168 THE SHAKESPEARE GARDEN 



Finally it came to England with other luxuries of 

 the Renaissance. Gerard had it in his garden, and 

 describes it as follows: 



"Out of a tuft of narrow leaves the stem rises 

 and terminates in a second tuft immediately below 

 which is a ring of large tulip-like flowers, pendulous 

 and golden yellow. Looking into the bells at the 

 base of every petal is a white and concave nectary 

 from which hangs a drop of honey that shines like 

 a pearl. In the bottom of each of the bells there 

 is placed six drops of most clear shining water, in 

 taste like sugar resembling in shew fair Orient 

 pearls, the which drops if you take away there do 

 immediately appear the like. Notwithstanding if 

 they may be suffered to stand still in the flower ac- 

 cording to his own nature, they will never fall away, 

 no, not if you strike the plant until it be broken/' 



The Crown-Imperial was, perhaps, of all choice 

 "outlandish flowers" the choicest. Parkinson gives 

 it the first place in the Garden of Delight, opening 

 his great book, "Paradisus Terrestris," with an ac- 

 count of it : 



"The Crown Imperial," he writes, "for his stately 

 beautifulness deserveth the first place in this our 

 Garden of Delight. The stalk riseth up three, or 

 four, foot high, being great, round and of a 



