HISTORICAL AND COMPARATIVE. 43 



Authorities agree in ascribing the introduction of 

 many other plants, fruit trees, and trees of ornament 

 or curiosity now common throughout England, to the 

 monks. And the extent of our indebtedness to the 

 monks in this matter may be gathered from the fact 

 that monasteries abounded here in early times ; and 

 the religious orders have in all times been enthusi- 

 astic gardeners. Further be it remembered, many of 

 the inmates of our monasteries were either foreigners 

 or persons who had been educated in Italy or France, 

 who would be well able to keep this country supplied 

 with specimens and with reminiscences of the styles 

 of foreign gardens up to date. 



The most valuable authority on the subject of 

 early English gardens is Alexander Necham, Abbot 

 of Cirencester (1157-1217). His references are in 

 the shape of notes from a commonplace-book entitled 

 " Of the Nature of Things," and he writes thus : 

 " Here the gardens should be adorned with roses and 

 lilies, the turnsole (heliotrope), violets and mandrake ; 

 there you should have parsley, cost, fennel, southern- 

 wood, coriander, sage, savery, hyssop, mint, rue, 

 dittany, smallage, pellitory, lettuces, garden-cress, 

 and peonies. ... A noble garden will give thee also 

 medlars, quinces, warden-trees, peaches, pears of 

 St Riole, pomegranates, lemons, oranges, almonds, 

 dates, which are the fruits of palms, figs, &c." * Here, 

 in truth, is a delightful medley of the useful and the 

 beautiful, just like life ! Yet the very use of the 

 term " noble," as applied to a garden, implies that 



* See " The Praise of Gardens." 



