"THE CURIOUS KNOTTED GARDEN" 69 



It became an extremely popular book before Gervase 

 Markham took hold of it. Markham became a great 

 authority on all garden topics and wrote and 

 adapted many books on the subject. From his edi- 

 tion of "The Country Farm" we learn that 



"It is a commendable and seemly thing to behold 

 out at a window many acres of ground well-tilled 

 and husbanded; but yet it is much more to behold 

 fair and comely proportions, handsome and pleas- 

 ant arbors, and, as it were, closets, delightful bor- 

 ders of lavender, rosemary, box and other such- 

 like ; to hear the ravishing music of an infinite num- 

 ber of pretty, small birds, which continually, day 

 and night, do chatter and chant their proper and 

 natural branch-songs upon the hedges and trees of 

 the garden ; and to smell so sweet a nosegay so near 

 at hand, seeing that this so fragrant a smell cannot 

 but refresh the lord of the farm exceedingly when 

 going out of his bedchamber in the morning after 

 sunrise; and while as yet the clear and pearl-like 

 dew doth perch on to the grass he giveth himself to 

 hear the melodious music of the bees which do fill 

 the air with a most acceptable sweet and pleasant 

 harmony. 



"Now for the general proportion of gardens. 

 They may at your pleasure carry any of these four 



