60 ENGLISH PLEASURE GARDENS 



sits upon the green sod, and while the inclemency of 

 Sirius burns up the earth with his pitiless star, and 

 dries up the rivers, he (the sick man) tempers the 

 glowing stars, under leaves of the trees, into se- 

 curity and concealment and shade from the heat of 

 the day; and for the comfort of his pain the various 

 kinds of grass are fragrant to his nostrils, the pleasant 

 verdure of the herbs and trees gratifies his eyes, and 

 their immense delights are present hanging and 

 growing before him, so that he may say not without 

 reason, ' I sat under the shade of that tree, which I 

 had longed for, and its fruit was sweet to my throat.' 

 The concert of the coloured birds soothes his ears 

 with their soft melody ; and for the cure of our ill- 

 ness, the Divine tenderness provides many consola- 

 tions, while the air smiles with bright serenity, the 

 earth breathes with fruitfulness, and he himself drinks 

 in with his eyes, ears, and nostrils the delights of 

 colours, songs, and odours." 



Carthusian The Carthusians, belonging to an order founded by 

 ties. St. Bruno in 1084, dwelt in monasteries planned to 



isolate, as completely as possible, each member of the 

 community. This was to fulfil the rules peculiar to their 

 order, obliging them to live in absolute silence and soli- 

 tude. Each of the brethren, like the Egyptian monks, 

 occupied a detached cottage, to which was added in the 

 twelfth century a small garden cultivated by its tenant. 



