THE KING'S GARDENERS 33 



If its business use be superseded by more elaborate 

 inventions, its moral uses, its beauty, might have 

 pleaded for its continuance. It spoke of moderate 

 labours, of pleasures not protracted after sunset, of 

 temperance, and good hours. It was the primitive 

 clock, the horologe of the first world. Adam could 

 scarce have missed it in Paradise. It was the 

 measure appropriate for sweet plants and flowers to 

 spring by, for the birds to apportion their silver 

 warblings by. 



CHABLES LAMB. 



THE KING'S GARDENERS 



(Prom "King Richard II") 



Queen. But stay, here comes the gardeners : 

 Let's step into the shadow of these trees. 



Enter a GARDENER and two SERVANTS. 



My wretchedness unto a row of pins, 

 They'll talk of state ; for every one doth so 

 Against a change : woe is forerun with woe. 



[QuEEN and LADIES retire. 



Gard. Go bind thou up yon dangling apricocks, 

 Which, like unruly children, make their sire 

 Stoop with oppression of their prodigal weight : 

 Give some supportance to the bending twigs. 

 Go thou, and like an executioner, 

 Cut off the heads of too-fast-growing sprays, 

 That look too lofty in our commonwealth. 

 All must be even in our government. 



