THE GARDEN OF CYRUS 



semblances, both in art and nature, shall easily Ancient 

 discern the elegancy of this order. gardens 



That this was in some ways of practice in di- 

 vers and distant nations, hints or deliveries 

 there are from no slender antiquity. In the hang- 

 ing gardens of Babylon, from Abydenus, Euse- 

 bius, and others, Curtiusdescribeth this rule of 

 decussation. In the memorable garden of Alcin- 

 ous, anciently conceived an original fancy from 

 Paradise, mention there is of well-contrived or- 

 der; for so hath Didymus and Eustachius ex- 

 pounded the emphatical word. Diomedes, de- 

 scribing the rural possessions of his father, gives 

 account in the same language of trees orderly 

 planted. And Ulysses being a boy, was promis- 

 ed by his father forty fig-trees, and fifty rows of 

 vines producing all kinds of grapes. 



That the eastern inhabitants of India made 

 use of such order, even in open plantations, is 

 deduciblefromTheophrastus; who, describing 

 the trees whereof they made their garments, 

 plainly delivereth that they were planted /car' 

 opxovs, and in such order that at a distance 

 men would mistake them for vineyards. The 

 sameseemsconfirmedin Greece fromasingular 

 expression in Aristotle concerning the order of 

 103 



