494 



JOUKNAL OF HORTICULTDEE AND COTTAGE QABDENEB. 



[ Jane 21, 1876. 



The profession of apotheeary and herbalist does not seem to 

 have been in those days either honoured or lucrative, as there 

 is no record of correspondence with men of position, nor of a 

 will being proved, or of letters of administration being ob- 

 tained by the representatives of either Gerarde or Parkinson. 



I will now proceed to notice the two publications by which 

 Parkinson is so favourably remembered. Most of my readers 

 will have failed to observe that in the title of the first of those 

 works, Piirailisii^ in Sol,', is intended a witty translation of 

 Parkinson— Park-in-sun. I will copy fully the title-pago be- 

 cause it tells the contents of the work, and the volume has 

 this transcendant merit, it is the first original work on English 

 gardening. The details are full, are the records of the author's 

 practice, and in every department impart sound instruction. 

 "PAEADISI IN SOLE. 

 "PAEiDISUS TEERESTRIS. 



" A garden of all sorts of pleasant flowers which our English 

 ayre will permitt to be noursed up : with a Kitchen Garden of 

 all manner of herbes, rootes, and fruites for meate or sause 

 used with us, and an Orchard of all sorte of fruit-bearing 

 trees and shrubbes fit for our land, together with the right 

 orderinge, planting, and preserving of them, and their uses 

 and vertnes. Collected by John Parkinson, Apotheeary of 

 London. 1G2!)." 



Fiff. 115.— John Parkinson. 



The frontispieoe represents the garden of Eden. Adam 

 seems to have gathered the last fruit from a tree, and Eve is 

 attending to some flower. In the foreground is more than one 

 Sunflower, but Tulips, JIartagon Lilies, Cyclamens, the Pine 

 Apple, and Carnation are conspicuous. It is dedicated to the 

 Queen, evidently Henrietta Maria, whom he knew "delighted 

 with all the faire flowers of a garden." The address to the 

 reader demonstrates that Parkinson was a well-educated and 

 well-thinking man. " Some through an evill disposition and 

 ignorance have so far traduced me as to say this was rather 

 another man's worke than mine owne, but I leave them to their 

 folly." He adds that he always had " a naturall inclination " 

 to such pursuits, and evidently was referring to the " Herbal" 

 he subsequently published when he says that he has a work 

 '' larger, as time may suddenly, by God's permission, bring to 

 light." If the work was successful it would "hasten the 

 fourth part — a Garden of Simples, which will be quiet no 

 longer at home then that it can bring its master newes of 

 faire weather for the journey." That weather came in ICIO. 



He recommends Box as an edging, as yet " only received into 

 the gardens of those that are curious." He denied the moon's 

 influence over garden operations, for, after many experiments, 

 " I could never see the effect desired." So grafting the Rose 

 on the Broom to obtain yellow flowers, and many other follies, 

 he firmly adds, " I assure you they are all mere idle tales and 

 fancies." " I have of Roses to furnish this garden thirty sorts 

 at the least, every one notably different from the other both 

 for colour, form, and smell." They were— 1, White English 

 Rose, single and double; 2, Carnation Rose, pale blush and 

 very double ; 3, English Red Rose, " more frequent used in 



England than in other places;" 4, Damaske Rose, " of most 

 excellent sweet pleasant sent ;" 5, Great Double Damaske Pro- 

 vince or Holland Rose, " that some call Centifolia incarnata;" 

 0, Red Province Rose, "called Centifolia rubra;" 7, White 

 Province Rose, " whereof I am not oculatus testis ;" 8, Party- 

 coloured Rose, "of some York and Lancaster;" 9, Chrystall 

 Rose, striped as " the Chrystall Gilloflower," dark stripes on 

 pale ground ; 10, Dwarf Red or Gilloflower Rose ; 11, Franck- 

 ford Rose, pale red ; 12, Hungarian Rose, pale red ; 13, Velvet 

 Rose, single and double, "like unto crimson velvet ;" 14, Rose 

 without Thornes, single and double, pale red ; 15, Cinamon 

 Rose, single and double, pale rod, with " small sent of Cina- 

 mon;" 16, Single Yellow Rose; 17, Double Y'ellowRose, " few 

 abiding whole and fair in our countrey, the cause whereof wee 

 do imagine to bee the much moisture of our countrey ;" 

 18, Muske Rose, single aud double, " creame colour;" 19, 

 Double White Damaske Muske Rose ; 20, Spanish Muske 

 Rose, white with a blush ; 21, (ireat Apple Rose, deep blush ; 

 22, Single Eglantine or Sweet Briar bush ; 23, Double Eglan- 

 tine ; 24, Evergreen Rose, white, "of a line sent; leaves 

 abide for the most part all the winter." 



" GiUoflowers" were then "the pride of our English gardens." 

 Of TuUps he had IGO varieties, and " scarce any lady of worth 

 but was a delighter in them." 



In the Kitchen Garden ho gives full and correct directions ; 

 but many observations, such as that Cabbages were eaten chiefly 

 by "the poorer sort of people," are evidence that animal 

 rather than vegetable diet prevailed. He ha"! the merit of 

 having introduced the Rhubarb plant, it being sent to him 

 "from beyond sea by Mr. D. Matthew Lister." In the Fruit 

 ( jarden he gives good directions for the culture and propagation 

 of all the species now its tenants, but want of space prevents 

 me making more than this extract, " Nectarines have not been 

 with us many years." Although he dedicated the volume to 

 the Queen he did not accept the Roman Catholic faith, for he 

 condemns most strongly its priests for their false statements 

 about the Passion-flower. 



In lCo(J, six years after Parkinson's death, a second edition 

 of the " Paradisus, ' " much corrected and enlarged," was pub- 

 lished. After the lapse of eleven years his principal and only 

 other work was published entitled, " Theatrum Botanicum : 

 the Theater of Plants, or an Herball of a large extent." The 

 title-page states much more of what the pages contain — " Col- 

 lected by the many yeares travaile, industry, and experience in 

 this subject, by John Parkinson, Apothecary of London, and 

 the Kings Herbarist. Pubhshed by the Kings Majestyes espe- 

 ciall priviledge." 1040. He dedicated " this manlike worke 

 of herbes and plants" to the king, as he formerly did "a 

 feminine of flowers" to the queen. The civil wars, or, as in 

 the preface he terms them, " the disastrous times, but much 

 more wretched and perverse men" had hindered the publi- 

 cation. It " hath changed the note" and certainly increased 

 its value, for instead of " a Physicale ( larden of Simples" it 

 was now " a Theater of Plants." 



Parkinson wrote unjustly when he expressed himself sueer- 

 ingly about " Master .Johnson '' for hastening to edit a new 

 edition of Gerarde's Herbal. The work was needed, and Par- 

 kinson tells us that he should have published his " Theatrum 

 Botanicum " at the same period had not the civil wars inter- 

 fered. .Tohnson, writing in 1633, speaks more generously, 

 saying, " Mr. John Parkinson, an apothecarie of this city (yet 

 living aud labouring for the common good) hath not super- 

 ficially handled these things." 



The contents of the " Theatrum," being entirely botanical, 

 I will not detail, but I cannot resist quoting one sentence. In 

 speaking sf one of our native plants he says it grows " on the 

 backeside of Grayes lune, where Mr. Lambe's Conduit heade 

 standeth." We here see the derivation of the name of that 

 well-known street. 



Writing in the April of 1040 Dr. Mayerne mentions that the 

 king had recently made Parkinson "Chief Royal Herbalist," 

 and this is the latest notice of him that I have met with pre- 

 vious to the record of his death. The register of burials in 

 the parish of St. Martin-in-the-Fields contains this entry — 

 " IG.jO, Aug. 6, John Parkinson sepultus." Guided by the in- 

 scription on his portrait we thus learn that his death occurred 

 in his eighty-third year. 



During the Protectorate I find no notice of him, but among 

 the State Papers of the date of May, 1660, there is an order 

 for a grant to Dr. Robert Morison of the ofiaces of botanical 

 physician and chief herbalist to the king (Charles II.), in the 

 place of Matthias de Lobell and John Parkinson, with the 



