216 A BOOK OF ENGLISH GARDENS 



thing in his power to make it a success. In the 

 library at Hatfield is a document showing that over 

 20,000 Vines were planted, and the following letter 

 to Cecil shows where they came from : " Under- 

 standing your Lordship's speech yesterday, that you 

 are about to send some present of gratification to 

 M de de la Boderye (the wife of the French 

 Ambassador) in regard to your Vines, Lest your 

 Lordship's bounty which knows the true limitts of 

 honor of itself, should be misledd by my disesteeming 

 the things upon a sodayne when I valued them but 

 att ^40, I thought good to let your Lordship know 

 before it be too late that I misreckned myselfe for 

 20,000 at 8 crowns the thousand, cometh to near 

 ^50 sterling, besydes the carriage and besydes, the 

 Ambassador sent me word yesterday by his Maistr- 

 d'- Hostel that there are 10,000 more a coming 

 which he hath consigned to be delivered heer to me 

 for your Lordship's use." Besides all these plants, 

 Cecil had a present of 500 sent to him by the 

 Queen of France. " This evening came to me the 

 French Queen's gardener, that hath brought over 

 the fruit trees for the King and your Lord- 

 ship," writes his steward. The Gardener mentioned 

 here was probably Pierre Collin, to whom the 

 arrangement and planting was left. Notwithstand- 

 ing these efforts the Vineyard at Hatfield was 

 doomed to failure and only existed a few years, 

 the last mention of it being in 1638. 



