200 ENGLISH PLEASURE GARDENS 



as rays emanating from the sun which he typified in 

 his own person. To meet the requirements of the 

 king and this brilliant court, remarkable constructions 

 were not only attempted but completed on a scale of 

 grandeur scarcely rivalled since the time of Hadrian. 

 Royal palaces were built large enough to contain a 

 numerous assemblage of courtiers under the same roof 

 as the king. Magnificent gardens were constructed 

 outside these palaces, where not only Louis and his 

 court, but thousands of his guests including finally 

 the public at large were provided with suitable parade- 

 grounds. At Versailles, Marly, and St. Cloud, the most 

 celebrated of these gardens were rapidly laid out under 

 the king's personal supervision. 



Gardens in " A un roi majestueux il fallait un decor en conse- 

 withMng quence," states M. Georges Riat in " L'Art des Jardins," 

 continuing as follows: "The personality of Louis XIV 

 explains the horticulture as well as the art and letters 

 of his time. Just as the little gardens of the Middle 

 Ages had failed to suit the Medici and other great 

 Italian noblemen who found them too restricted for the 

 display of their court, so the king desired vast parks 

 symbolizing the immensity of his sway, where courtiers 

 and visitors of distinction would be impressed with the 

 new sovereignty. And as the writers and artists sought 

 inspiration in the masterpieces of antiquity, gardeners 

 also were inspired by these models. Extraordinarily 



