are taken by Orchards, aremost excellent, and most agreeing with nature. 

"For whereas euery other pleasure commonly filles some one of oursences, and that onely, with delight, this makes all our sences swimmein pleasure, and that with infinite variety, ioyned with no lesscommodity. 

"That famous philosopher, and matchlesse orator, M. T. C. Prescribethnothing more fit, to take away the tediousnesse and heauy load of threeor foure score yeeres, than the pleasure of an Orchard. 

"What can your eyes desire to see, your ears to hear, your mouth totast, or your nose to smell, that is not to be had in an Orchard, withabundance and variety? What more delightsome than an infinite variety ofsweet smelling flowers? decking with sundry colours, the greene mantleof the earth, vniuersall mother of vs all, so by them bespotted, sodyed, that all the world cannot sample them, and wherein it is more fitto admire the Dyer, than imitate his workemanship. Colouring not onelythe earth, but decking the ayre, and sweetning euery breath and spirit. 

"The rose red, damaske, veluet, and double double prouince rose, thesweet muske rose, double and single, the double and single white rose. The faire and sweet senting Woodbinde, double and single, and doubledouble. Purple cowslips, and double cowslips, and double doublecowslips. Primerose double and single. The violet nothing behinde thebest, for smelling sweetly. A thousand more will prouoke your content. 

"And all these, by the skill of your gardner, so comely, and orderlyplaced in your borders and squares, and so intermingled, that nonelooking thereon, cannot but wonder, to see, what Nature corrected by Artcan doe. 

"When you behold in diuers corners of your Orchard Mounts of stone, orwood curiously wrought within and without, or of earth couered withfruit-trees: Kentish cherry, damsons, plummes, &c. With staires ofprecious workmanship. And in some corner (or moe) a true dyall orClocke, and some anticke workes, and especially siluer-sounding musique, mixt instruments and voices, gracing all the rest: How will you be raptwith delight?

"Large walkes, broad and long, close and open, like the Tempe groves inThessalie, raised with grauell and sand, hauing seats and bankes ofcammomile, all this delights the minde, and brings health to the body. 

"View now with delight the workes of your owne hands, your fruit-treesof all sorts, loaden with sweet blossomes, and fruit of all tasts, operations, and colours: your trees standing in comely order which waysoeuer you looke. 

"Your borders on euery side hanging and drooping with feberries, raspberries, barberries, currens, and the rootes of your trees powdredwith strawberries, red, white, and greene, what a pleasure is this? Yourgardner can frame your lesser wood to the shape of men armed in thefield, ready to giue battell: or swift running greyhounds: or of wellsented and true running hounds, to chase the deere, or hunt the hare. This kind of hunting shall not waste your corne, nor much your coyne. 

"Mazes well framed a mans height, may perhaps make your friends wanderin gathering of berries, till he cannot recouer himselfe without yourhelpe. 

"To haue occasion to exercise within your Orchard: it shall be apleasure to haue a bowling alley, or rather (which is more manly, andmore healthfull) a paire of buts, to stretch your armes. 

"Rosemary and sweete eglantine are seemely ornaments about a doore orwindow, and so is woodbinde. 

"And in mine opinion, I could highly commend your Orchard, if eitherthrough it, or hard by it there should runne a pleasant riuer withsiluer streames: you might sit in your mount, and angle a pickled trout, or sleightie eele, or some other dainty fish. Or moats, whereon youmight row with a boate, and fish with nettes. 

"Store of bees in a dry and warme bee-house, comely made of fir-boords, to sing, and sit, and feede vpon your flowers and sprouts, make apleasant noyse and sight. For cleanely and innocent bees, of all otherthings, loue and become, and thriue in an Orchard. If they thriue (asthey must needes, if your gardner bee skilfull, and loue them: for theyloue their friends, and hate none but their enemies) they will, besidesthe pleasure, yeeld great profit, to pay him his wages. Yea, theincrease of twenty stockes or stooles, with other fees, will keepe yourOrchard. 

"You need not doubt their stings, for they hurt not whom they know, andthey know their keeper and acquaintance. If you like not to come amongstthem, you need not doubt them: for but neere their store, and in theirowne defence, they will not fight, and in that case onely (and who canblame them?) they are manly, and fight desperately. Some (as thatHonorable Lady at Hacknes, whose name doth much grace mine Orchard) vseto make seats for them in the stone wall of their Orchard, or Garden, which is good, but wood is better. 

"A vine ouer-shadowing a seate, is very comely, though her grapes withvs ripe slowly. 

"One chiefe grace that adornes an Orchard, I cannot let slip: A brood ofnightingales, who with their seuerall notes and tunes, with a strongdelightsome voyce, out of a weake body, will beare you company night andday. She loues (and liues in) hots of woods in her hart. She will helpeyou to cleanse your trees of caterpillars, and all noysome wormes andflyes. The gentle robin red-breast will helpe her, and in winter in thecoldest stormes will keepe a part. Neither will the silly wren be behindin summer, with her distinct whistle (like a sweete recorder) to cheereyour spirits. 

"The black-bird and threstle (for I take it the thrush sings not, butdeuoures) sing loudly in a May morning, delights the eare much (and youneede not want their company, if you haue ripe cherries or berries, andwould as gladly as the rest do you pleasure:) But I had rather wanttheir company than my fruit. 

"What shall I say? A thousand of pleasant delightes are attendant in anOrchard: and sooner shall I be weary, than I can recken the least partof that pleasure, which one that hath and loues an Orchard, may findtherein. 

"What is there of all these few that I haue reckoned, which doth notplease the eye, the eare, the smell, and taste? And by these sences asorganes, pipes, and windowes, these delights are carried to refresh thegentle, generous, and noble mind. 

"To conclude, what ioy may you haue, that you liuing to such an age, shall see the blessings of God on your labours while you liue, andleaue behind you to heires or successors (for God will make heires) sucha worke, that many ages after your death, shall record your loue totheir countrey? And the rather, when you consider (chap. 14. ) to whatlength of time your worke is like to last. "

Page 30. --Having briefly glanced in this page at the delight with whichSir H. Davy, Mr. Worlidge, and Mr. Whateley, viewed the flowers ofspring, I can only add this reflection of Sturm:--"If there were nostronger proofs on earth of the power, goodness, and wisdom of God, theflowers of spring alone, would be sufficient to convince us of it. "

Page 45. --The character of this modest and candid man, (Switzer), hasfound an able advocate in the honest pen of Mr. Johnson, who, in p. 159of his History of Gardening, after noticing the acrimony of hisopponents, observes, "Neglect has pursued him beyond the grave, for hisworks are seldom mentioned or quoted as authorities of the age he livedin. To me he appears to be the best author of his time; and if I wascalled upon to point out the classic authors of gardening, _Switzer_should be one of the first on whom I would lay my finger. His worksevidence him at once to have been a sound, practical horticulturist, aman well versed in the botanical science of the day, in its mostenlarged sense. " Mr. Johnson enumerates the distinct contents of eachchapter in the Iconologia--the Kitchen Gardener--and the Fruit Gardener. 

Page 59. --The Tortworth Chesnut was growing previous to the NormanConquest. It fixes the boundary of a manor. Even in the reign ofStephen, it was known as the great chesnut of Tortworth. 

Page 62. --The author of this treatise, who is a zealous orchardist, islavish in his praise of a then discovered apple-tree and its produce, "for the little cot-house to which it belongs, together with the littlequillet in which it stands, being several years since mortgaged for tenpounds, the fruit of this tree alone, in a course of some years, freedthe house and garden, and its more valuable self, from that burden. " Aneighbouring clergyman, too, was equally lavish, for he "talked of it inall conversations, " and such was his praise of it, that every one "fellto admiration. " Mr. Stafford is so pleased with this reverendgentleman's zeal, in extending the cultivation of this apple, (_theRoyal Wilding_) that he says, "I could really wish, whenever theoriginal tree decayeth, his statue carved out of the stump, by the mostexpert hand, and overlaid with gold, may be erected near the publicroad, in the place of it, at the common charge of the country. " Hecelebrates also another apple, which "in a pleasant conversation wasnamed by a gentleman _super-celestial_. Another gentleman, in allusionto _Pynes_, the name of my house, and to the common story of the WestIndia pineapple, (which is said to be the finest fruit in the world, andto represent every exquisite flavour that is known), determined that itshould be called the _pyne-apple_; and by either of these names it istalked of when pleasantry and conversation bring the remembrance of itto the table. "

Page 64. --It is but justice to Mr. Gibson to say, that in his FruitGardener, he has entered fully into the merits of Le Genre's _Le manierede cultiver les arbres fruitiers_; and that his pages are extremelyinteresting. The great merits of Quintinye are also not overlooked. 

Page 84. --To the list of those deceased authors, whose portraits I havenot been able to discover, I must add the following:

JOHN BRADDICK, Esq. A zealous horticulturist and fruit grower. Hecontributed four papers to the Horticultural Society of London. In theGardener's Mag. For Jan. 1827, is a communication by him, on some newFrench pears. The editor of this magazine acknowledges "the very liberaland truly patriotic manner in which our highly-valued correspondentshares every novelty he receives with those whose interest it is toincrease and disseminate such novelties. " In the above magazine forMarch, 1827, is another spirited communication by him, on these newpears, introduced from France, in which he says:--"And here I think itnecessary to premise, that the following list is the cream skimmed offsome thousands of new pears, which I have for many years past beengetting together from various parts of the world, about two-thirds ofwhich yet remain for trial, not having fruited, together with somethousands of seedling pears, apples, plums, cherries, apricots, peachesand grapes, of my own raising; the fruits of some of which I hope willcontinue to gladden the hearts of horticulturists for many years tocome. As they are produced I will make them known to the public, with asmuch facility as lies in my power. 

"_Boughton Mount, July 29, 1826. _"

One is sorry to relate, that Mr. Braddick died soon after thisbenevolent wish; for he died at the above seat of his, near Maidstone, in April, 1828, at the age of sixty-three. 

Page 120. --Dr. Dibdin thus speaks of Archibald Alison: "The beautifuland melodious style of this writer, renders his works deserving of aconspicuous place in every well-chosen library. "

Page 89. --In this page I have stated that Dr. Dibdin says, "on manyaccounts does G. Markham seem entitled to more notice and commendation. "I have given extracts from his "English Husbandman, " to shew his lovefor flowers. The same attachment is visible where he enumerates them inhis "Country House-wive's Garden. "--By the bye, though I have statedthis last work to be his, it surely appears to have been written by W. Lawson. I merely now give the following extract from Markham's "EnglishHouse-Wife:"

"Next vnto this sanctity and holinesse of life, it is meet that ourEnglish hous-wife be a woman of great modesty and temperance as wellinwardly as outwardly; inwardly, as in her behauiour and cariage towardsher husband, wherein she shall shunne all violence of rage, passion, andhumour, coueting lesse to direct then to be directed, appearing euervnto him pleasant, amiable, and delightfull, and though occasion, mishaps, or the misgouernement of his will may induce her to contrarythoughts, yet vertuously to suppresse them, and with a mild sufferancerather to call him home from his error, then with the strength of angerto abate the least sparke of his euill, calling in her mind that euilland vncomely language is deformed though vttered euen to seruants, butmost monstrous and vgly when it appeares before the presence of ahusband: outwardly, as in her apparrell and diet, both which she shallproportion according to the competency of her husband's estate andcalling, making her circle rather strait then large, for it is a rule ifwe extend to the vttermost, we take away increase, if we goe a hayrebreadth beyond, we enter into consumption: but if we preserue any part, we build strong forts against the aduersaries of fortune, prouided thatsuch preseruation be honest and conscionable: for a lauish prodigalityis brutish, so miserable couetuousnesse is hellish. Let therefore thehus-wives garments be comly and strong, made aswel to preserue thehealth, as adorne the person, altogether without toyish garnishes, orthe glosse of light colours, and as far from the vanity of new andfantastick fashions, as neere to the comly imitations of modestmatrons. "

I must give an extract from his "Country Contentements, " as he remindsus of Shakspeare's lines on the tuneable cry of hounds; for Markhamdwells on their sweetness of cry--"their deepe solemne mouthes--theirroaring and loud ringing mouthes, which must beare the counter-tenor, then some hollow plaine sweete mouthes--a deep-mouthed dog--a couple ortwo of small singing beagles, which as small trebles, may warble amongstthem: the cry will be a great deale the more sweeter--the hollow deepemouth--the loud clanging mouthe--deepe flewed, such as for the most partyour _Shropshire_ and pure _Worcestershire_ dogs are--the louder andpleasanter your cry will be, especially if it be in sounding tall woods, or under the echo of rocks--and not above one couple of roarers, whichbeing heard but now and then, as at the opening or hitting of a scent, will give much sweetnesse to the solemns, and gravenesse of the cry, andthe musick thereof will bee much more delightfull to the eares of everybeholder. "

Page 123. --The memory of Pope has perhaps never been more affectionatelyhonoured (nor that of Lord Mendip, who so zealously preserved every partof the house and garden at Twickenham) than in the glowing and tenderlines of De Lille, in his poem of _Les Jardins_. 

The vignette in my title-page, and that at page 84, are two of thoseneat decorations which so profusely embellish the Encyclopædia ofGardening. 

INDEX. 

A. 

 Abercrombie, 153

 Addison, xxviii. , xxxii. , 49, 115 ---- reflections on the tombs, 117

 Age of gardeners and horticulturists, 81

 Alison, Dr. Xxxviii. , 71, 120, 211

 Anderson, 69, 175

 Ardenne, J. P. De, his charity, xiv. 

 Arabian literature, 2

 Argyle, xxviii. 

 Argenville, xiii. 

 Arnauld d'Andelli, xiii. 

 Arnolde's Chronicle, 5

 Astrology, 34

 Austen, Ralph, 18

 Austin, Fr. , 19

 B. 

 Bacon, Lord, on flowers that perfume the air, xxx. , xxxv. , 55 ---- eulogies on him, 88 ---- on Gorhambury, 88

 Banks, Sir Jos. , 4, 181, 187

 Barrington, Daines, 156, 177

 Bates, an aged horticulturist, 82

 Bauhine, 44

 Beale, Dr. John, vi. , 16, 17, 20, 21, 54 ---- his attachment to his native country, 23

 Belosses, Sir H. 202

 Bees, on, by an Italian, 85

 Bernazzano, his skill in painting fruit, 56

 Bertholan, xviii. 

 Bertrand, Fr. , his _Ruris Deliciæ_, xiv. 

 Blake, 19

 Blythe, Walter, 8, 88

 Bobart, 108

 Boileau, tributes to, xxiii. 56

 Bonfeil, 19

 Bornefond, x. 

 Bos, the eminent painter, 56

 Bossuet, xxv. 

 Boswell, 178

 Boyceau, ix. 

 Bowles, Rev. Mr. His kind apostrophe to Lord Byron, 130

 Boyle, his character, by Boerhaave, 21

 Bradley, reprints the _Herefordshire Orchards_, 54 ---- on the planting of wild flowers, 54

 Braddick, 211

 Bridgman, 129, 132, 135

 Brocoli, 51

 Brocq, P. Le, 82

 Brome, W. 22

 Browne, Sir Thomas, 94

 Browne, Launcelot, 154

 Bryant, 79

 Brydges, Sir E. 89, 93 ---- on Pope, 131

 Bucknall, 84

 Bulleyn, Dr. 84

 Burleigh, xxvii. 

 Bury, Mr. Barclay's, 170

 Byron, Lord, xxxi. 40, 121 ---- on Pope, 129

 C. 

 Capell, xxvii. 

 Censura Litt. 6, 12, 15, 16

 Chabanon, xiv. 

 Chambers, Sir W. 185

 Champier, viii. 

 Charlemagne, xviii. 

 Charles II. 96

 Chatham, Lord, xxix. , 74

 Chesterfield, xxix. ---- on Pope, 125

 Chesnut tree at Tortworth, 57, 209

 Cicero on agriculture, xxxvi. ---- on his country seat, 3

 Clive, 164

 Cobbet, on the health of gardens, xxxiv. ---- on Moor Park, 112

 Collins, 59

 Collinson, xxviii. 

 Compton, Bishop, xxviii. , 39

 Cook, Captain, xiv. , 171, 183

 Cooke, Moses, 31

 Corregio, his poverty, 17, 202

 Cottage gardens, 171

 Cotton, Charles, 102

 Country life, its pleasures, 48, 49, 63

 Coventry, Rev. F. 63, 135

 Cowell, 62

 Cowley, 46, 93, 100

 Cousin, viii. 

 Cowslips, 54, 205

 Cradock, Jos. 179

 Curtis, W. 184

 D. 

 Dallaway, 94, 135, 173, 176

 Danby, xxviii. 

 Daniel, H. 5

 Darwin, 162, 164

 Davy, Sir H. 30, 106

 Death, 47, 58

 Deepden, Mr. Hope's, 170

 De Lille, xiv. , xvii. , 50, 183, 213

 Descartes, his delight in his garden, xxxv. 

 Devonshire, Duke of, xxviii. 

 Dicks, 65

 Dickson, 186

 Dibdin, Dr. 17, 89. 

 Dodsley, Robert, his attachment to Pope, 125 ---- his generous tribute to Shenstone, 148

 Downton Vale, 188

 Drake, Dr. 114, 115, 128

 Drope, 31

 Du Fresnoy, xii. 

 Duncan, 81

 Duncan, Dr. A. 190

 E. 

 Elizabeth, the lion hearted, 103

 Ellis, of _Gaddesden_, on blossoms and fruit, 64

 Epicurus, xxxii. 

 Essex, his execution, 103 ---- his character, xxvii. 

 Etienne, an early French writer, viii. 

 Evelyn, John, xxxii. , 41, 59, 97 ---- Charles, 59 ---- John, 59

 F. 

 Falconer, 183

 Fairchild, 60

 Fleetwood, 114

 Fontaine, xviii. 

 Flowers, 25, 27, 54, 90, 95, 205

 Forsyth, 186

 Foxley, 191

 France, its horticultural writers, see preface

 Francis I. , xix. 

 Franklin, rancorously attacked by Wedderburn, and panegyrised by Lord Chatham, 73, 74

 Fresnoy, xii. 

 Fruit blossoms, 41, 53, 64, 121

 Fulmer, 79

 G. 

 Gainsborough, Earl of, xxix. 

 Gardeners, the age of many, 81

 Gardens, their pleasures, see preface, and 24, 27, 28, 30, 39, 47, 63, 64, 89, 110, 121, 153 ---- those of antiquity, 1 ---- those of the Saxons, Danes and Normans, xxxv. , xxxvi. ---- near Spitalfields, 36 ---- of France, see preface ---- of cottagers, 171

 Gardiner, J. 109

 Garrick, 137, 158, 172, 178, 181

 Garrle, Capt. 35

 Garton, 65

 Gerarde, xxx. , 15, 87, 123

 Gerard's Bromley, its once noble mansion, 23, 107

 Gerard, Lady, an acquaintance of Pope's, 25

 Gibson, J. 33

 Gibson, Dr. 67, 210 ---- on the richness of a fruit garden, 64

 Gilbert, 107

 Gilpin, Rev. W. , vii. 159, 173

 Girardin entombed Rousseau in his garden, xv. ---- his eloquent effusion to prevent misery, 78 ---- on the calm of evening, xv. 

 Goldsmith, 199

 Gooche, Barn. , 12, 48

 Gouges de Cessieres, xiv. 

 Graves, Dr. , his tribute to Shenstone, 149

 Gray, 80, 129, 158, 159

 Greeks, 107, 194

 Grindall, xxviii. 

 Grossetete, Bishop, 201

 H. 

 Halifax, xxviii. 

 Hanbury, Rev. W. , 143

 Hartlib, the friend of Milton, 19 ---- on orchards, 21

 Harward, 17

 Hawkins, Sir J. 8, 102, 103

 Haworth, Mr. On Miller, 141

 Heath, Mr. Of Monmouth, 171

 Heeley, 79

 Henry IV. Patronised Olivier de Serres and Mollet, xiv. 

 Hereford, its orchards and villages, 23

 Hill, Sir John, 141

 Hitt, 65, 138

 Hogarth, 56

 Hollar, his portraits of the Tradescants, 92

 Homer, xxx. , 1, 2, 47, 187

 Housewife, an amiable and pleasant one, 212

 Hudson, Lord, xxvii. 

 Hyll, 85

 I

 Iliffe, 23

 J. 

 James, 45

 Jones, of Nayland, 61

 Johnson, the editor of Gerarde, 18 ---- his testimony to Parkinson, 18

 Jonson, Ben, his eulogy on Lord Bacon, 86

 Johnson, Dr. 48, 70, 114, 116, 154, 178, 179 ---- on portraits, vii. ---- on Charles II. , 96 ---- on Sir T. Browne, 95, 96 ---- on Shenstone, 147

 Johnson's Eng. Gardening, xxxv. , xxxvi. , xxxvii. , 83, 84, 85, 88, 91, 100, 102, 109, 115, 154, 177, 183, 201 ---- on Sir W. Temple, 113 ---- on Switzer, 209

 Justice, 63, 13

 K. 

 Kames, 69, 151

 Kennedy, 78

 Kent, 132

 Knowlton, 52, 61

 Knight, R. P. Xxvi. , 187 ---- on the celebration of high mass, 195 ---- on listening to professors, 196

 Kyle, 79

 L. 

 Lamoignon, xxii. 

 Langford, 33

 Langley, 142

 Latapie, xvi. 

 Lawrence, Ant. 33

 Lawrence, Rev. J. 120

 Lawson, 17, 202, 212

 Leibault, viii. 

 Le Maitre, xiii. 

 Lestiboudois, his tranquil end, 83

 Lesay de Marnesia, xviii. 

 Liger, Louis, x. , 42

 Ligne, Prince de, on gardens, xxxiv. , 55 ---- on De Lille, xiv. ---- on Antoinette, xxxiv. ---- interview with Voltaire, xxxiv. ---- on Milton, 132 ---- on Walpole, 177

 Linant, xiii. 

 Linnæus, 139, 167, 171, 192

 Locke, 113

 London and Wise, 35

 Louis, xiv. , xx. 

 Loudon's Encycl. Of Gardening, xi. , xii. , xviii. , xix. , xx. , xxxvi. , 4, 54, 80, 81, 95, 99, 109, 116, 121, 128, 136, 150, 152, 153, 155, 157, 170, 184, 194 ---- on Whateley, 72 ---- on Bacon, 87 ---- on Miller, 138 ---- on L. Browne, 156

 M. 

 Maddock, 83

 Maison rustique, viii. , 89

 Malherbes, xvi. 

 Malthus, D. Xv. , 78

 Mapes, Walter, the honest chaplain to Henry II. And an admired poet, 170

 Markham, Ger. Viii. , 88, 211, 213

 Marshall, 79, 117, 150, 157

 Marie Antoinette, xxxiv. , 189

 Mary, Queen of Scots, vii. , 102

 Martyn, Professor, 185 ---- his character of Miller, 138

 Mascall, 84

 Mason, Geo. Xxix. , 70, 156, 198 ---- on Kent, 134 ---- on Shenstone, 150

 Mason, Rev. W. Xv. , xxxii. , 111, 157 ---- on Pope, 128, 130, 131 ---- on Shenstone, 150

 Masson de Blamont, xviii. 

 Mathias on Boileau, xxiv. ---- on Pope, 127 ---- on Mason, 164

 Mavor, Rev. Mr. 34 ---- his admirable edition of Tusser, 6

 Meader, 17

 Meager, Leonard, 34

 Mignon, his skill in painting flowers, 55

 Miller, Phillip, 138

 Milton, 20, 21, 49, 94, 130, 132, 197 ---- his great poem now magnificently printing in letters of gold, 133

 Mollet, Andre, ix. 

 Mollet, Claude, ix. 

 Morell, xiv. 

 Morin, the florist, xi. 

 Mountmorris, on Sir W. Temple, 111

 Morris, Rev. I. G. , his powerful appeal on horticultural pursuits, 122

 Morris, onornamental scenery, 77

 Mountain, Didymus, 12

 N. 

 Nicol, Walter, 82

 Nichols, John, 54, 60, 110, 121, 143, 174, 178 ----his friendship for Mr. Cradock, 180

 Nôtre, le, tributes to him, xi. , xii. , xx. 

 Nourse, 58

 O. 

 Ockenden, 65

 Only, Rev. Mr. , a lover of gardens, 54

 Opium, 168

 Orchards, 21, 23, 64, 202, 203

 Orrery, Lord, xxvi. , 126

 P. 

 Parkinson, 89, 90 ----testimony to his works, 18

 Pastoral Scenes, 30

 Paulmier de Grenlemesnil, viii. 

 Percy, Bishop of Dromore, 72

 Pennant, 154

 Petrarch, xxxi. ----his handsome person, vi. ----on his garden, xxxv. 

 Plants betray fondness for their native earth, 45

 Planting, on zeal for, 66, 69

 Platt, Sir Hugh, 13

 Plattes, Gabriel, 16

 Plimley, 165

 Pontchateau, his singular history, xiii. 

 Pope, xxix. , xxxiii. , 1, 2, 76, 114, 123, 179, 213

 Pope mentions Lady Gerard, 25 ----his noble thought on planting, 68

 Powel, 65

 Preston, its horticult. Society, 123

 Price, Sir U. Vii. , xxvi. , 56, 72, 77, 134, 155, 156, 177, 191 ----on De Lille, xv. ----his high opinion of Mason, 163 ----on the sculpture, poetry, and eloquence of the Greeks, 194 ----on Correggio, 202

 Priestley, Dr. On Franklin and Wedderburn, 73

 Primroses, 30, 50, 54, 55

 Pulteney, Dr. 5, 52, 55, 56, 60, 85, 87, 90, 92, 138, 143, 182

 Q. 

 Quarterly Review, 41, 59, 97, 103, 183 ----on Evelyn's _Sylva_, 99

 Quintinye, xi. , xx. , xxvii. , 34, 68 ----anecdote of, 67 ----attempt to recover his MSS. 68

 R. 

 Raleigh, xxvii. , xxxi. , 36, 87

 Rabutin de Bussy, xxii. Xxv. 

 Rapin, tribute to, xiii. ----on Lamoignon, xxii. , xxv. 

 Ray, xxix. , 71, 88, 94, 109, 139

 Raynal, 128

 Rea, John, his dedication to Lord Gerard, and verses on Lady Gerard, 23

 Read, 33

 Rench, an aged gardener, 82

 Repton, 186, 188

 Reynolds, Sir J. 127, 158

 Richardson, 84

 Rickets, 61

 Riviere, la Countess de, xiii. , xiv. , xxv. 

 Robin, Jean, xix. 

 Robinson, Dr. On Mary Queen of Scots, 104

 Roscommon, 48

 Rose, 101

 Rosier, xviii. 

 Rousseau, his burial at Ermenonville, xv. 

 Russell, Lord W. His love of gardens, xxvii. 

 Rutter, 65. 

 S. 

 Salmonia, extracts, from, 30, 107

 Scarborough, xxix. 

 Schabol, xvi. 

 Scott, Sir W. V. , 40, 41, 172 ---- on the deaths of _Marat_, and _Robespierre_, xvi. ---- on the garden of _Vanessa_, xxx. 

 Scotland, its zeal for planting, 69

 Serres, Olivier de, viii. 

 Sevigné, Mad. De, xii. , xiv. , xx. , xxv. 

 Seward, Miss, vi. , 162, 172

 Sismondi, xix. , 3, 107 ---- on bees, 86

 Shakspeare, xi. , xxxi, 4, 73, 74, 78, 158, 178, 179, 197, 198, 199, 213

 Sharrock, 23

 Shenstone, 147

 Shepherd, Sir Samuel, 41

 Sherard, xxviii. 

 Spectacle de la Nature, 95

 Speechley, 81

 Smollet on Chatham, xxix. 

 Spring, its beauties, 21, 29, 30, 31, 209

 St. Bartholomew's massacre, viii. 

 Stafford, 62, 210

 Sterne, xxvi. , 170

 Stillingfleet, Benj. 8, 191

 Stevenson, D. 45

 Stevenson, H. 45

 Stevenson, M. 45

 Sully, ix. , 66

 Sun, the, its celestial beams, 48

 Swinden, 78

 Switzer, xxvii. , xxxiii. , 45, 94, 100, 109, 110, 138, 209 ---- his grateful remembrance of his old master, 36, 39, 102 ---- his enlarged views of gardening, 49 ---- on Rose, 102 ---- on Milton, 133

 T. 

 Taverner, 53

 Taylor, 65

 Temperance, 169, 170

 Temple, Sir W. Xxxii. , 110 ---- on the garden of Epicurus, xxxii. 

 Thury, M. Le Vic. De, his tribute to Milton, 132 ---- on gardens, xxxv. Xxxvi. 

 Tradescants, 92

 Trowel, 63

 Trees, ancient ones, 33, 46, 49, 50, 57, 142, 151

 Tusser, 6, 13, 34

 V. 

 Vaniere, tribute to, xiii. 

 Van-Huysum, his skill in painting fruit, 56, 156

 Villages, rural, 23, 199

 Vineyard at Bethnal-green, 14

 Violets, xxxi. , 30, 50, 55, 205

 Vispré, 157

 Voltaire, xi. , xiii. , xx. , xxxiv. , 80 ---- his garden interview with the Prince de Ligne, xxxvi. 

 W. 

 Wakefield horticultural soc. , 122

 Walpole, Horace, xxix. , 1, 80, 91, 163, 176 ---- on Sir W. Temple, 112 ---- on Kent, 132 ---- on Bridgman, 136

 Walpole, Horace, on Browne, 154 ---- on Gilpin, 173

 Walton, Isaac, xi. , 30, 93, 94, 102, 104

 Warton, Thomas, 6, 8, 10, 72, 143, 161

 Watelet, xvii. 

 Watson, Bishop of Llandaff, his zeal for planting, 70

 Watson, Sir W. 93, 142

 Weymouth, Lord, xxviii. 

 Weston, 13, 16, 18, 19, 20, 57, 92 ---- his zeal for planting, 66

 Whately, xvi. , xviii. , 50, 72 ---- brief testimonies to his genius, vii. , 72, 74, 75, 195 ---- on spring, 31 ---- his tribute to Shenstone, 150

 Wildman, 65

 Whitmill, 62

 William III. His delight in gardening, xxvii. 

 Worlidge, his attachment to gardens, 28 ---- on those of France, xxvii. ---- mentions a garden at Hoxton, 61

 Wotton, Sir H. 93

 Wynn, Sir W. W. His zeal for planting, 69

 X, Y. 

 Xenophon, 198

 Young, Dr. On Pope's death, 131

FOOTNOTES:

 * * * * *

[1] Few persons have shewn more attachment to family portraits than MissSeward. This is strongly exemplified in several bequests in her will;not only in her bequest to Emma Sneyd, and in that to Mrs. Powys, butalso in the following:--"The miniature picture of my late dear friend, Mr. Saville, drawn in 1770, by the late celebrated artist Smart, andwhich at the time it was taken, and during many successive years, was anexact resemblance of the original, I bequeath to his daughter, Mrs. Smith, who I know will value and preserve it as a jewel above all prize;and in case of her previous demise, I bequeath the said preciousminiature to her daughter, Mrs. Honora Jager, exhorting the said HonoraJager, and her heirs, into whose hands soever it may fall, to guard itwith sacred care from the sun and from damp, as I have guarded it, thatso the posterity of my valued friend may know what, in his prime, wasthe form of him whose mind through life, by the acknowledgment of allwho knew him, and could discern the superior powers of talent andvirtue, was the seat of liberal endowment, warm piety, and energeticbenevolence. "

Being thus on the subject of portraits, let me remark, that it is notalways that we meet with a faithful likeness. A review of Mad. DeGenlis's _Petrarch et Laure_, justly observes, that "it is doubtful ifany of the portraits of _Petrarch_, which still remain, were paintedduring his life-time. However that may be, it is impossible to trace inthem, either the elevation of his mind, the fire of his imagination, orthe pensive melancholy of his soul. " In the Essays on Petrarch, by UgoFoscolo, he informs us, that "_Petrarch's_ person, if we trust hisbiographers, was so striking with beauties, as to attract universaladmiration. They represent him with large and manly features, eyes fullof fire, a blooming complexion, and a countenance that bespoke all thegenius and fancy that shone forth in his works. " Do we yet know onereally good likeness of _Mary Queen of Scots_?

[2] It has often struck me (perhaps erroneously), that the attachmentwhich the great Sully evinced for gardens, even to the last period ofhis long-protracted life, (eighty-two), _might_ in some degree have beencherished or increased from the writings of the great Lord Bacon. Whenthis illustrious duke retired to his country seats, wounded to the heartby the baseness of those who had flattered him when Henry was alive, hisnoble and honest mind indulged in the embellishment of his gardens. Iwill very briefly quote what history relates:--"The life he led in hisretreat at _Villebon_, was accompanied with grandeur and even majesty, such as might be expected from a character so grave and full of dignityas his. His table was served with taste and magnificence; he admitted toit none but the nobility in his neighbourhood, some of the principalgentlemen, and the ladies and maids of honour, who belonged to theduchess of Sully. He often went into his gardens, and passing through alittle covered alley, which separated the flower from the kitchengarden, ascended by a stone staircase (which the present duke of Sullyhas caused to be destroyed), into a large walk of linden trees, upon aterrace on the other side of the garden. It was then the taste to have agreat many narrow walks, very closely shaded with four or five rows oftrees, or palisadoes. Here he used to sit upon a settee painted green, amused himself by beholding on the one side an agreeable landscape, andon the other a second alley on a terrace extremely beautiful, whichsurrounded a large piece of water, and terminated by a wood of loftytrees. There was scarce one of his estates, those especially which hadcastles on them, where he did not leave marks of his magnificence, towhich he was chiefly incited by a principle of charity, and regard tothe public good. At _Rosny_, he raised that fine terrace, which runsalong the Seine, to a prodigious extent, and those great gardens, filledwith groves, arbours, and grottos, with water-works. He embellished_Sully_ with gardens, of which the plants were the finest in the world, and with a canal, supplied with fresh water by the little river Sangle, which he turned that way, and which is afterwards lost in the Loire. Heerected a machine to convey the water to all the basons and fountains, of which the gardens are full. He enlarged the castle of _La Chapelled'Angillon_, and embellished it with gardens and terraces. "

These gardens somewhat remind one of these lines, quoted by BarnabyGooche:

 _Have fountaines sweet at hand, or mossie waters, Or pleasaunt brooke, that passing through the meads, is sweetly seene. _

That fine gardens delighted Sully, is evident even from his ownstatement of his visit to the Duke d'Aumale's, at Anet, near Ivry, (where Henry and Sully fought in that famous battle), for he says, --"Joyanimated the countenance of Madame d'Aumale the moment she perceived me. She gave me a most kind and friendly reception, took me by the hand, andled me through those fine galleries and beautiful gardens, which makeAnet a most enchanting place. " One may justly apply to Sully, what hehimself applies to the Bishop of Evreaux: "A man for whom eloquence andgreat sentiments had powerful charms. "

I had designed some few years ago, to have published a Review of some ofthe superb Gardens in France, during the reign of Henry IV. And duringthe succeeding reigns, till the demise of Louis XV. , embellished withplates of some of the costly and magnificent decorations of those times;with extracts from such of their eminent writers whose letters or worksmay have occasionally dwelt on gardens. --My motto, for want of a better, might have been these two lines from Rapin, _----France, in all her rural pomp appears With numerous gardens stored. _

Perhaps I might have been so greedy and insolent, as to have presumed tohave monopolized our Shakspeare's line, --"I love _France_ so well, thatI will not part with a village of it; I will have it all mine. "

Isaac Walton gives the following lines from a translation of a Germanpoet, which makes one equally fond of England:

 We saw so many woods, and princely bowers, Sweet fields, brave palaces, and stately towers, _So many gardens dress'd with curious care_, That Thames with royal Tiber may compare. 

[3] The Encyclopædia of Gardening has a rich page (35) devoted to LeNôtre. The Nouveau Dict. Hist. Thus records his genius and his grand andmagnificent efforts:--"Ce grand homme fut choisi pour décorer lesjardins du château de Vau-le-Vicomte. Il en fit un sejour enchanteur, par les ornamens nouveaux, pleins de magnificence, qu'il y prodigua. Onvit alors, pour la premiere fois, des portiques, des berceaux, desgrottes, des traillages, des labyrinths, &c. Embellir varier lespectacle des jardins. Le Roi, témoin des ces merveilles, lui donna ladirection de tous ses parcs. Il embellit par son art, Versailles, Trianon, et il fit à St. Germain cette fameuse terrasse qu'on voittoujours avec une nouvelle admiration. Les jardins de Clagny, deChantilly, de St. Cloud, de Meudon, de Sceaux, le parterre du Tibre, etles canaux qui ornent ce lieu champêtre a Fontainbleau, sont encore sonouvrage. Il demanda à faire voyage de l'Italie, dans l'espéranced'acquérir de nouvelles connoissances; mais son géniè créateur l'avoitconduit à la perfection. Il ne vit rien de comparable a ce qu'il avoitfait en France. "

Notwithstanding the above just and high tribute, I have no hesitation insaying, that it is not superior to the magic picture which thefascinating pen of Mad. De Sevigné has drawn of le Nôtre's creativegenius, in her letter of Aug. 7, 1675. Many others of this charmingwoman's letters breathe her love of gardens. 

[4] The Nouveau Dict. Hist. Thus speaks of the Pere Rapin:--"A un génieheureux, à un goût sur, il joignoit une probité exacte, un coeur droit, un caractere aimable et des moeurs douces. Il étoit naturellementhonnête, et il s'étoit encore poli dans le commerce des grands. Parmises différentes Poësies Latinés, on distingue le Poëme des Jardins. C'est son chef d'oeuvre; il est digne du siecle d'Auguste, dit l'AbbéDes Fontaines, pour l'élegance et la pureté du langage, pour l'esprit etles graces qui y regnent. " Among the letters of Rabutin de Bussy, aremany most interesting ones from this worthy father. 

[5] "Rien n'est plus admirable que la peinture naîve que la Pere Vanierefait des amusemens champêtres; on est également enchanté de la richesseet de la vivacité de son imagination, de l'éclat et de l'harmonie de sapoësie, du choix de la pureté de ses expressions. Il mourut a Toulouseen 1739, et plusiers poëtes ornerent de fleurs son tombeau. "--Nouv. Dict. Hist. 

[6] La Comtesse de la Riviere, thus alludes to this convent: "Madame deSevigné a pour ce monastere une vénération qui est audelà de touteexpression; elle assure qu'on n'approche pas de ce lieu sans sentir audedans de soi une onction divine. "

[7] The late Sir U. Price, pays a very high compliment to this exquisitepoem, in p. 31, vol. I. Of his Essays, terming it full of the justesttaste, and most brilliant imagery. 

[8] In the Earl of Harcourt's garden, at Nuneham, in Oxfordshire, (laidout in some parts under the eye and fine taste of the poet Mason), on abust of Rousseau are these lines:

 Say, is thy honest heart to virtue warm? Can genius animate thy feeling breast? Approach, behold this venerable form; 'Tis Rousseau! let thy bosom speak the rest. 

There are attractive pages in this little volume of the Viscount's, which would have interested either Shenstone, or Gainsborough, particularly the pages 59, 143, 145, and 146, (of Mr. Malthus'stranslation), for in these pages "we feel all the truth and energy ofnature. " A short extract from p. 131, will enable the reader to judge ofthe writer's style:--"When the cool evening sheds her soft anddelightful tints, and leads on the hours of pleasure and repose, then isthe universal reign of sublime harmony. It is at this happy moment thatClaude has caught the tender colouring, the enchanting calm, whichequally attaches the heart and the eyes; it is then that the fancywanders with tranquillity over distant scenes. Masses of trees throughwhich the light penetrates, and under whose foliage winds a pleasantpath; meadows, whose mild verdure is still softened by the transparentshades of the evening; crystal waters which reflect all the near objectsin their pure surface; mellow tints, and distances of blue vapour; suchare in general the objects best suited to a western exposure. The sun, before he leaves the horizon, seems to blend earth and sky, and it isfrom sky that evening views receive their greatest beauty. Theimagination dwells with delight upon the exquisite variety of soft andpleasing colours, which embellishes the clouds and the distant country, in this peaceful hour of enjoyment and contemplation. "

[9] He was enthusiastically devoted to the cultivation of his gardens, which exhibited enchanting scenery, umbrageous walks, and magnificentwater-falls. When thus breathing the pure air of rural life, theblood-stained monsters of 1793 seized him in his garden, and led him tothe scaffold. "He heard unmoved his own sentence, but the condemnationof his daughter and grand-daughter, tore his heart: the thought ofseeing two weak and helpless creatures perish, shook his fortitude. Being taken back to the _Conciergerie_, his courage returned, and heexhorted his children to prepare for death. When the fatal bell rung, herecovered all his wonted cheerfulness; having paid to nature the tributeof feeling, he desired to give his children an example of magnanimity;his looks exhibited the sublime serenity of virtue, and taught them toview death undismayed. When he ascended the cart, he conversed with hischildren, unaffected by the clamours of the ferocious populace; and onarriving at the foot of the scaffold, took a last and solemn farewell ofhis children; immediately after he was dismissed into eternity. "

Sir Walter Scott, after noticing "the wild and squalid features" ofMarat, who "lay concealed in some obscure garret or cellar, among hiscut-throats, until a storm appeared, when, like a bird of ill omen, hisdeath-screech was again heard, " thus states the death of another of themurderers of the Malherbes:--"Robespierre, in an unsuccessful attempt toshoot himself, had only inflicted a horrible _fracture on hisunder-jaw_. In this situation they were found like wolves in their lair, foul with blood, mutilated, despairing, and yet not able to die. Robespierre lay on a table in an anti-room, his head supported by a dealbox, and his hideous countenance half-hidden by a bloody and dirty clothbound round his shattered chin. As the fatal cars passed to theguillotine, those who filled them, but especially Robespierre, wereoverwhelmed with execrations. The nature of his previous wound, fromwhich the cloth had never been removed till the executioner _tore_ itoff, added to the torture of the sufferer. The shattered jaw dropped, and the wretch yelled aloud, to the horror of the spectators. A masktaken from that dreadful head was long exhibited in different nations ofEurope, and appalled the spectator by its ugliness, and the mixture offiendish expression with that of bodily agony. "

Mons. Malherbes loved to relate an answer made to him by a commonfellow, during his stay at Paris, when he was obliged to go four timesevery day to the prison of the Temple, to attend the king: his extremeage did not allow him to walk, and he was compelled to take a carriage. One day, particularly, when the weather was intensely severe, heperceived, on coming out of the vehicle, that the driver was benumbedwith cold. "My friend, " said Malherbes to him, in his naturally tendermanner, "you must be penetrated by the cold, and I am really sorry totake you abroad in this bitter season. "--"That's nothing, M. DeMalherbes; in such a cause as this, I'd travel to the world's endwithout complaining. "--"Yes, but your poor horses could not. "--"Sir, "replied the honest coachman, "_my horses think as I do_. "

[10] I cannot pass by the name of Henry, without the recollection ofwhat an historian says of him: "L'Abbé Langlet du Fresnoy a publiécinquante-neuf lettres de a bon Roi, dans sa nouvelle edition du Journalde Henry III. On y remarque du feu de l'esprit, de l'imagination, etsur-tout cette éloquence du coeur, qui plait tout dans un monarque. --Onl'exortoit à traiter avec rigueur quelques places de la Ligue, qu'ilavoit rédites par la force: _La satisfaction qu'on tire de la vengeancene dure qu'un moment_ (répondit ce prince généreuse) _mais celle qu'ontire de la clemence est eternelle_. Plus on connoitre Henri, plus onl'aimera, plus on l'admiriroet. "

[11] The king, knowing his fine taste for sculpture and painting, senthim to Italy, and the Nouv. Dict. Hist. Gives this anecdote: "La Papeinstruit de son mérite, voulut le voir, et lui donna une assez longueaudience, sur la fin de laquelle le Nôtre s'écria en s'adressant auPape: J'ai vu les plus grands hommes du monde, Votre Sainteté, et le Roimon maître. Il y a grande différence, dit le Pape; le Roi est un grandprince victorieux, je suis un pauvre prêtre serviteur des serviteurs deDieu. Le Nôtre, charmé de cette réponse, oublia qui la lui faisoit, etfrappant sur l'épaule du Pape lui répondit à son tour: Mon RévérendPere, vous vous portez bien et vous enterrerez tout la Sacré College. LePape, qui entendoit le François, rit du pronostic. Le Nôtre, charmé deplus en plus de sa bonté, et de l'estime particuliere qu'il témoignoitpour le Roi, se jeta au cou du Pape et l'embrassa. C'étoit au reste sacoutume d'embrasser tous ceux qui publioient les louanges de Louis XIV. , et il embrassoit le Roi lui-même, toutes les fois que ce prince revenoitde la campagne. "

[12] I will conclude by mentioning a justly celebrated man, who, itseems was not over fond of his garden, though warmly attached both toBoileau, and to Mad. De Sevigné, --I mean that most eloquent preacherBossuet, of whom a biographer, after stating that he was so absorbed inthe study of the ancient fathers of the church, "qu'il ne se permettoitque des délassemens fort courts. Il ne se promênoit que rarement mêmedans son jardin. Son jardinier lui dit un jour: _Si je plantois desSaint Augustins, et des Saint Chrysostomes, vous les viendriez voir;mais pour vos arbres, vous ne vous en souciez guere_. "

[13] Mr. Worlidge, who wrote during part of the reigns of Charles II. And James II. Judiciously observes, that "the glory of the Frenchpalaces, often represented to our English eyes in sculpture, are adorned_with their beauteous gardens before them_; which wanting, they wouldseem without lustre or grandeur. "

[14] He was fined £30, 000 for having taken a favourite of the king's, inthe very presence chamber, by the nose, for having insulted him, andafterwards dragging him out of the room. 

[15] It was to this nobleman, that Addison addressed his elegant andsublime epistle, after he had surveyed with the eyes and genius of aclassical poet, the monuments and heroic deeds of ancient Rome. 

[16] Lord Chesterfield thus speaks of this distinguished man:--"Hisprivate life was stained by no vices, nor sullied by any meanness. Hiseloquence was of every kind; but his invectives were terrible, anduttered with such energy of diction and countenance, that he intimidatedthose who were the most willing and the best able to encounter him. " SirW. Chatham Trelawney used to observe of him, that it was impossible forthe members of the side opposed to him in the House of Commons to lookhim in the face when he was warmed in debate: he seemed to bid them alla haughty defiance. "For my own part, " said Trelawney, "I never daredcast my eyes towards his, for if I did, _they nailed me to the floor_. "

Smollet says, that he displayed "such irresistible energy of argument, and such power of elocution, as struck his hearers with astonishment andadmiration. It flashed like the lightning of heaven against theministers and sons of corruption, blasting where it smote, and witheringthe nerves of opposition; but his more substantial praise was foundedupon his disinterested integrity, his incorruptible heart, hisunconquerable spirit of independance, and his invariable attachment tothe interest and liberty of his country. " Another biographer thusmentions him:--"His elevated aspect commanded the awe and mute attentionof all who beheld him, whilst a certain grace in his manner, consciousof all the dignities of his situation, of the solemn scene he acted in, as well as his own exalted character, seemed to acknowledge and repaythe respect he received; his venerable form, bowed with infirmity andage, but animated by a mind which nothing could subdue; his spiritshining through him, arming his eye with lightning, and cloathing hislips with thunder; or, if milder topics offered, harmonizing hiscountenance in smiles, and his voice in softness, for the compass of hispowers was infinite. As no idea was too vast, no imagination toosublime, for the grandeur and majesty of his manner; so no fancy was tooplayful, nor any allusion too comic, for the ease and gaiety with whichhe could accommodate to the occasion. But the character of his oratorywas dignity; this presided in every respect, even to his sallies ofpleasantry. "

[17] Sir Walter Scott's attachment to gardens, breaks out even in hisLife of Swift, where his fond enquiries have discovered the sequesteredand romantic garden of _Vanessa_, at Marley Abbey. 

[18] So thought Sir W. Raleigh;

 Sweet violets, love's paradise, that spread Your gracious odours . . . Upon the gentle wing of some calm-breathing wind, That plays amidst the plain. 

The lines in Twelfth Night we all recollect:

 That strain again;--it had a dying fall: O, it came o'er my ear like the sweet south That breathes upon a bank of _violets_, Stealing and giving odour. 

That these flowers were the most favourite ones of Shakspeare, there canbe little doubt--Perditta fondly calls them

 ----sweeter than the lids of Juno's eyes Or Cytherea's breath. 

When Petrarch first saw Laura: "elle avail une robe verte, sa coleurfavorite, parsemée de _violettes_, la plus humble des fleurs. "--ChildeHarold thus paints this flower:

 The sweetness of the violet's deep blue eyes (Kiss'd by the breath of heaven) seems colour'd by its skies. 

[19] One almost fancies one perceives Lord Bacon's attachment togardens, or to rural affairs, even in the speech he made before thenobility, when first taking his seat in the High Court of Chancery; hehoped "that these same _brambles_ that _grow_ about justice, of needlesscharge and expence, and all manner of exactions, might be rooted out;"adding also, that immediate and "_fresh_ justice was the _sweetest_. "Mr. Mason, in a note to his English Garden, after paying a highcompliment to Lord Bacon's picturesque idea of a garden, thus concludesthat note:--"Such, when he descended to matters of more elegance (for, when we speak of Lord Bacon, to treat of these was to descend, ) were theamazing powers of this universal genius. "

[20] Mr. Pope's delight in gardens, is visible even in the condensedallusion he makes to them, in a letter to Mr. Digby; "I have been abovea month strolling about in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, from gardento garden, but still returning to Lord Cobham's, with freshsatisfaction. I should be sorry to see my Lady Scudamore's, till it hashad the full advantage of Lord Bathurst's improvements. "

[21] A biographer thus speaks of the Prince de Ligne: "Quand les rois sereunirent a Vienne en 1814, ils se firent tous un devoir de l'accuellieravec distinction, et furent enchanté de la vivacité de son esprit, et deson intarissable gaieté, qui malgré ses infirmités et son grand âge, nel'avoit pasencore abandonné. Ses saillies, et ses bon mots etoiént commeautrefois répétés pour tous. " His generous heart thus speaks of theabused and unfortunate Marie Antoinette:--"The breath of calumny has noteven respected the memory of the loveliest and best of women, of whosespotless heart and irreproachable conduct, no one can bear strongerevidence than I. Her soul was as pure as her face was fair; yet neithervirtue nor beauty could save the victim of sanguinary liberty. " Inrelating this (says his biographer), his voice faultered, and his eyeswere suffused with tears. He thus briefly states, with his usual humourand vivacity, his conversation with Voltaire as to the garden at Ferney:

_P. De L. _--Monsieur, Monsieur, cela doit vous coupé beaucoup, quelcharmant jardin!

_Volt. _--Oh! mon jardinier est un bête: c'est moi meme qui ait faittout. 

_P. De L. _--Je le croi. 

[22] Monsieur Thomas, in his eulogy of Descartes says, it should havebeen pronounced at the foot of Newton's statue: or rather, Newtonhimself should have been his panegyrist. Of this eulogy, Voltaire, in amost handsome letter to Mons. Thomas, thus speaks:--"votre ouvragem'enchante d'un bout a l'autre, et Je vais le relire dès que J'auraidicté ma lettre. " The sleep and expanding of flowers are mostinterestingly reviewed by Mr. Loudon in p. 187 of his Encyclop. , and byM. V. H. De Thury, in the above discourse, a few pages preceding hisseducing description of the magnificent garden of M. De Boursault. 

So late ago as the year 1804 it was proposed at Avignon, to erect anobelisk in memory of Petrarch, at Vaucluse: "il a été décidé, qu'onl'élevera, vis-avis _l'ancien jardin_ de Petrache, lieu oû le lit desorgue forme un angle. "

[23] This garden (as Mr. Walpole observes) was planted by the poet, enriched by him with the fairy gift of eternal summer. 

[24] Mr. Pope thus mentions the vines round this cave:--

 Depending vines the shelving cavern skreen, With purple clusters blushing through the green. 

[25] Nearly eight pages of Mr. Loudon's Encyclop. Are devoted to a veryinteresting research on the gardens of the Romans. Sir Joseph Banks hasa paper on the Forcing Houses of the Romans, with a list of Fruitscultivated by them, now in our gardens, in vol. 1 of the _Hort. Trans. _

[26] Dr. Pulteney gives a list of several manuscripts in the BodleianLibrary, the writers of which are unknown, and the dates not preciselydetermined, but supposed to have been written, if not prior to theinvention of printing, at least before the introduction of that art intoEngland. I select the two following. --

No. 2543. De Arboribus, Aromatis, et _Floribus_. 

No. 2562. Glossarium Latino-anglicum Arborum, _Fructuum_, Frugam, &c. 

And he states the following from Bib. S. Petri Cant:--

No. 1695. Notabilia de Vegetabilibus, et Plantis. 

Dr. Pulteney observes, that the above list might have been considerablyextended, but that it would have unnecessarily swelled the article hewas then writing. 

The Nouv. Dict. Hist. Mentions a personage whose attachment to hisgarden, and one of whose motives for cultivating that garden, does notdeserve a notice:--"Attale III. Roi de Pergame, fils de Stratonice, soùlla la thrône en répandant le sang de ses amis et de sea parens. Ilabandonna ensuite le soìn de ses affaires _pour s'occuper entirement deson jardin_. Il y cultivoit des poisons, tels que l'aconit et la ciguë, qu'il envoyoit quelque fois en présent a ses amis. Il mourut 133 ansavant Jesus Christ. "

[27] To have completed the various contrasting vicissitudes of this poor_Suffolk_ farmer's life, he should have added to his other employments, those of another _Suffolk_ man, the late W. Lomax, who had been_grave-digger_ at the pleasant town of Bury St. Edmund's, for thirty-sixyears, and who, also, for a longer period than thirty-six years, hadbeen a _morrice-dancer_ at all the elections for that borough. 

[28] Gerarde, speaking of good sorts of apples and pears, thus mentionsthe above named _Pointer_:--"Master Richard Pointer has them all growingin his ground at Twickenham, near London, who is a most cunning andcurious grafter and planter of all manner of rare fruits; and also inthe ground of an excellent grafter and painful planter, Master HenryBunbury, of Touthil-street, near unto Westminster; and likewise in theground of a diligent and most affectionate lover of plants, MasterWarner, neere Horsely Down, by London; and in divers other grounds aboutLondon. "

[29] The fate of this poor man reminds one of what is related ofCorregio:--"He received from the mean canons of Parma, for hisAssumption of the Virgin, the small pittance of two hundred livres, andit was paid him in copper. He hastened with the money to his starvingfamily; but as he had six or eight miles to travel from Parma, theweight of his burden, and the heat of the climate, added to theoppression of his breaking heart, a pleurisy attacked him, which, inthree days, terminated his existence and his sorrows in his fortiethyear. "

If one could discover a portrait of either of the authors mentioned inthe foregoing list, one might, I think, inscribe under each of suchportraits, these verses:

 Ce pourtrait et maint liure Par le peintre et l'escrit, Feront reuoir et viure Ta face et ton esprit. 

They are inscribed under an ancient portrait, done in 1555, which Mr. Dibdin has preserved in his account of Caen, and which he thusintroduces: "As we love to be made acquainted with the _persons_ ofthose from whom we have received instruction and pleasure, so take, gentle reader, a representation of Bourgueville. "

[30] "Mr. John Parkinson, an apothecary of this city, (yet living, andlabouring for the common good, ) in the year 1629, set forth a work bythe name of _Paradisus Terrestris_, wherein he gives the figures of allsuch plants as are preserved in gardens, for the beauty of theirflowers, in use in meats or sauces; and also an orchard for all treesbearing fruit, and such shrubs as for their beauty are kept in orchardsand gardens, with the ordering, planting, and preserving of all these. In this work he hath not superficially handled these things, butaccurately descended to the very varieties in each species, wherefore Ihave now and then referred my reader, addicted to these delights, tothis work, especially in flowers and fruits, wherein I was loth to spendtoo much time, especially seeing I could adde nothing to what he haddone upon that subject before. "

[31] "Mr. Hartlib (says Worlidge) tells you of the benefits of _orchardfruits_, that they afford curious walks for pleasure, food for cattle inthe spring, summer, and winter, (meaning under their shadow, ) fewel forthe fire, shade for the heat, physick for the sick, refreshment for thesound, plenty of food for man, and that not of the worst, and drink alsoof the best. "

Milton also in the above Tractate thus speaks:--"In those vernal seasonsof the year, when the air is calm and pleasant, it were an injury andsullenness against nature, not to go out and see her riches, and partakein her rejoicing with heaven and earth. "

[32] In the above tract of Dr. Beale's, he thus breaks out in praise ofthe Orchards of this _deep and rich_ county:--"From the greatest personto the poorest cottager, all habitations are encompassed with orchards, and gardens, and in most places our hedges are enriched with rows offruit trees, pears or apples. All our villages, and generally all ourhighways, (all our vales being thick set with rows of villages), are inthe spring time sweetened and beautified with the blossomed trees, whichcontinue their changeable varieties of ornament, till (in the end ofautumn), they fill our garners with pleasant fruit, and our cellars withrich and winy liquors. Orchards, being the pride of our county, do notonly sweeten, but also purify the ambient air, which I conceive toconduce very much to the constant health and long lives for which ourcounty hath always been famous. We do commonly devise a shadowy walkfrom our gardens, through our orchards (which is the richest, sweetest, and most embellished grove) into our coppice woods, or timber woods. "Dr. Beale does not praise the whole of their land. He describes some as"starvy, chapt, and cheany, as the basest land upon the Welchmountains. " He makes amends, however, for this, for he describes thenags bred on their high grounds, as very different from our presenthackney-coach horses; they "are airey and sinewy, full of spirits andvigour, in shape like the _barbe_, they rid ground, and gather courageand delight in their own speed. "

[33] A Lady Gerard is mentioned in two letters of Mr. Pope, to W. Fortescue, Esq. They have no date to them. They appear in Polwhele'sHistory of Devonshire. "I have just received a note from Mrs. Blount, that she and Lady Gerard will dine here to-day. " And "Lady Gerard was tosee Chiswick Gardens (as I imagined) and therefore forced to go fromhence by five; it was a mortification to Mrs. Blount to go, when therewas a hope of seeing you and Mr. Fortescue. " There are three moreletters, without date, to Martha Blount, written from the Wells atBristol, and from Stowe, in which Pope says, "I have no more room but togive Lady Gerard my hearty services. " And "once more my services to LadyGerard. " "I desire you will write a post-letter to my man John, at whattime you would have the pine apples, to send to Lady Gerard. " ProbablyMartha Blount's Lady Gerard was a descendant of Rea's. 

[34] A most curious account of the _Tulipomania_, or rage for tulips, formerly in Holland, may be seen in Phillips's Flora Historica. 

[35] Perhaps no one more truly painted rich pastoral scenes than IsaacWalton. This occurs in many, many pages of his delightful _Angler_. Thelate ardently gifted, and most justly lamented Sir Humphry Davy too, inhis _Salmonia_, has fondly caught the charms of Walton's pages. His penriots in the wild, the beautiful, the sweet, delicious scenery ofnature:--"how delightful in the early spring, to wander forth by someclear stream, to see the leaf bursting from the purple bud, to scent theodours of the bank, perfumed by the violet, and enamelled as it werewith the primrose, and the daisy; to wander upon the fresh turf belowthe shade of trees, whose bright blossoms are filled with the music ofthe bee. " Mr. Worlidge, in his Systema Agriculturæ, says, that thedelights in angling "rouzes up the ingenious early in the springmornings, that they have the benefit of the sweet and pleasant morningair, which many through sluggishness enjoy not; so that health (thegreatest treasure that mortals enjoy) and pleasure, go hand in hand inthis exercise. What can be more said of it, than that the mostingenious, most use it. " Mr. Whately, in his usual charming style, thuspaints the spring:--"Whatever tends to animate the scene, accords withthe season, which is full of youth and vigour, fresh and sprightly, brightened by the verdure of the herbage, and the woods, gay withblossoms, and flowers, and enlivened by the songs of the birds in alltheir variety, from the rude joy of the skylark, to the delicacy of thenightingale. "

[36] Tusser seems somewhat of Meager's opinion:--

 Sow peason and beans, in the wane of the moon, Who soweth them sooner, he soweth too soon; That they with the planet may rest and arise, And flourish, with bearing most plentifull wise. 

The celebrated Quintinye says, "I solemnly declare, that after adiligent observation of the moon's changes for thirty years together, and an enquiry whether they had any influence in gardening, theaffirmative of which has been so long established among us, I perceiveit was no weightier than old wives' tales. "

The moon (says Mr. Mavor) having an influence on the tides and theweather, she was formerly supposed to extend her power over all nature. 

There is a treatise, by _Claude Gadrois_, on the _Influences desAstres_. Surely this merits perusal, when the Nouv. Dict. Hist. Thusspeaks of him:--"Il étoit ami du célebre Arnauld et méritoit de l'etrepar _la justesse de son esprit_ et la puretè de ses moeurs, par la bontéde son caractere et par la droiture de son coeur. "

The following wise experiment occurs in an ancient book on husbandry;but if the two parties there mentioned had lived with Leonard Meager, one must not do him the injustice of supposing he would have been aconvert to their opinion:--"_Archibius_ is said to have written (or sentword most likely) to _Antiochus_, king of _Syria_, that if you bury aspeckled toad inclosed in an earthen pot, in the middle of your garden, the same will be defended from all hurtful weather and tempests. "Meager, however, is kept in countenance by Mr. Worlidge, who, in hischapter of Prognostics, at the end of his interesting SystemæAgriculturæ, actually states that

If dog's guts rumble and make a noise, it presageth rain or snow. 

The cat, by washing her face, and putting her foot over her ear, foreshews rain. 

The squeaking and skipping up and down of mice and rats, portend rain. 

Leonard Meager thus notices a nurseryman of his day:--"Here follows acatalogue of divers sorts of fruits, which I had of my very lovingfriend, Captain Garrle, dwelling at the great nursery betweenSpittlefields and Whitechapel; a very eminent and ingenious nurseryman. "Perhaps this is the same nurseryman that Rea, in his _Pomona_, mentions. He says (after naming some excellent pear-trees) "they may be had out ofthe nurseries about London, especially those of Mr. Daniel Stepping, andMr. Leonard _Girle_, who will faithfully furnish such as desire these, or any other kinds of rare fruit-trees, of whose fidelity in thedelivery of right kinds, I have had long experience in diversparticulars, a virtue not common to men of that profession. " At thisperiod, the space between Spittlefields and Whitechapel, must haveconsisted of gardens, and perhaps superb country houses. The Earl ofDevonshire had a fine house and garden near Petticoat-lane. Sir W. Raleigh had one near Mile-end. Some one (I forget the author) says, "Onboth sides of this lane (Petticoat-lane) were anciently hedges and rowsof elm trees, and the pleasantness of the neighbouring fields inducedseveral gentlemen to build their houses here; among whom was the SpanishAmbassador, whom Strype supposes was Gondamour. " Gondamour was theperson to please whom (or rather that James might the more easily marryhis son Charles to one of the daughters of Spain, with her immensefortune) this weak monarch was urged to sacrifice the life of Raleigh. 

Within one's own memory, it is painful to reflect, on the many pleasantfields, neat paddocks, rural walks, and gardens, (breathing pure air)that surrounded this metropolis for miles, and miles, and which are nowill exchanged for an immense number of new streets, many of them thereceptacles only of smoke and unhealthiness. 

[37] These lines are from him, at whose death (says Sir W. Scott in hisgenerous and glowing eulogy) we were stunned "by one of thosedeath-notes which are peeled at intervals, as from an archangel'strumpet"--they are from "that mighty genius which walked amongst men assomething superior to ordinary mortality, and whose powers were beheldwith wonder, and something approaching to terror, as if we knew notwhether they were of good or evil"--they are from "that noble tree whichwill never more bear fruit, or blossom! which has been cut down in itsstrength, and the past is all that remains to us of Byron: whoseexcellences will _now_ be universally acknowledged, and his faults (letus hope and believe) not remembered in his epitaph. " His "deeptransported mind" (to apply Milton's words to him) thus continues hismoralization:--

 What are the hopes of man? old Egypt's king CHEOPS, erected the first pyramid, And largest; thinking it was just the thing To keep his memory whole, and mummy hid;

 But somebody or other rummaging, Burglariously broke his coffin's lid: Let not a monument give you, or me, hopes, Since not a pinch of dust remains of CHEOPS. 

The Quarterly Review, in reviewing Light's Travels, observes, that"Cheops employed three hundred and sixty thousand of his subjects fortwenty years in raising this pyramid, or pile of stones, equal in weightto six millions of tons; and to render his precious dust more secure, the narrow chamber was made accessible only by small intricate passages, obstructed by stones of an enormous weight, and so carefully closed, externally, as not to be perceptible. Yet how vain are all theprecautions of man! Not a bone was left of Cheops, either in the stonecoffin, or in the vault, when Shaw entered the gloomy chamber. " SirWalter Scott himself, has justly received many eulogies. Perhaps nonemore heart-felt, than the effusion delivered at a late Celtic meeting, by that eloquent and honest lawyer, the present Lord Chief Justice ofthe Court of Exchequer, in Scotland, which was received by long, loud, and continued applause. 

[38] John Bauhine wrote a Treatise in 1591, De Plantis à Divis sanctisvenomen habentibus. 

Their Preface to the above Vol. Ii. Has this observation: "Plants, whentaken from the places whence they derive their extraction, and plantedin others of different qualities, _betray such fondness for their nativeearth_, that with great difficulty they are brought to thrive inanother; and in this it is that the florist's art consists; for _tohumour each plant_ with the soil, the sun, the shade, the degrees ofdryness or moisture, and the neighbourhood it delights in, (for there isa natural antipathy between some plants, insomuch that they will notthrive near one another) are things not easily attainable, but by alength of study and application. "

[39] What these ruffles and lashes were, I know not. Perhaps the wordsof Johnson may apply to them:--

 Fate never wounds more deep the generous heart, Than when a blockhead's insult points the dart. This mournful truth is every where confess'd, Slow rises worth, by poverty oppress'd. 

[40] Barnaby Gooche, in his Chapter on Gardens, calls the sun "thecaptaine and authour of the other lights, _the very soule of theworld_. "

[41] A translation of De Lille's garden thus pleads:--

 Oh! by those shades, beneath whose evening bowers The village dancers tripp'd the frolic hours; By those deep tufts that show'd your fathers' tombs, Spare, ye profane, their venerable glooms! To violate their sacred age, beware, Which e'en the awe-struck hand of time doth spare. 

[42] Mr. Whateley observes, that "The whole range of nature is open tohim, (the landscape gardener) from the parterre to the forest; andwhatever is agreeable to the senses, or the imagination, he mayappropriate to the spot he is to improve; it is a part of his businessto collect into one place, the delights which are generally dispersedthrough different species of country. "

[43] At page 24 he says, "_Cato_, one of the most celebrated writers onHusbandry and Gardening among the Romans, (who, as appears by hisIntroduction, took the model of his precepts from the _Greeks_) in hisexcellent Treatise _De Re Rustica_, has given so great an encomium onthe excellence and uses of this good plant, (the Brocoli) not only as toits goodness in eating, but also in physick and pharmacy, that makes itesteemed one of the best plants either the field or garden produces. "

[44] His Chapter on the Water-Works of the Ancient Romans, French, &c. Is charmingly written. Those who delight in the formation of rivers, fountains, falls of water, or cascades, as decorations to their gardens, may inspect this ingenious man's Hydrostatics. And another specimen ofhis genius may be seen in the magnificent iron gateway now remaining at_Leeswood_, near Mold, and of which a print is given in Pugh's _CambriaDepicta_. 

[45] In this volume is a letter written to Switzer, from his "ingeniousfriend Mr. Thomas Knowlton, Gardener to the Earl of Burlington, who, onaccount of his own industry, and the opportunity he has had of beingeducated under the late learned Dr. Sherrard, claims a very advancedplace in the list of Botanists. " This letter is dated Lansborough, July, 1728. I insert part of this letter:--"I hope, Sir, you will excuse thefreedom I take in giving you my opinion, having always had a respect foryour endeavours in Husbandry and Gardening, ever since you commenced anauthor. Your introduction to, and manner of handling those belovedsubjects, (the sale of which I have endeavoured to promote) is in greatesteem with me; being (as I think) the most useful of any that have beenwrote on these useful subjects. If on any subject, you shall hereafterrevise or write farther upon, any communication of mine will be usefulor serviceable to you, I shall be very ready to do it. I heartily wishyou success in whatever you undertake, as it tends to a publick good. "Dr. Pulteney says of Knowlton, "His zeal for English Botany wasuncommonly great, and recommended him successfully to the learnedBotanists of this country. From Sir Hans Sloane, he received eminentcivilities. "

[46] few short notices occur of names formerly eminent ingardening:--"My late ingenious and laborious friend, Mr. _Oram_, Nurseryman, of Brompton-lane. "

"That great virtuoso and encourager of gardening, Mr. Secretary Johnson, at Twickenham. "

"Their beautiful aspects in pots, (the nonpareil) and the middle of adesert, has been the glory of one of the most generous encouragers ofgardening this age has produced, I mean the Right Honourable the LordCastlemain. "

"The late noble and most publick spirited encourager of arts andsciences, especially gardening, his Grace the Duke of Montague, atDitton. "

"The Elrouge Nectarine is also a native of our own, the name being thereverse of _Gourle_, a famous Nurseryman at Hogsden, in King Charles theSecond's time, by whom it was raised. "

And speaking of the successful cultivation of vines in the open air, herefers to the garden of a Mr. _Rigaud_, near _Swallow-street_; and toanother great cultivator of the vine, "of whose friendship I have proof, the Rev. Mr. _Only_, of _Cottesmore_, in Rutland, some time sincedeceased; one of the most curious lovers of gardening that this or anyother age has produced. " This gentleman, in 1765, published "An Accountof the care taken in most civilized nations for the relief of the poor, more particularly in the time of scarcity and distress;" 4to. 1s. Davis. I believe the same gentleman also published, in 1765, a Treatise "Of thePrice of Wheat. "

[47] Lord Bacon says, "Because the breath of flowers is far sweeter inthe air (where it comes and goes, like the warbling of musick) than inthe hand, therefore nothing is more fit for that delight, than to knowwhat be the flowers and plants that do best perfume the air. " The Princede Ligne says, Je ne veux point avoir l'orgueilleuse tulipe; _L'odorat en jardin_ est mon premier principe. 

The translation of _Spectacle de la Nature_, a very pleasing work, observes that "Flowers are not only intended to beautify the earth withtheir shining colours, but the greatest part of them, in order to renderthe entertainment more exquisite, diffuse a fragrance that perfumes allthe air around us; and it should seem as if they were solicitous to_reserve their odours for the evening and morn_, when walking is mostagreeable; but their sweets are very faint during the heat of the day, when we visit them the least. "

I must again trespass on the pages of the great Bacon, by brieflyshewing the _natural wildness_ he wishes to introduce into one part ofhis garden:--"thickets, made only of sweet-briar and honeysuckle, andsome wild vine amongst, and the ground set with violets, strawberries, and primroses; for these are sweet, and prosper in the shade. "

The dew or pearly drops that one sees in a morning on cowslips, remindone of what is said of Mignon:--"Ses ouvrages sont précieux par l'artavec le quel il représentoit les fleurs dans tout leur éclat, et lesfruits avec toute leur fraicheur. La rosée et les goutes d'eau qu'ellerépand sur les fleurs, sont si bien imitées dans ses tableaux, qu'on esttenté d'y porter la main. " It is said also that in the works ofVan-Huysum, "le velouté des fruits, l'éclat des fleurs, le transparentde la rosée, tout enchante dans les tableaux de ce peintre admirable. "Sir U. Price observes of this latter painter, "that nature herself ishardly more soft and delicate in her most delicate productions, than thecopies of them by Van-Huysum. " Two flower pieces by this painter, soldat the Houghton sale for 1200_l. _

In the pieces of _Bos_, a Flemish painter, the dew was represented somuch like nature, as to deserve universal approbation. 

Bernazzano painted strawberries on a wall so naturally, that, we aretold, the plaster was torn down by the frequent pecking of peacocks. 

Amidst these celebrated painters, these admiring judges of nature, letus not forget our never-dying Hogarth; his piercing eye even discoversitself in his letter to Mr. Ellis, the naturalist:--"As for your prettylittle seed cups, or vases, they are a sweet confirmation of thepleasure nature seems to take in superadding an elegance of form to mostof her works, wherever you find them. How poor and bungling are all theinventions of art!"

[48] The very numerous works of this indefatigable writer, embracing somany subjects, make one think he must have been as careful of his time, as the celebrated friend of the witty _Boileau_: the humane, benevolent, and dignified Chancellor _Aguesseau_, who finding that his wife alwayskept him waiting an hour after the dinner bell had rung, resolved todevote this time to writing a work on Jurisprudence. He put this projectin execution, and in the course of time, produced a quarto work in fourthick volumes. 

[49] This chesnut tree is thus noticed in a newspaper of August, 1829:--"The celebrated chesnut tree, the property of Lord Ducie, atTortworth, in the county of Gloucester, is the oldest, if not thelargest tree in England, having this year attained the age of 1002years, and being 52 feet in circumference, and yet retains so muchvigour, that it bore nuts so lately as two years ago, from which youngtrees are now being raised. "

[50] There is an 8vo. Published in 1717, called the "Lady's Recreation, "by _Charles_ Evelyn, Esq. There are two letters subjoined, written tothis author by the Rev. Mr. Lawrence. From page 103, 105, 129 and 141, one should think this was not the son of the famous Mr. Evelyn. I nowfind, that Mr. Lawrence, in the Preface to his Kalendar, inserted at theend of his fifth edition, assures the public, "that the book called theLady's Recreation could not be published by my approbation, because itwas never seen by me till it was in print; besides, I have reason tothink it was an artifice of the booksellers to impose upon the world, under the borrowed name of Evelyn. "

[51] This sermon was preached for several years by Dr. Colin Milne, bywhom it was published in 1799, and afterwards by the Rev. Mr. Ellis, ofMerchant Taylors' School. Mr. Ellis, in his History of Shoreditch, givesus much information as to this bequest; in which the handsome conduct ofMr. Denne, a former vicar, is not the least interesting. Mr. Nichols, invol. Iii. Of his Literary Anecdotes, bears testimony to Dr. Denne'sfeeling towards the poor and distressed, and to his attachment toliterary pursuits. Three of these Sermons are in the second volume of"Thirty Sermons on Moral and Religious Subjects, by the Rev. W. Jones;"2 vols. 8vo. 1790, price 16s. There are other editions of Mr. Jones'sSermons, viz. Rev. W. Jones, of Nayland, his Theological, Philosophical, and Miscellaneous Works, with Life, 12 vols. 8vo. _neat_, 7_l. _ 7_s. _6_d. _ 1801. Sermons by the late Rev. William Jones, of Nayland, Suffolk:Chaplain to the Right Rev. George Horne, Bishop of Norwich; 1 vol. 8vo. With Portrait of the Author, price 12_s. _ Dove, St. John's Square, Printer, 1828. "Of this faithful servant of God, (the Rev. W. Jones) Ican speak both from personal knowledge and from his writings. He was aman of quick penetration, of extensive learning, and the soundest piety;and he had, beyond any other man I ever knew, the talent of writing uponthe deepest subjects to the plainest understandings. "--_Bishop Horsley'sCharges. _ The Rev. Samuel Ayscough, of the British Museum, began, in1790, to preach this annual sermon, and, I believe, continued it forfourteen years. 

[52] Mr. Ellis, of _Little Gaddesden_, in his Practical Farmer, 8vo. 1732, thus speaks on this subject:--"What a charming sight is a largetree in blossom, and after that, when loaden with fruit, enough perhapsto make a hogshead of cyder or perry! A scene of beauty, hopes, andprofit, and all! It may be on less than two feet diameter of ground. Andabove all, what matter of contemplation does it afford, when we let ourthoughts descend to a single kernel of an apple or pear? And again, howheightened, on the beholding so great a bulk raised and preserved, byOmnipotent Power, from so small a body. "

[53] The thought of planting the sides of public roads, was firstsuggested by the great _Sully_. 

[54] Mr. Weston, in his introduction to these Tracts, seems to havepleasure in recording the following anecdote of La Quintinye, fromHarte's Essay. "The famous La Quintinie, director of the royal gardensin France, obtained from Louis XIV. An abbacy for his son, in one of theremote provinces; and going soon afterwards to make the abbot a visit, (who was not then settled in his apartments) he was entertained andlodged by a neighbouring gentleman with great friendliness andhospitality. La Quintinie, as was natural, soon examined the gardens ofhis host; he found the situation beautiful, and the soil excellent; butevery thing was rude, savage, and neglected: nature had done much, artnothing. The guest, delighted with his friendly reception, took leavewith regret, and some months after, sent one of the king's gardeners, and four under-gardeners, to the gentleman, with strict command toaccept of no gratuity. They took possession of his little inclosure themoment they arrived, and having digged it many times over, they manured, replanted it, and left one of their number behind them, as a settledservant in the family. This young man was soon solicited to assist theneighbourhood, and filled their kitchen gardens and fruit gardens withthe _best_ productions of every kind, which are preserved and propagatedto this very hour. "

It is pleasing to enquire who Mons. De la Quintinye was. _Perrault_, inhis _Hommes Illustres_, has given his Life, and Portrait. Dr. Gibson, inhis Fruit Gardener, calls him "truly an original author;" and furtherpays him high compliments. 

The Noveau Dict. Hist. Thus speaks of him:--"Il vint à Paris se fairerecevoir avocat. Une éloquence naturelle, cultivée avec soìn, le fitbriller dans le Barreau, et lui consilà l'estime des premiersmagistrais. Quoi qu'il eut peu de temps dont il pût disposer, il entrouvoit néanmoins suffisament pour satisfaire la passion qu'il avoitpour l'agriculture. Il augmenta ses connoissances sur le jardinage, dansun voyage qu'il fit en Italie. De retour à Paris, il se livra toutentier à l'agriculture, et fit un grand nombre d'experiences curieuseset utiles. Le grand Prince de _Conde_, qui aimoit l'agriculture, prenoitune extréme plaisir à s'entretenir avec lui; et Charles II. Roid'Angleterre lui offrit une pension considérable pour l'attacher à laculture de ses Jardins, mais il refusa ses offres avantageuses parl'amour qu'il avoit pour sa patrie, et trouva en France les recompensesdue à son mérite. On a de lui un excellent livre, intitulé 'Instructionspour les Jardins Fruitiers et Potagers, Paris, 1725, 2 tom. 4to. ' _etplusieurs Lettres sur la meme matiere_. " Switzer, in his History ofGardening, says, that in Mons. De la Quintinye's "Two Voyages intoEngland, he gained considerable friendship with several lords with whomhe kept correspondence by letters till his death, and these letters, says Perrault, are all _printed at London_. " And he afterwards says, speaking of Lord Capel's garden at Kew, "the greatest advance made byhim herein, was the bringing over several sorts of fruits from France;and this noble lord we may suppose to be one that held for many years acorrespondence with Mons. De la Quintinye. " Such letters on suchcorrespondence if ever printed, must be worth perusal. 

[55] Lamoignon de Malherbes (that excellent man) had naturalized a vastnumber of foreign trees, and at the age of eighty-four, saw every where, in France, (as Duleuze observes) plants of his own introduction. 

The old Earl of _Tweedale_, in the reign of Charles II. And hisimmediate successor, planted more than six thousand acres, in Scotland, with fir trees. In a Tour through Scotland, in 1753, it mentions, that"The county of Aberdeen is noted for its timber, having in it upwards offive millions of fir trees, besides vast numbers of other kinds, plantedwithin these seventy years, by the gentry at and about their seats. "

Mr. Marshall, in his "Planting and Rural Ornament, " states, that "In1792, his Grace the Duke of Athol (we speak from the highest authority)was possessed of a thousand larch trees, then growing on his estates ofDunkeld and Blair only, of not less than two to four tons of timbereach; and had, at that time, a million larches, of different sizes, rising rapidly on his estate. "

The zeal for planting in Scotland, of late years, has been stimulated bythe writings of James Anderson, and Lord Kames. 

It is pleasing to transcribe the following paragraph from a newspaper ofthe year 1819:--"Sir Watkin Williams Wynn has planted, within the lastfive years, on the mountainous lands in the vicinity of Llangollen, situated from 1200 to 1400 feet above the level of the sea, 80, 000 oaks, 63, 000 Spanish chesnuts, 102, 000 spruce firs, 110, 000 Scotch firs, 90, 000 larches, 30, 000 wych elms, 35, 000 mountain elms, 80, 000 ash, and40, 000 sycamores, all of which are, at this time, in a healthy andthriving condition. " It is impossible, on this subject, to avoid payinga grateful respect to the memory of that bright ornament of our church, and literature, the late Dr. Watson, Bishop of Llandaff, whose extensiveplantations, near Ambleside, have long since enriched that part. Thelate Richard Crawshay (surpassed by no being during the whole course ofhis very long life, for either integrity or generosity) assured thepresent writer, that during an early period of Dr. Watson's planting, heoffered him, on the security of his note of hand only, and to be repaidat his own entire convenience, ten thousand pounds, and that he (withgrateful thanks to Mr. Crawshay) refused it. 

[56] How widely different has the liberal and classic mind of Dr. Alisonviewed the rich pages of Mr. Whateley, in his deep and learned Essays onTaste, first published nearly twenty years after Mr. Whateley's decease. One regrets that there is no Portrait of Mr. Whateley. Of Dr. Alison, there is a masterly one by Sir Henry Raeburn, admirably engraved by W. Walker, of Edinburgh, in 1823. Perhaps it is one of the finest Portraitsof the present day. One is happy to perceive marks of health expressedin his intellectually striking countenance. 

[57] In Biographical Anecdotes, 3 vols. 8vo. Appears a correspondence inLondon, with Dr. Franklin, and William Whateley, and Joseph Whateley, in1774. This relates to a duel with Mr. Temple, by a brother of ThomasWhateley. In some of the Lives of Dr. Franklin, it appears, thatinflammatory and ill-judged letters were written by George Hutchinson, and others, to _Thomas_ Whateley, Esq. _private Secretary to LordGrenville_, respecting some disturbances in America, concerning LordGrenville's Stamp Act. On the death of Thomas, these letters were placedin the hands of Dr. Franklin, whose duty, as agent to the colony, causedhim to transmit them to Boston. A quarrel arose between William Whateleyand Mr. Temple, as to which of them gave up those letters, and a duelwas fought. Dr. Franklin immediately cleared both those gentlemen fromall imputation. Of the celebrated interview in the council chamber, between Mr. Wedderburn and Dr. Franklin, an account is given by Dr. Priestley, in vol. Xv. Page 1. Of the Monthly Magazine, and which candidaccount entirely acquits Dr. Franklin from having deserved the rancorouspolitical acrimony of Mr. Wedderburn, whose intemperate language isfully related in some of the Lives of Dr. Franklin, and in his Life, published and sold by G. Nicholson, _Stourport_, 12mo. Price 9d. Andwhich also includes Dr. Priestley's account. 

Lord Chatham spoke of Franklin in the highest strain of panegyric, whenadverting, in the year 1777, to his dissuasive arguments against theAmerican war. 

William Whateley was administrator of the goods and chattels of hisbrother Thomas, who, of course, died without a will. 

In vol. Ii. Of Seward's Biog. Lit. And Political Tracts, the nineteenthchapter consists of his account of two _Political_ Tracts, by ThomasWhateley, Esq. And he thus concludes this chapter:--"Mr. Whateley alsowrote a tract on laying out pleasure grounds. " In vol. Iii. Is anaccount of the quarrel and duel with Mr. Temple and one of the brothers. It appears that Thomas Whateley died in June, 1772, and left twobrothers, William and Joseph. Thomas is called "Mr. Secretary Whately. "

Debrett published "Scarce Tracts, " in 4 vols. 8vo. In vol. I. Is onecalled "The Budget, " by D. Hartley, Esq. This same volume contains areply to this, viz. "Remarks on the Budget, by Thomas Whateley, Esq. Secretary to the Treasury. " There is also in vol. Ii. Another tract byThomas Whateley, Esq. Entitled "Considerations on the Trade and Financesof the Kingdom. " These two pamphlets, upon subjects so very differentfrom the alluring one on landscape gardening, and his unfinished one onShakspeare, convinces us, what a powerful writer he would have been, hadhis life been longer spared. 

[58] The reader will be amply gratified by perusing page 158 of the lateSir U. Price's well known Letter to Mr. Repton, as well as Mr. Morris'sObservations on Water, as regards Ornamental Scenery; inserted in theGardener's Magazine for May, 1827. Mr. Whateley's distinction between ariver, a rivulet, and a rill, form, perhaps, five of the most seductivepages of his book. Our own Shakspeare's imagery on this subject, shouldnot be overlooked:--

 The current that with gentle murmur glides, Thou know'st, being stopp'd, impatiently doth rage; But when his fair course is not hindered, He makes sweet music with the enamelled stones, Giving a gentle kiss to every sedge He overtaketh in his pilgrimage: And so by many winding nooks he strays With willing sport to the wild ocean. 

[59] The benevolent mind of the marquis shines even in his concludingchapter; for he there wishes "to bring us back to a true taste forbeautiful nature--to more humane and salutary regulations of thecountry--to produce the _moral_ landscapes which delight the mind. Hisview of the good mother, seeing her children playing round her at theircottage, near the common, thus "endearing her home, and making even theair she breathed more delightful to her, make these sort of commons, tome, the most delightful of _English gardens_. The dwellings of the happyand peaceful husbandmen would soon rise up in the midst of compactfarms. Can there exist a more delightful habitation for man, than a neatfarm-house in the centre of a pleasing landscape? There avoiding diseaseand lassitude, useless expence, the waste of land in large and dismalparks, and above all, by preventing misery, and promoting happiness, weshall indeed have gained the prize of having united the agreeable withthe useful. Perhaps, when every folly is exhausted, there will come atime, in which men will be so far enlightened as to prefer the realpleasures of nature to vanity and chimera. "

[60] Perhaps it may gratify those who seek for health, by theirattachment to gardens, to note the age that some of our Englishhorticulturists have attained to:--Parkinson died at about 78;Tradescant, the father, died an old man; Switzer, about 80; Sir ThomasBrowne died at 77; Evelyn, at 86; Dr. Beale, at 80; Jacob Bobart, at 85;Collinson, at 75; a son of Dr. Lawrence (equally fond of gardens as hisfather) at 86; Bishop Compton, at 81; Bridgman, at an advanced age;Knowlton, gardener to Lord Burlington, at 90; Miller, at 80; James Lee, at an advanced age; Lord Kames, at 86; Abercrombie, at 80; the Rev. Mr. Gilpin, at 80; Duncan, a gardener, upwards of 90; Hunter, who published_Sylva_, at 86; Speechley, at 86; Horace Walpole, at 80; Mr. Bates, thecelebrated and ancient horticulturist of High Wickham, who died there inDecember, 1819, at the great age of 89; Marshall, at an advanced age;Sir Jos. Banks, at 77; Joseph Cradock, at 85; James Dickson, at 89; Dr. Andrew Duncan, at 83; and Sir U. Price, at 83. Mr. Loudon, at page 1063of his Encyclop. Inform us, that a market garden, and nursery, nearParson's Green, had been, for upwards of two centuries, occupied by afamily of the name of Rench; that one of them (who instituted the firstannual exhibition of flowers) died at the age of ninety-nine years, having had thirty-three children; and that his son (mentioned byCollinson, as famous for forest trees) introduced the moss-rose, plantedthe elm trees now growing in the Bird-cage Walk, St. James's Park, fromtrees reared in his own nursery, married two wives, had thirty-fivechildren, and died in 1783, in the same room in which he was born, atthe age of a hundred and one years. Reflecting on the great age of someof the above, reminds me of what a "Journal Encyclopédique" said ofLestiboudois, another horticulturist and botanist, who died at Lille, atthe age of ninety, and who (for even almost in our ashes _live theirwonted fires_) gave lectures in the very last year of his life. "When hehad (says an ancient friend of his) but few hours more to live, heordered snow-drops, violets, and crocuses, to be brought to his bed, andcompared them with the figures in Tournefort. His whole existence hadbeen consecrated to the good of the public, and to the alleviation ofmisery; thus he looked forward to his dissolution with a tranquillity ofsoul that can only result from a life of rectitude; he never acquired afortune; and left no other inheritance to his children, but integrityand virtue. "

[61] About eighty years previous to Hyll's Treatise on Bees, Rucellai, an Italian of distinction, who aspired to a cardinal's hat, and wholaboured with zeal and taste (I am copying from De Sismondi's View ofthe Literature of the South of Europe) to render Italian poetryclassical, or a pure imitation of the ancients, published his mostcelebrated poem on Bees. "It receives (says De Sismondi) a particularinterest from the real fondness which Rucellai seems to have entertainedfor these creatures. There is something so sincere in his respect fortheir virgin purity, and in his admiration of the order of theirgovernment, that he inspires us with real interest for them. All hisdescriptions are full of life and truth. "

[62] Ben Jonson, in his _Discourses_, gives the following eulogy on thisillustrious author:--"No member of his speech but consisted of his owngraces. His hearers could not cough or look aside from him without loss. He commanded where he spoke, and had his judges angry and pleased at hisdevotion: no man had their affections more in his power; the fear ofevery man that heard him was, lest he should make an end. " Mr. Loudon, when treating on the study of plants, observes, that "This wonderfulphilosopher explored and developed the true foundations of humanknowledge, with a sagacity and penetration unparalleled in the historyof mankind. " What Clement VIII. Applied to the eight books of Hooker'sEcclesiastical Polity, may well apply to the writings of Bacon:--"thereis no learning that this man hath not searched into. His books will getreverence by age, for there is in them such seeds of eternity, that theywill continue till the last fire shall devour all learning. " MonsieurThomas, in his Eulogy of Descartes, says, "Bacon explored every path ofhuman knowledge, he sat in judgment on past ages, and anticipated thosethat were to come. " The reader will be gratified by inspecting thesecond volume of Mr. Malone's publication of Aubrey's Letters, in theBodleian Library, as well as the richly decorated and entertainingBeauties of England and Wales, and Pennant's Tour from Chester toLondon, for some curious notices of the ancient mansion, garden, andorchard, at Gorhambury. 

[63] The reader will be amply gratified by Mr. Johnson's review of thegeneral state of horticulture at this period, in his History of EnglishGardening, and with the zeal with which he records the attachment ofJames I. And Charles, to this science; and where, in a subsequentchapter, he glances on the progress of our Botany, and proudly twinesround the brows of the modest, but immortal, Ray, a most deserved andgenerous wreath. 

[64] I subjoin a few extracts from the first book of his EnglishHusbandman, 4to. 1635:--"A garden is so profitable, necessary, and suchan ornament and grace to every house and housekeeper, that thedwelling-place is lame and maimed if it want that goodly limbe, andbeauty. I do not wonder either at the worke of art, or nature, when Ibehold in a goodly, rich and fertill soyle, a garden adorned with allthe delights and delicacies which are within man's understanding, because the naturall goodnesse of the earth (which not enduring to beeidle) will bring forth whatsoever is cast into her; but when I beholdupon a barren, dry, and dejected earth, such as the Peake-hills, where aman may behold snow all summer, or on the East-mores, whose best herbageis nothing but mosse, and iron-stone, in such a place, I say, to beholda delicate, rich, and fruitful garden, it shewes great worthinesse inthe owner, and infinite art and industry in the workeman, and makes meeboth admire and love the begetters of such excellencies. "

And again, --"For the situation of the garden-plot for pleasure, youshall understand, that it must ever bee placed so neare unto thedwelling-house as it is possible, both because the eye of the owner maybe a guard and support from inconveniences, as all that the especialroomes and prospects of the house may be adorned, perfumed, and inrichedwith the delicate proportions, odoriferous smells, and wholesome airswhich shall ascend and vaporate from the same. "

He then gives a variety of cuts of knots and mazes, and labyrinths, ofwhich he observes, that "many other adornations and beautifyings thereare, which belong to the setting forth of a curious garden, but for asmuch as none are more rare or more esteemed than these I have set down, being the best ornaments of the best gardens of this kingdome, I thinkthem tastes sufficient for every husbandman or other of better quality, which delighteth in the beauty, and well trimming of his ground. " Hethus remarks:--"as in the composition of a delicate woman, the grace ofher cheeke is the mixture of red and white, the wonder of her eye blackeand white, and the beauty of her hand blew and white, any of which isnot said to be beautifull if it consist of single or simple colours; andso in these walkes or alleyes the all greene, nor the all yellow cannotbe said to bee most beautifull, but the greene and yellow, (that is tosay, the untroade grasse, and the well knit gravell) being equally mixt, give the eye both luster and delight beyond all comparison. "

His description of the following flower is singular: "_The CrowneEmperiall_, is, of all flowers, both forraigne and home-bred, thedelicatest, and strangest: it hath the true shape of an imperiallcrowne, and will be of divers colours, according to the art of thegardener. In the middest of the flower you shall see a round pearlestand, in proportion, colour, and orientnesse, like a true naturallpearle, only it is of a soft liquid substance: this pearle, if you shakethe flower never so violently, will not fall off, neyther if you let itcontinue never so long, will it eyther encrease or diminish in thebignesse, but remaineth all one: yet if with your finger you take andwipe it away, in less than an hour after you shall have another arise inthe same place, and of the same bignesse. This pearle, if you taste itupon your tongue, is pleasant, and sweet like honey: this flower whenthe sunne ariseth, you shall see it looke directly to the east, with thestalk bent lowe thereunto, and as the sunne ariseth higher and higher, so the flower will likewise ascend, and when the sunne is come into themeridian or noone poynt, which is directly over it, then will it standupright upon the stalke, and looke directly upward, and as the sunnedeclineth, so will it likewise decline, and at the sunne setting lookedirectly to the west only. "

His mention of another flower is attractive:--"Now for your _WallGilliflower_, it delighteth in hard rubbish, limy, and stony grounds, whence it commeth they covet most to grow upon walls, pavements, andsuch like barraine places. It may be sowen in any moneth or season, forit is a seed of that hardness, that it makes no difference betwixtwinter and summer, but will flourish in both equally, and beareth hisflowers all the yeere, whence it comes that the husbandman preserves itmost in his _bee-garden_, for it is _wondrous sweet_, and affordeth muchhoney. It would be sowen in very small quantity, for after it hath oncetaken roote, it will naturally of itself overspread much ground, andhardly ever after be rooted out. It is of itselfe of so exceeding astrong, and _sweet smell_, that it cannot be forced to take any other, and therefore is ever preserved in its owne nature. "

[65] Mr. Loudon, in his Encycl. Of Gardening, fondly reviews the tastefor flowers which pervaded most ranks during the time of Elizabeth, andEvelyn. 

The _Spectacle de la Nature_, of which we have a translation in 1740, has a richly diffuse chapter on flowers. I here transcribe a small partthereof:--

_Prior. _ "The beauty of flowers never fails to inspire us with joy; andwhen we have sufficiently examined the fairest, we are sensible they areonly proper to refresh the sight; and, indeed, the prospect they affordis so touching, and we experience their power to be so effectual, thatthe generality of those arts which are ambitious to please, seem mostsuccessful when they borrow their assistance. Sculpture imitates them inits softest ornaments; architecture bestows the embellishments of leavesand festoons on those columns and fronts, which would otherwise be toonaked. The richest embroideries are little more than foliage andflowers; the most magnificent silks are almost covered with thesecharming forms, and are thought beautiful, in proportion as theyresemble the lively tinge of natural flowers. 

"These have always been the symbols, or representations of joy; theywere formerly the inseparable ornaments of feasts, and are stillintroduced with applause, toward the close of our entertainments, whenthey are brought in with the fruit, to enliven the festival that beginsto languish. And they are so peculiarly adapted to scenes of pleasure, that they are always considered as inconsistent with mourning. Decency, informed by nature, never admits them into those places where tears andaffliction are predominant. 

_Countess. _ "The festivals in the country are never celebrated withoutgarlands, and the entertainments of the polite are ushered in by aflower. If the winter denies them that gratification, they have recourseto art. A young bride, in all the magnificence of her nuptial array, would imagine she wanted a necessary part of her ornaments, if she didnot improve them with a sprig of flowers. A queen, amidst the greatestsolemnities, though she is covered with the jewels of the crown, has aninclination to this rural ornament; she is not satisfied with meregrandeur and majesty, but is desirous of assuming an air of softness andgaiety, by the mediation of flowers. 

_Prior. _ "Religion itself, with all its simplicity and abstraction, andamidst the abhorrence it professes to theatrical pomp, which rathertends to dissipate the heart, than to inspire it with a due reverencefor sacred mysteries, and a sensibility of human wants, permits some ofits festivals to be celebrated with boughs, and chaplets of flowers. "

[66] In his Diary is the following entry:--"1658, 27 Jan. After six fitsof an ague, died my son Richard, five years and three days old onely, but, at that tender age, a prodigy for witt and understanding; forbeauty of body, a very angel; for endowment of mind, of incredible andrare hopes. He was all life, all prettinesse. What shall I say of hisfrequent pathetical ejaculations uttered of himselfe: _Sweete Jesus, save me, deliver me, pardon my sins, let thine angels receive me!_ Soearly knowledge, so much piety and perfection! Such a child I never saw!for such a child I blesse God in whose bosome he is!"

Nanteuil's portrait is prefixed to his _Sylva_, 1664; and a fine copy ofthe same, by Bartolozzi, is prefixed to Hunter's _Sylva_. Worlidgeengraved a fine portrait of him, prefixed to his _Sculptura_. Gaywoodengraved his portrait for the translation of _Lucretius_. In Walpole'sAnecdotes is his portrait, by Bannerman. 

[67] In "A Picturesque Promenade round Dorking, " are selected manyinteresting particulars of Mr. Evelyn. 

[68] Essex lost his head for having said that Elizabeth grew old andcankered, and that her mind was as crooked as her carcase. Perhaps thebeauty of Mary galled Elizabeth. 

The Quarterly Review of July, 1828, thus remarks:--"When Elizabeth'swrinkles waxed many, it is reported that an unfortunate master of theMint incurred disgrace, by a too faithful shilling; the die was broken, and only one mutilated impression is now in existence. Her maids ofhonour took the hint, and were thenceforth careful that no fragment of alooking glass should remain in any room of the palace. In fact, thelion-hearted lady had not heart to look herself in the face for the lasttwenty years of her life. "

It seems that Elizabeth was fond of executions. She loved Essex, of allmen, best; and yet the same axe which murdered Anne Bulleyn, was used torevenge herself on him. The bloody task took three strokes, which soenraged the multitude, (who loved Essex) that they would have torn theexecutioner to pieces, had not the soldiers prevented them. Mr. Hutton, in his "Journey to London, " observes, that "their vengeance ought tohave been directed against the person who caused him to use it. " Whather reflections were on these two bloody acts when on her death-bed, wescarcely know. A modern writer on horticulture, nearly concludes a verypleasing work, by enumerating (with slight historical notices) theseveral plants cultivated in our gardens. He thus concludes his accountof one:--"Queen Elizabeth, in her last illness, eat little but SuccoryPottage. " Mr. Loudon says it is used "as a fodder for cattle. " TheFrench call it Chicoree _sauvage_. Her taste must have been somethinglike her heart. Poor Mary eat no supper the night previous to _her_ lastillness. Had it been possible for Elizabeth to have read those pages ofRobertson, which paint the long succession of calamities which befelMary, and the insolence and brutality she received from Darnley, andwhich so eloquently plead for her frailties, perhaps even these pageswould not have softened her bloody disposition, which she seems to haveinherited from that insolent monster, her father. "Mary's sufferings(says this enchanting historian) exceed, both in degree and duration, those tragical distresses which fancy has feigned, to excite sorrow andcommiseration; and while we survey them, we are apt altogether to forgether frailties; we think of her faults with less indignation, and approveof our tears as if they were shed for a person who had attained muchnearer to pure virtue. With regard to the queen's person, allcontemporary authors agree in ascribing to Mary the utmost beauty ofcountenance, and elegance of shape, of which the human form is capable. Her hair was black, though, according to the fashion of that age, shefrequently borrowed locks, and of different colours. Her eyes were adark grey; her complexion was exquisitely fine, and her hands and armsremarkably delicate, both as to shape and colour. Her stature was of anheight that rose to the majestic. She danced, she walked, and she rodewith equal grace. She sung, and played upon the lute with uncommonskill. "

[69] I will merely give this brief extract as one out of many of greatforce and beauty, from his _Salmonia_:--"If we look with wonder upon thegreat remains of human works, such as the columns of Palmyra, broken inthe midst of the desert, the temples of Pæstum, beautiful in the decayof twenty centuries, or the mutilated fragments of Greek sculpture inthe Acropolis of Athens, or in our own Museum, as proofs of the geniusof artists, and power and riches of nations now past away, with how muchdeeper feeling of admiration must we consider those grand monuments ofnature, which mark the revolutions of the globe; continents broken intoislands; one land produced, another destroyed; the bottom of the oceanbecome a fertile soil; whole races of animals extinct; and the bones andexuviæ of one class covered with the remains of another, and upon thegraves of past generations--the marble or rocky tomb, as it were, of aformer animated world--new generations rising, and order and harmonyestablished, and a system of life and beauty produced, as it were, outof chaos and death; proving the infinite power, wisdom, and goodness, ofthe GREAT CAUSE OF ALL BEING!" I must trespass on my reader, by againquoting from _Salmonia_:--"I envy no quality of the mind or intellect inothers; not genius, power, wit, or fancy; but if I could choose whatwould be most delightful, and I believe most useful to me, I shouldprefer _a firm religious belief_ to every other blessing; for it makeslife a discipline of goodness--creates new hopes, when all earthly hopesvanish; and throws over the decay, the destruction of existence, themost gorgeous of lights; awakens life even in death, and from corruptionand decay calls up beauty and divinity: makes an instrument of tortureand of shame the ladder of ascent to Paradise; and, far above allcombinations of earthly hopes, calls up the most delightful visions ofpalms and amaranths, the gardens of the blest, the security ofeverlasting joys, where the sensualist and the sceptic view only gloom, decay, annihilation, and despair!"

[70] In this delightful essay, he says, "the most exquisite delights ofsense are pursued, in the contrivance and plantation of gardens, which, with fruits, flowers, shades, fountains, and the music of birds thatfrequent such happy places, seem to furnish all the pleasures of theseveral senses. "

[71] Mr. Johnson, in his History of English Gardening, admirablyconfirms this conflagration argument, by quoting the opinion ortestimony of the celebrated Goëthe. 

[72] To this interesting subject is devoted, a part of Mr. Loudon'sconcise and luminous review "Of the Rise, Progress, and Present State ofGardening in the British Isles;" being chapter iv. Of his Encyclopædia. 

[73] Perhaps there are few pages that more awfully paint the sacrednessof this spot, than page 36 in the fifth edition of Dr. Alison's Essayson Taste. 

[74] I do not mean to apply to the hospitable table of this reverendgentleman, the lines of Peter Pindar:--

 One cut from _venison_, to the heart can speak, Stronger than ten quotations from the _Greek_. 

[75] I cannot prevent myself from quoting a very small portion of theanimated address of another clergyman, the Rev. J. G. Morris, aschairman to the Wakefield Horticultural Society. I am certain each oneof my readers will blame me for not having inserted the whole of thiseloquent appeal. I copy it from the Gardener's Magazine for August, 1828:--"Conscious that I possessed no qualifications to fit me for thetask, and feeling that it ill became me to assume it, as I am as yetnearly a stranger amongst you; aware, too, that I should be surroundedby individuals so much more eligible, inasmuch as they are eminentlygifted with botanical science and practical knowledge, the result oftheir horticultural pursuits and facilities, of which I am quite devoid;I wished and begged to decline the proffered honour. It appears, however, that my entreaties are not listened to, and that your kindnessand partiality persist in selecting for your chairman one so inadequateto the situation. Gentlemen, I take the chair with much diffidence; butI will presume to say, that, in the absence of other qualities, I bringwith me a passionate love for plants and flowers, for the sweets andbeauties of the garden, and no inconsiderable fondness for its moresubstantial productions. Gardening, as a recreation and relaxation fromseverer studies and more important avocations, has exquisite charms forme; and I am ready, with old _Gerarde_, to confess, that 'the principaldelight is in the mind, singularly enriched with the knowledge of thesevisible things; setting forth to us the invisible wisdom and admirableworkmanship of Almighty God. ' With such predilections, you will easilygive me credit, gentlemen, for participating with this assembly in thesincerest wishes for the complete and permanent establishment of asociety amongst us, whose object shall be to promote, in the surroundingdistrict, the introduction of different sorts of flowers, culinaryvegetables, fruits, improved culture and management generally, and _ataste_ for botany as a science. These are pursuits, gentlemen, combiningat once health and innocence, pleasure and utility. Wakefield and itsvicinity appear to possess facilities for the accomplishment of such aproject, inferior to no district within this great palatinate, indeed, little inferior to any in the kingdom. The country is beautiful andcharmingly varied, and, from the diversity of soil, suited to variedproductions; the whole thickly interspersed with seats and villas ofpersons of opulence, possessing their conservatories, hot-houses, andstoves, their orchards, flower and kitchen gardens: whilst few towns canboast (as Wakefield can) of so many gardens within its enclosure, cultivated with so much assiduity and skill, so much taste and deservedsuccess. Seven years ago, I had the honour to originate a similarproject in Preston, in Lancashire, and with the happiest success. Inthat borough, possessing far less advantages than Wakefield offers, ahorticultural society was established, which, in its four annualmeetings, assembles all the rank and fashion of a circuit of more thanten miles, and numbers more than a hundred and twenty subscribers to itsfunds. Those who have not witnessed the interesting sight, can form buta faint idea of the animating scene which is presented in a spacious andhandsome room, tastefully adorned with the choicest exotics from variousconservatories, and the more choice, because selected with a view tocompetition: decorated with the varied beauties of the parterre, vieingwith each other in fragrance, hue, and delicacy of texture; whilst thetables groan under the weight of delicious fruits and rare vegetables inendless variety, the joint produce of hot-houses, stoves, orchards, andkitchen gardens. Figure to yourselves, gentlemen, this elysium, gracedby some hundreds of our fair countrywomen, an absolute galaxy ofanimated beauty, and that music lends its aid, and you will agree withme that a more fascinating treat could hardly be devised. New flowers, new fruits, recent varieties of those of long standing and establishedcharacter for excellence, are thus introduced, in lieu of those whoseinferiority is no longer doubtful. New culinary vegetables, or, fromsuperior treatment or mode of culture, rendered more salubrious and ofexquisite flavour, will load the stalls of our market-gardeners. I callupon you, then, gentlemen, for your zealous support. Say not that youhave no gardens, or that your gardens are inconsiderable, or that youare no cultivators; you are all interested in having good and deliciousfruits, nutritious and delicate culinary vegetables, and in procuringthem at a reasonable rate, which will be the results of improved andsuccessful cultivation. At our various exhibitions, let each contributethat in which he excels, and our object will be attained. Gentlemen, Ifear I have trespassed too long on your patience and indulgence. I willjust urge one more motive for your warm support of our intended society;it is this: that, by diffusing a love of plants and gardening, you willmaterially contribute to the comfort and happiness of the laboriousclasses; for the pleasure taken in such pursuits forms anunexceptionable relaxation from the toils of business, and every hourthus spent is subtracted from the ale-house and other haunts of idlenessand dissipation. "

[76] In the grounds of _Hagley_, were once inscribed these lines:--

 Here Pope!--ah, never must that tow'ring mind To his loved haunts, or dearer friend return; What art, what friendships! oh! what fame resign'd: In yonder glade I trace his mournful urn. 

[77] At Holm-Lacey is preserved a sketch, in crayons, by Pope, (when ona visit there) of Lord Strafford by Vandyke. It is well known that Popepainted Betterton in oil colours, and gave it to Lord Mansfield. Thenoble lord regretted the loss of this memorial, when his house wasconsumed at the time of the disgraceful and ignorant riots. 

[78] Sir Joshua Reynolds used to tell the following anecdote relative toPope. --"When Reynolds was a young man, he was present at an auction ofvery scarce pictures, which attracted a great crowd of _connoisseurs_and others; when, in the moment of a very interesting piece being putup, Mr. Pope entered the room. All was in an instant, from a scene ofconfusion and bustle, a dead calm. The auctioneer, as if by instinct, suspended his hammer. The audience, to an individual, as if by the sameimpulse, rose up to receive the poet; and did not resume their seatstill he had reached the upper end of the room. "

A similar honour was paid to the Abbé Raynal, whose reputation was such, that the Speaker of the House of Commons observing _him_ among thespectators, suspended the business of the house till he had seen theeloquent historian placed in a more commodious seat. It is painful torelate, that this powerful writer, and good man, who narrowly escapedthe guillotine, expired in a garret, in extreme poverty, at the age ofeighty-four; the only property he left being one assignat of fiftylivres, worth not threepence in ready money. Perhaps one might haveapplied the following anecdote (told by Dr. Drake in his Literary Hours)to Abbé Raynal:--"A respectable character, having long figured in thegay world at Paris, was at length compelled to live in an obscureretreat in that city, the victim of severe misfortunes. He was soindigent, that he subsisted only on an allowance from the parish. Everyweek bread was sent to him sufficient for his support, and yet atlength, he demanded more. On this the curate sent for him. 'Do you livealone?' said the curate. 'With whom, sir, is it possible I should live?I am wretched, since I thus solicit charity, and am abandoned by all theworld. ' 'But, sir, if you live alone, why do you ask for more bread thanis sufficient for yourself?' The other at last, with great reluctance, confessed that he had a dog. The curate desired him to observe, that hewas only the distributor of the bread that belonged to the poor, andthat it was absolutely necessary that he should dispose of his dog. 'Ah, sir!' exclaimed the poor man, weeping, 'and if I lose my dog, who isthere then to love me?' The good pastor took his purse, and giving it tohim, 'take this, sir, ' said he; 'this is mine--this I _can_ give. '"

[79] How applicable are Gray's lines to Lord Byron himself, now!

 Can storied urn or animated bust Back to its mansion call the fleeting breath? Can honour's voice provoke the silent dust, Or flatt'ry soothe the dull cold ear of death? Perhaps in this _neglected_ spot is laid Some heart once pregnant with celestial fire!--

[80] Mr. Bowles, in some stanzas written since the death of Byron, thusfeelingly apostrophizes his noble spirit:--

 But I will bid th' Arcadian cypress wave, Pluck the green laurel from Peneus' side, And pray thy spirit may such quiet have That not one thought unkind be murmur'd o'er thy grave. 

[81] Perhaps one motive (no doubt there were numberless others) that_might_ have induced Mr. Mason thus to honour the memory of Pope, ----_letting cold tears bedew his silver urn_, _might_ have been from the recollection of his attachment to whatequally charmed Mr. Mason--the love of gardens. 

[82] I know not whether Milton's portrait should have been here noticed. In a note to the eloquent, the talented, and graceful "Discoursd'Installation, prononcé par M. Le Vicomte H. De Thury, président de laSociété d'Horticulture de Paris, " it is beautifully observed, that"Personne n'a mieux décrit ce delicieux jardin que Milton. Les Anglaisregardent comme le type de tous les jardins paysagers, et pittoresques, la description que fait Milton du jardin d'Eden, et qui atteste que sesublime genié ètoit également poëte, peintre et paysagiste. " As I havesought for the portraits of Mr. George Mason, and of Mr. Whateley, andhave noticed those of Launcelot Brown, and Mr. Walpole, Mr. Cradock, M. R. P. Knight and Sir U. Price, who were all _paysagists_; surely ourgreat and severe republican was one. 

The Prince de Ligne speaks thus of Milton:--"les vers enchanteurs de ceRoi des poëtes, et des _jardiniers_. 

I do not know that every one will agree with Switzer in the concludingpart of what he says of Milton, in the History of Gardening, prefixed tohis Iconologia:--"But although things were in this terrible combustion, we must not omit the famous Mr. John Milton, one of Cromwell'sSecretaries; who, by his excellent and never-to-be-equalled poem ofParadise Lost, has particularly distinguished gardening, by taking thatfor his theme; and shows, that though his eyes deprived him of thebenefit of seeing, yet his mind was wonderfully moved with thephilosophy, innocence, and beauty of this employ; his books, thoughmixed with other subjects, being a kind of a philosophical body ofgardening, as well as divinity. Happy man! _had his pen been employed onno other subject_. "

It must be needless reminding my reader, that Mr. Walpole's powerful penhas taken care that our mighty poet, (who "on evil days, though fallen, and with darkness and solitude compassed round, ") shall not be_defrauded of half his glory_. 

It is gratifying to remark, that an edition of Paradise Lost is nowannounced for publication, in which the zeal of its spirited proprietorshas determined, that every word shall be printed in letters of gold. Thesanction of some of our most distinguished divines, and men of highrank, evince the pride with which we all acknowledge the devout zeal andmighty powers of the blind poet. 

[83] Mr. Garrick's fondness for ornamental gardening, induced him finelyto catch at this invention, in his inimitable performance of LordChalkstone. 

[84] Dr. Pulteney relates this anecdote of Mr. Miller: "He was the onlyperson I ever knew who remembered to have seen Mr. Ray. I shall noteasily forget the pleasure that enlightened his countenance, it sostrongly expressed the _Virgilium tantum vidi_, when, in speaking ofthat revered man, he related to me that incident of his youth. " I regretthat Mr. Ray only meditated a work to have been entitled _Horti_ Angliæ. Had he written it, I should have felt a singular pride in introducinghis valued name in the present imperfect volume. 

[85] The generous minded reader will be gratified by referring to thekind tribute, paid to the memory of Shenstone, by Mr. Loudon, at p. 76of his Encyclopædia. Of this Encyclopædia, Mr. Johnson, in his Historyof Gardening, thus speaks:--"Taken as a whole, it is the most completebook of gardening ever published;"--and that, with the exception ofchymistry, "every art and science, at all illustrative of gardening, aremade to contribute their assistance. "

[86] In his "Unconnected Thoughts" he admires the _Oak_, for "itsmajestic appearance, the rough grandeur of its bark, and the wideprotection of its branches: a large, branching, aged oak, is, perhaps, the most venerable of all inanimate objects. "

[87] Tea was the favourite beverage of Dr. Johnson. When Hanwaypronounced his anathema against it, Johnson rose in defence of it, declaring himself "in that article a hardened sinner, having for yearsdiluted my meals with the infusion of that fascinating plant; mytea-kettle has had no time to cool; with tea I have solaced the midnighthour, and with tea welcomed the morning. " Mr. Pennant was a great loverof tea; a hardy honest Welch parson, on hearing that he usually retiredin the afternoon to his summer-house to enjoy that beverage, was movedwith indignation, that any thing weaker than ale or wine should be drunkthere; and calling to mind the good hunting times of old, passionatelyexclaimed, "his father would have scorned it. "

[88] Sir Uvedale thus expresses his own sensations when viewing some ofthese plantations:--"The inside fully answers to the dreary appearanceof the outside; of all dismal scenes it seems to me the most likely fora man to hang himself in; he would, however, find some difficulty in theexecution, for amidst the endless multitude of stems, there is rarely asingle side branch to which a rope could be fastened. The whole wood isa collection of tall naked poles. . . . Even its gloom is withoutsolemnity; it is only dull and dismal; and what light there is, likethat of hell, _Serves only to discover scenes of woe, Regions of sorrow, doleful shades. _"

[89] This observation confirms what Sir U. Price so pointedly enforcesthroughout the whole of his causticly sportive letter to Mr. Repton:"that the best landscape painters would be the best landscape gardeners, were they to turn their minds to the practical part; consequently, astudy of their works, the most useful study to an improver. "--And that"Van Huysum would be a much better judge of the merits and defects ofthe most dressed scene--of a mere flower garden, --than a gardener. "

[90] Mr. Browne was not an author; yet the title of the present volumeis "On the Portraits of English _Authors_ on Gardening. " Neither was oldBridgman nor Kent _authors_ on this subject; still I could not prevailon myself to pass over such names in total silence. 

[91] Mr. Clive resided at Moreton-Say, near Market-Drayton. He was aprebend of Westminster. Integrity marked every action of his life. Inhis village, scarcely a poor man existed. His kindness and benevolenceto the poor, could only be equalled by his friendly hospitality and kindfeeling to the more affluent in his neighbourhood:

 _Thy works, and alms, and all thy good endeavour, Follow thee up to joy and bliss for ever. _

Miss Seward thus concludes one of her letters to him:--"I wish none werepermitted to enter the lists of criticism but those who feel poeticbeauty as keenly as yourself, and who have the same generous desire thatothers should feel it. " I mention Mr. Clive with gratitude, from arecollection of kindnesses received from him at a very early period ofmy life, and which were of such a nature, as could not fail to animatethe mind of a young man to studious exertions. Archdeacon Plimley (nowthe truly venerable Archdeacon Corbet, and who has been so long anhonour to his native county), in his Agricultural Survey of Shropshire, respectfully introduces Mr. Clive's name; and when he addressed hischarge to the diocese of Hereford, in 1793, one really cannot but applyto Mr. Clive, what he so eloquently enforces in that charge to eachclergyman:--"to cultivate a pure spirit within their own bosoms; to bein every instance the right-hand neighbour to each parishioner; theirprivate adviser, their public monitor, their example in christianconduct, their joy in health, their consolation in sickness. " In thesame vault with Mr. Archdeacon Clive, lies buried Robert Lord Clive, conqueror of _Plassy_: on whose death appeared these extempore lines, bya man of distinction, a friend to Lord Clive:--

 Life's a surface, slippery, glassy, Whereon tumbled Clive of Plassy; All the wealth the east could give, Brib'd not death to let him live: There's no distinction in the grave 'Twixt the nabob and the slave. 

His lordship's death, in 1774, was owing to the same cause whichhastened that of the most worthy of men, Sir Samuel Romilly--fromshattered and worn out nerves;--from severe study in the latter, andfrom the burning climate of the east in the former. Had Lord Clive liveda few years longer, he would have enriched the whole neighbourhood roundhis native spot. His vigorous, ardently-gifted, and penetrating mind, projected plantations and other improvements, that could only have beenconceived by such minds as Olivier de Serres, or by Sully, or by our ownEvelyn. He was in private life beloved. He was generous, social andfriendly; and if ever charity to the poor warmed the breast of anymortal, it warmed that of Lord Clive. Few men had more kind affectionsthan Lord Clive. 

[92] The following passage from a favourite book of Dr. Darwin's, (theSystem of Nature, by Linnæus) will well apply to that searching andpenetrating mind, which so strongly possessed him through life. --"Howsmall a part of the great works of nature is laid open to our eyes, andhow many things are going on in secret which we know nothing of! Howmany things are there which this age first was acquainted with! How manythings that we are ignorant of will come to light when all memory of usshall be no more! for nature does not at once reveal all her secrets. Weare apt to look on ourselves as already admitted into the sanctuary ofher temple; we are still only in the porch. " How full of grace, oftenderness, and passion, is that elegy, which he composed the night hefeared a life he so passionately loved (Mrs. Pole, of Radburn, ) was inimminent danger, and when he dreamed she was dead:

 Stretch'd on her sable bier, the grave beside, A snow-white shroud her breathless bosom bound, O'er her white brow the _mimic lace_ was tied, And loves, and virtues, hung their garlands round. 

 From these cold lips did softest accents flow? Round that pale mouth did sweetest dimples play? On this dull cheek the rose of beauty blow, And those dim eyes diffuse celestial rays?

 Did this cold hand unasking want relieve, Or wake the lyre to every rapturous sound? How sad, for other's woes, this breast could heave! How light this heart, for other's transport, bound!

[93] It was at this period of his residence at Lichfield, that thepresent writer heard him strongly enforce the cultivation of _papaversomniferum_. What he may have also enforced to others, may possibly havegiven rise to some of those ingenious papers on its cultivation, whichare inserted not only in the Transactions of the Society for theEncouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce; in other publications, but in the first and fifth volumes of the Memoirs of the CaledonianHorticultural Society. The papers of Mr. Ball and Mr. Jones, on itscultivation, in the former of these transactions, are particularlydiffuse and valuable. They are fully noticed in Dr. Thornton's "FamilyHerbal. " The subjoined plate is a copy of that in the title page to"_Opiologia_, ou traicté concernant le naturel proprietés, vrayepreparation, et seur vsage de l'opium, " a favourite volume with Dr. Darwin, printed at _la Haye_, 1614, 12mo. Dr. Darwin, in his BotanicalGarden, thus speaks of opium: "the finest opium is procured by woundingthe heads of large poppies with a three-edged knife, and tyingmuscle-shells to them, to catch the drops. In small quantities itexhilirates the mind, raises the passions, and invigorates the body; inlarge ones, it is succeeded by intoxication, languor, stupor, anddeath. "

[94] _Sterne_ mentions a traveller who always set out with the spleenand jaundice, --"without one generous connection, or pleasurable anecdoteto tell of, --travelling straight on, looking neither to his right handor his left, lest love or pity should seduce him out of the road. " Mr. Loudon seems to be a very different kind of a traveller: for hishorticultural spirit and benevolent views, pervade almost every page ofhis late tour through _Bavaria_. One envies his feelings, too, inanother rural excursion, through the romantic scenery of _Bury_, at Mr. Barclay's, and of Mr. Hope's at _Deepdene_; and particularly when hepaints his own emotions on viewing the room of sculpture there. He evencould not, in October last, take his rural ride from _Edgware_ to _St. Alban's_ without thus awakening in each traveller a love of gardens, andgiving this gentle hint to an honest landlord:--"A new inn, in theoutskirts of _St. Alban's_, in the _Dunstable_ road, has an amplegarden, not made the most of. Such a piece of ground, and a gardener oftaste, would give an inn, so situated, so great a superiority, that_every one would be tempted to stop there_; but the garden of thisBoniface, exhibits but the beginning of a good idea. " When travellingalong our English roads, his mind no doubt frequently reverts to thoseroad-side gardens in the Netherlands, which he thus happily adverts toin p. 32 of his Encyclopædia: "The gardens of the cottagers in thesecountries, are undoubtedly better managed and more productive than thoseof any other country; no man who has a cottage is without a gardenattached; often small, but rendered useful to a poor family, by the highdegree of culture given to it. " Linnæus, in his eloquent oration atUpsal, enforces the pleasure of travelling in one's own country, throughits fields _and roads_. Mr. Heath, the zealous and affectionatehistorian of Monmouth, in his account of that town and its romanticneighbourhood, (published in 1804, ) omits no opportunity of noticing themany neat gardens, which add to the other rural charms of its richscenery, thus mentions another Boniface:--"The late Thomas Moxley, whokept the public-house at Manson Cross, was a person that took greatdelight in fruit-trees, and had a large piece of ground let him, for thepurpose of planting it with apple-trees; but his death (which followedsoon after) prevented the plan from being carried to the extent heintended, though some of the land bears evidence of his zeal andlabour. " Mr. Heath cannot even travel on the turnpike road, fromMonmouth to Hereford, without benevolently remarking, that "a number oflaborious families have erected small tenements, with a garden to each, most of which are thickly planted with apple-trees, whose produceconsiderably adds to the owner's support. "

[95] Of this celebrated biographer of Dr. Darwin (whose Verses to theMemory of Mr. Garrick, and whose Monody on Captain Cook, will live aslong as our language is spoken, ) Sir W. Scott thus describes his firstpersonal interview with:--"Miss Seward, when young, must have beenexquisitely beautiful; for, in advanced age, the regularity of herfeatures, the fire and expression of her countenance, gave her theappearance of beauty, and almost of youth. Her eyes were auburn, of theprecise shade and hue of her hair, and possessed great expression. Inreciting, or in speaking with animation, they appeared to become darker;and, as it were, to flash fire. I should have hesitated to state theimpression which this peculiarity made upon me at the time, had not myobservation been confirmed by that of the first actress of this or anyother age, with whom I lately happened to converse on our deceasedfriend's expressive powers of countenance. "

[96] From one of these pleasing sermons I extract these fewlines:--"Among the most pleasing sights of a country village, is that ofa father and mother, followed by their family of different ages, issuingfrom their little dwelling on a Sunday morning, as the bell tolls tochurch. The children, with their ruddy, wholesome looks, are all neatand clean. Their behaviour at church shews what an impression theirparents have given them of the holiness of the place, and of the dutiesthey have to perform. Though unregarded, as they return home, by theirricher neighbours, they carry back with them to their humble cottage theblessing of God. --Pious parents! lead on your children from church toheaven. You are in the right road. Your heavenly father sees yourhearts. "

[97] Mr. Cradock published in 8vo. In 1777, price 2s. 6d. An account ofsome of the most remarkable places in North Wales. 

[98] Mons. De Voltaire was so charmed with the taste and talents, andpolite engaging manners of La Fage, that he paid him the followingcompliment; which may very justly be applied to Mr. Cradock:

 _Il reçut deux presens des Dieux, Les plus charmans qu'ils puissent faire; L'un étoit le talent de plaire, L'autre le secret d'être heureux. _

[99] The Quarterly Review for April, 1821, observes, that "The totalnumber of exotics, introduced into this country, appears to be 11, 970, of which the first forty-seven species, including the orange, apricot, pomegranate, &c. Were introduced previously or during the reign of HenryVIII. , and no fewer than 6756 in the reign of George III. For this proudaccession to our exotic botany in the last century, the public arechiefly indebted to Sir Joseph Banks, and Messrs. Lee and Kennedy, ofthe Hammersmith nursery. "

[100] The invocation to this Vale, reminds one of Mr. Repton'sdescription:--"Downton Vale, near Ludlow, one of the most beautiful andromantic valleys that the imagination can conceive. It is impossible bydescription to convey an idea of its natural charms, or to do justice tothat taste which has displayed these charms to the greatest advantage, _With art clandestine, and conceal'd design. _

A narrow, wild, and natural path, sometimes creeps under the beetlingrock, close by the margin of a mountain stream. It sometimes ascends toan awful precipice, from whence the foaming waters are heard roaring inthe dark abyss below, or seen wildly dashing against its opposite banks;while, in other places, the course of the river _Teme_ being impeded bynatural ledges of rock, the vale presents a calm, glassy mirror, thatreflects the surrounding foliage. The path, in various places, crossesthe water by bridges of the most romantic and contrasted forms; and, branching in various directions, including some miles in length, isoccasionally varied and enriched by caves and cells, hovels, and coveredseats, or other buildings, in perfect harmony with the wild but pleasinghorrors of the scene. "

[101] Foxley, this far-famed seat of dignified and benevolentretirement, has on many occasions become interesting. I will merelymention one. It gave a peaceful asylum to Benjamin Stillingfleet, whenhis mind was depressed by disappointment. The then owner, Robert Price, Esq. And his mild and amiable lady, both kindly pressed him to become aninmate of their domestic retreat, that his health might be restored, andhis mind calmed; and though he modestly refused being a constantintruder, yet he took up his residence in a cottage near them, anddelighted to pass his leisure hours in their happy domestic circle, "blending his studious pursuits, with rural occupations, " andparticularly with gardening. No doubt, to this protecting kindness, may, on this spot, have been imbibed his great veneration for Theophrastus;and here he must have laid the foundation of those attainments, which, during the future periods of his life, obtained for him the highapprobation of the justly celebrated Mrs. Montagu, who, in her letters, speaks of "this invaluable friend, " in the highest possible terms ofpraise. In this peaceful and consoling retreat, was written his originaland masterly tribute to the talents of Xenophon; and here was firstkindled his deep enthusiastic zeal for the classic authors of antiquity;and the materials for his then intended edition of Milton (who he saysequalled all the ancients whom he imitated; the sublimity of Homer, themajesty of Sophocles, the softness of Theocritus, and the gaiety ofAnacreon, ) enriched with parallel passages from holy writ, the classics, and the early Italian poets; and here he composed his matchless treatiseon the power and principles of Tartini's music (for it seems Mr. Pricehimself "was a master of the art. ") Here too, most probably, hesketched, or first gathered, his early memoranda towards his futuregeneral history of husbandry, from the earliest ages of the world to hisown time; and fostered a devoted zeal for Linnæus, which produced thatspirited eulogium on him, which pervades the preface to his translationof "Miscellaneous Tracts on Natural History. "

[102] Sir Uvedale, about fifty years ago, translated _Pausanias_ fromthe Greek. One may judge of the feeling with which he dwelt on the pagesof this book, by what he says of that nation in vol. I. P. 65 of hisEssays, where he speaks of being struck with the extreme richness ofsome of the windows of our cathedrals and ruined abbeys: "I hope it willnot be supposed, that by admiring the picturesque circumstances of theGothic, I mean to undervalue the symmetry and beauty of Grecianbuildings: whatever comes to us from the Greeks, has an irresistibleclaim to our admiration; that distinguished people seized on the truepoints both of beauty and grandeur in all the arts, and theirarchitecture has justly obtained the same high pre-eminence as theirsculpture, poetry, and eloquence. "

[103] On the pomp of devotion in our ancient abbeys, Mr. R. P. Knightthus interests his readers, in the chapter "Of the Sublime andPathetic, " in the Inquiry into the principles of Taste:--"Every personwho has attended the celebration of high mass, at any considerableecclesiastical establishment, must have felt how much the splendour andmagnificence of the Roman Catholic worship tends to exalt the spirit ofdevotion, and to inspire the soul with rapture and enthusiasm. Not onlythe impressive melody of the vocal and instrumental music, and theimposing solemnity of the ceremonies, but the pomp and brilliancy of thesacerdotal garments, and the rich and costly decorations of the altar, raise the character of religion, and give it an air of dignity andmajesty unknown to any of the reformed churches. "

[104] In p. 130 and 179 of vol. Ii. He thus adverts to the effects ofthe levelling system of Launcelot Browne:--"From this influence offashion, and the particular influence of Mr. Browne, models of oldgardens are in this country still scarcer in nature than in painting;and therefore what good parts there may be in such gardens, whetherproceeding from original design, or from the changes produced by timeand accident, can no longer be observed; and yet, from these specimensof ancient art, however they may be condemned as old fashioned, manyhints might certainly be taken, and blended with such modernimprovements as really deserve the name. "--"Were my arguments in favourof many parts of the old style of gardening ever so convincing, the mostI could hope from them at present, would be, to produce _some caution_;and to assist in preserving some of the few remains of old magnificencethat still exist, by making the owner less ready to listen to aprofessor, whose interest it is to recommend total demolition. " Mr. R. P. Knight, in a note to his _landscape_, thus remarks on this subject:"I remember a country clock-maker, who being employed to clean a morecomplex machine than he had been accustomed to, very confidently took itto pieces; but finding, when he came to put it together again, somewheels of which he could not discover the use, very discreetly carriedthem off in his pocket. The simple artifice of this prudent mechanic, always recurs to my mind, when I observe the manner in which our modernimprovers repair and embellish old places; not knowing how to employ theterraces, mounds, avenues, and other features which they find there, they take them all away, and cover the places which they occupied withturf. It is a short and easy method of proceeding; and if theiremployers will be satisfied with it, they are not to be blamed forpersevering in it, as it may be executed by proxy, as well as inperson. "

Severely (and no doubt justly), as the too generally smooth andmonotonous system of Mr. Browne has been condemned, yet he must have hadgreat merit to have obtained the many encomiums he did obtain from someof our first nobility and gentry. The _evil_ which he did in many oftheir altered pleasure-grounds, _lives after him--the good is oftinterred in his grave_. 

[105] Mr. George Mason justly observes that "Nature's favourite hauntsare the school of gardening. "

[106] Dion. Chrysostom said of Xenophon, that "he had something ofwitchcraft in his writings. " It would not be too much to say the same ofthis poet. 

THE END. 

_Printed by Lowe and Harvey, Playhouse Yard, Blackfriars. _