244 Gbe (Barren 



gaudy hotels, and suit the gallant and idle 

 society who paint the walks between their 

 parterres, and realize the fantastic scenes of 

 Watteau and Durfe. 



From what I have said, it appears how natu- 

 rally and insensibly the idea of a kitchen-garden 

 slid into that which has for so many ages been 

 peculiarly termed a garden, and by our ances- 

 tors in this country distinguished by the name 

 of a pleasure-garden. A square piece of ground 

 was originally parted off in early ages for the 

 use of the family ; to exclude cattle and ascer- 

 tain the property it was separated from the 

 fields by a hedge. As pride and desire of pri- 

 vacy increased, the enclosure was dignified by 

 walls ; and in climes where fruits were not lav- 

 ished by the ripening glow of nature and soil, 

 fruit-trees were assisted and sheltered from sur- 

 rounding winds by like expedients ; for the in- 

 undations of luxuries which have swelled into 

 general necessities have almost all taken their 

 source from the simple fountain of reason. 



When the custom of making square gardens 

 enclosed with walls was thus established, to the 

 exclusion of nature and prospect,* pomp and 



* It was not uncommon, after the circumjacent coun- 

 try had been shut out, to endeavor to recover it by raising 

 large mounds of earth to peep over the walls pf the 

 garden, 



