^^8 THE PRAISE OF GARDENS 



these heraldic beasts are the most conspicuous feature, bristling 

 over the whole garden.^ 



As an introduction to the Elizabethan garden we must return 

 to Italy, which, in gardening as in literature, at this time exercised 

 so potent an influence over our ancestors. 



The mediaeval Italian gardens are founded upon the Roman 

 villas evolving into fortified castles or monasteries, of which many 

 of them occupy the sites. Meason traces the relationship in the 

 later use of one of LucuUus's villas. 



One of the oldest is Bramante's Vatican garden, on the site 

 of the present Library of the Vatican. In 1549 the same architect 

 laid out the Vt7/a d'Este at Tivoli for the Cardinal Hippolito 

 d'Este, the friend of Ariosto, upon the site of the Emperor 

 H adrian^s 3'il]a. A view is here given of the Villa d'Este as if 

 appeared about 1765, 'darkly grav'd by Piranesi's hand,' in which 

 some of the many cypresses said to have been planted by Michael 

 Angelo are conspicuous. ' Terrace rises upon terrace and water 

 rushes down an artificial rock, spreading in a beautiful manner as 

 it descends.'^ 



The terraces rendered necessary by the hilliness of the ground, 



with flights of steps leading to the different levels; the piazzas for 



shade and air; avenues and plantations of olive, vine, and myrtle; 



, fountains, statuary, urns, and vases ; these are the decorative ele- 



\ ments of the later stately architectural Italian Gardens with their 



fine perspectives.^ 



^ The Inventory of ' Beestes in freeston barynge shyldes with the kynges armes 

 and the Queeny's,' is thus entered in the Chapel House Accounts, transcribed by 

 Mr Law: — 'foure dragones, seyx lyones, five grewhoundes, five harttes, foure 

 unicornes, serving to stand about the ponddes in the pond yard ; ' and the 

 ' paynting of 180 postes with white and greene in oyle, and sixteen brazin 

 dials for the newe garden,' is also chronicled. 



■•^ Wood's 'Letters of an Architect.' 



^ Much ridicule has been levelled at the Italian Gardens for being only 

 a means of walking up and down stairs in the open air ; but a witty writer has 

 retorted that the Italian finds but little pleasure in the melancholy monotony 

 of an English Park, and least of all in a large extent of level lawn ; and that 

 if you tell him that in this he was to contemplate Nature dressed^ he would 

 probably reply that he saw in it only Nature shaved. 



