THE MEDIEVAL PLEASAUNCE 75 



were also beasts and birds which sang delectably and 

 moved by craft that it seemed they were alive." 



There are a few architectural features now to be Architectu- 

 ral features 



seen in English gardens, which can be directly attrib- of oriental 

 uted to Oriental influence. Bath-houses, for instance, 

 were an Oriental luxury. Edward I is said to have 

 imported the idea of their use from Palestine, and to 

 have built the one existing near Leeds Castle in the 

 thirteenth century. It is now used as a boat-house. 

 Tents were another accessory to a garden adopted by 

 the Crusaders. They were made of rich tapestries, for 

 which the English were among the first of European 

 nations to obtain a reputation. Their usual form is 

 shown in the illustration, reproduced from one of a 

 series of tapestries in the Cluny Museum. 



The planting of the Oriental gardens was also much 

 admired by the Crusaders, and had its influence on 

 European horticulture. 



" La trovent un vergier qui fu tous ais d'olive, 

 Et de mout riches arbres qui sont de mainte guisse, 

 Et li vergiers fu jouenes et li ante florie." 



Oriental flora were now cultivated throughout the west importation 



of Oriental 



and north of Europe, as at an earlier period they had flora, 

 penetrated throughout Italy and other southern coun- 

 tries. The rose and the lily, both flowers of Oriental 

 origin, had reappeared as early as the time of Aldhelm, 

 the eighth century. The yellow Persian rose was 



