48 THE SHAKESPEARE GARDEN 



Bringing the lightest to the deepest again; 

 With such rare art each mingled with his fellow, 

 The blue with watchet, green and red with yellow ; 

 Like to the changes which we daily see 

 Around the dove's neck with variety; 

 Where none can say (though he it strict attends), 

 Here one begins and there another ends. 

 Using such cunning as they did dispose 

 The ruddy Piony with the lighter Rose, 

 The Monkshood with the Buglos, and entwine 

 The white, the blue, the flesh-like Columbine 

 With Pinks, Sweet- Williams ; that, far off, the eye 

 Could not the manner of their mixture spy. 



By the side of the showy and stately flowers, 

 as well as in kitchen gardens, were grown the 

 "herbs of grace" for culinary purposes and the 

 medicinal herbs for "drams of poison." Rosemary 

 "the cheerful Rosemary," Spenser calls it was 

 trained over arbors and permitted to run over 

 mounds and banks as it pleased. Sir Thomas More 

 allowed it to run all over his garden because the 

 bees loved it and because it was the herb sacred to 

 remembrance and friendship. 



In every garden the arbor was conspicuous. Some- 

 times it was a handsome little pavilion or summer- 

 house; sometimes it was set into the hedge; some- 

 times it was cut out of the hedge in fantastic topiary 

 work; sometimes it was made of lattice work; and 



