200 THE DUKES OF MONTAGU 



the aim was as much decorative as historic, while in the latter it 

 was mainly historic. In James I.'s time the family arms were 

 found to be excellent objects for ornamenting important panels,. 

 and if at the same time they ministered to family pride, so- 

 much the better. In Duke John's case the aim of the heraldry 

 is not so much to provide decoration as to set forth the descent 

 of the ducal family and its alliances, especially the last alliance 

 of all, the marriage of the Duke of Montagu with a daughter of 

 the great Duke of Marlborough. It not inaptly illustrates the 

 attitude of mind of the nobles of the time, their assumption of 

 qualities which placed them on a plane above the rest of man- 

 kind, where "grandeur hears with a disdainful smile the short 

 and simple annals of the poor." The rest of mankind, however,, 

 concurred in the assumption, especially those who stood in need 

 of patrons, and the literature of the eighteenth century makes it 

 clear that noblemen and persons of quality wielded an influence 

 which made their goodwill worth cultivating. 



It was only fitting that such notable personages should be 

 worthily housed, and at Boughton the first two dukes sur- 

 rounded themselves with suitable magnificence. The splendour 

 was not confined to the house, it pervaded the surroundings as 

 well. The first duke planted a grand double avenue as wide as 

 the whole facade of the house. He laid out the gardens on a 

 large scale with parterres and wildernesses, long canals andyV/j- 

 tfeau (Fig. 136). The water of the canals fell over a cascade of 

 five stages into an ornamental pond. Intricate walks, some 

 curved and some straight, were left among the young trees. 

 Statues gave point to the vistas. The second duke carried on 

 the work both inside and outside the gardens. He planted a 

 network of avenues extending for many miles in all directions ; 

 some of them centred on the house, others pointed to neighbour- 

 ing churches, yet others converged upon an ancient oak marking 

 the spot where, according to tradition, the last wolf in England 

 was killed. They all linked up the ancient woods, remnants of 

 the old forest of Rockingham. Many old plans are preserved 

 at the house showing the growth of the scheme. There is also- 

 an ancient plan of St Cloud in France showing the forests and 

 avenues with which it was enclosed, and from the strong likeness 

 between the English maps and the French, it is not difficult to 

 guess whence the duke's inspiration was derived. 



The grandeur of the gardens has long been dismantled ; the 



