of gardening among the Ancients. 307 
banks of the river Iliflus, and under the (hade 
of the Platane; but no artificial arrangement of 
obje&s is mentioned, nor any thing which will 
lead us to imagine the profpedl to be any other 
than merely natural. The beauty of this de- 
fcription was fo much admired, by fucceeding 
writers of philofophic dialogues,* that it was 
frequently imitated, and, at laft, to fuch a de¬ 
gree, that it appeared ridiculous and difguftful, 
as we may fuppofe from the caution given by 
Plutarchf againft fuch attempts, in the proems 
to difcourfes. 
The Romans feem to have early imbibed fome- 
what of a tafte for gardens. 
Tarquin the Proud, is faid to have commu¬ 
nicated his intentions to his fon, concerning his 
conduit to the people of Gabii,^ by (hiking off 
the heads of the flowers in his garden, 
* Cicero was a great admirer of this paflage in Plato; 
Qua: (Platanus) videtur non tam ipfa aquula quam Pla- 
tonis oratione creviffe. De oracore. Lib. I. § 15. 
•f A^eXe TS hoyov TO »VV IfOVOUOV T £ Y.X\ CXIuq 
V.xi ay.a xxi \ax.xu<v tf'i xS'fOfx.xi; kcu oca. aWx Toiovrux tottu* 
(Trt^afjCfjanji y7it%ptra.i rtu TlAaTviof Wiccov >;ai tov ayvot 
txutot) x.Ui t vj Yiftuct -jrfojvaTV) TToan Tr.pvxtav •n’poQv/x.crtfov >j 
xaMio* £ 7 rtygx(psc$ai. Plutarch Amator. ad Initium. 
x Livii Lib. I. Cap. 54.. Luc. Flor. C. 8. Dionyf. Itallic. 
It appears from all thefe accounts, that the garden was 
adjacent or contiguous to the palace. 
X 2 I fee 
