58 



THE PRAISE OF GARDENS 



cokil shelles, to come to the top without payn. — '■Itinerary^ 

 1540 A.D. ((9/" Wressel Castle^ near How den ^ Yorkshire^ 



-^j\j\i\jf 



ANDREAS 

 CCESALPINUS 

 OF AREZZO 



(1519-1603). 



Cccsalpimis called by Linnaus ' P7'imiis Verus Systematicus' ; author of 

 ' Be Plantis Libri X VI. ' Florence, 1 583. 



TN this immense multitude of plants, I see that want which is 

 ^ most felt in any other unordered crowd if such an assemblage 

 be not arranged into brigades like an army, all must be tumult 

 and fluctuation : for the mind is overwhelmed by the confused 

 accumulation of things, and thus arise endless mistake and alterca- 

 tion. . . . For many years I have been pursuing my researches 

 in various regions, habitually visiting the places in which grew the 

 various kinds of herbs, shrubs and trees ; I have been assisted 

 by the labours of many friends, and by gardens established for 

 the public benefit,^ and containing foreign plants collected from 

 the most remote regions. — Wheweirs History of the Inductive 

 Sciences. 



— A/\y\jv^ — 



OLIVIER 

 DE SERRES, 

 SEIGNEUR 

 DU PRADEL 



(1539-1619). 



Agrononie, called ' The Father of Agrictdture ' — he planted white mulberry 

 trees in the 7'uileries Gardens under Henry IV., and throughout France, and 

 practically re-introduced its silk industry. \^^(), published * Treatise on the 

 Silk-worm,' and 1600, ' Theatre d' Agriculture.' ^ 



I regarded the residence of the great parent of French agriculture (at 

 Pradel), who was undoubtedly one of the first writers on the subject that had 

 then appeared in the world, with that sort of veneration, which those only can 

 feel who have addicted themselves strongly to some predominant pursuit, and 



^ One of the first gardens directed to the public study of Botany was that of 

 Pisa, in 1543, by order of the Grand Duke Cosmo I. : of this Coesalpinus was 

 the second Director. 



^ For Flemish Garden-design contemporary with De Serres, the plates in 

 ' Hortorum Vividariorumque elegantes Formae ' by Jan Vrederman de Vries, 

 Antwerp, 1583, 4to, are worth consulting. 



