1 6 THE BOOK OF TOPIARY 



gardening, and that the designs carried out by some of 

 the artists were, to say the least of it, remarkable. As 

 indicative of the progress already made, he states : 

 " Your gardener can frame your lesser wood to the 

 shape of men armed in the field, ready to give battell : 

 or swift-running Grey Hounds to chase the Deere, or 

 hunt the Hare. This kind of hunting shall not waste 

 your corne, nor much your coyne." 



In the reign of Charles II. (1669-1685), garden 

 design and garden ornamentation reached a degree of 

 extravagance not previously attempted and not subse- 

 quently repeated. This was the time when Le Notre 

 rose to be the most famous gardener in Europe, a time 

 when Louis XL was King of France (1643-1715). 

 During this period there was a great striving after 

 effect on the part of all possessed of ample means, 

 while both aristocrat and plebeian desired and loved to 

 be dazzled by brilliance or enchanted by the novel and 

 singular. From Johnson we learn that during a 

 residence at the court of France, Charles II. became 

 enamoured of the French style of ornamental gardening 

 introduced by Le Notre. This style differed chiefly 

 from that already in vogue in its magnificence ; every- 

 thing was carried out more elaborately and regardless 

 of expense. " The alleys were lengthened, but still 

 there were alleys, jets d'eau, mazes, parterres and 

 statues, dipt trees and mathematically formed borders 

 as of yore." It is said that the extravagance in garden 

 ornamentation at Versailles was designed and carried 

 into effect by Le Notre at a cost of two hundred million 

 francs, or over 8,250,000. The great features were 

 huge marble-edged water-basins, elaborate fountains, an 

 abundance of masonry for the terraces, and clipped yew 

 and box, making a sum total described at a much later 

 date by Mr Wm. Robinson, in his " Parks and Gardens 

 of Paris "as " the deadly formalism of Versailles." 



