xx. 



GARDENS OLD AND NEW. 



\vasa descent to a lawn surrounded by a walk of cut evergreens. 

 Beyond the lawn was a circus, such as has since existed in 

 many gardens, and it was fenced in by a box-covered wall. It 

 was observable, as the younger Pliny wrote to Apollinaris, 

 that up to this point Art had done everything, but that beyond 

 were meadows and fields interspersed with thickets owing 

 many beauties to Nature. Pliny had also a dining-room 

 opening upon one end of a terrace, and looking out over the 

 country, and there were other features which were precursors 

 of that English garden which possessed the character that has 

 been alluded to. It was a garden generally upon the plan of a 

 parallelogram, often having several rectangular enclosures. 

 Nine large complete squares or "knots" were in the 

 famous gardens at Theobalds. Gervase Markham, who 

 added much to the well-known " Maison Rustique " (1616), 

 gave many shapes for gardens ; they might be square, round, 

 oval, or diamond-shaped, and he commended it as desirable 



fine banqueting-house in the garden of his mind. Four such 

 houses were in the Countess of Bedford's garden at Moor 

 Park in Hertfordshire, two being at each end of the terrace 

 walk, and two at the terminations of the arcades which ran 

 out from the house to enclose a quadrangular space. Such 

 enclosed gardens and garden-houses indicate that great use 

 was made of the pleasaunce, and that men lived much therein. 

 In the time of Louis XIV. the fashion spread greatly, and the 

 French carried their houses, as it were, into their gardens, by 

 building dining and draw ing rooms in the open air, with 

 salons, cabinets de verdure, and theatres amid the groves, 

 where the masques of Moliere were many times enacted. 

 It is obvious that in these garden structures the architect had 

 rare opportunities, and perhaps no more choice examples of 

 such work can be found in England than in the charming 

 creations of Montacute. 



Bacon, having in view his terraces and houses, said of the 



THE SOUTH WALK, HIGHNAM. 



that gardens should rise in level above level, "which is 

 exceeding beautiful! to the eie, and very beneficial! to your 

 flowers and fruit trees, especially if such ascents have the 

 benefit of the sun rising upon them." The famous Palissy, the 

 great French potter, who was also a gardener, regarded the 

 rectangle as the right form for his pleasaunce, with an issue 

 beyond it into a meadow. The garden was to be divided, as 

 in many existing English gardens, into four equal parts by 

 cross alleys, with a little amphitheatre in the middle, and at 

 each of the corners an arbour, and four others at the ends of 

 the alleys. These arbours, refreshment-places, or banqueting- 

 rooms, were a common feature in the surroundings of old 

 English houses, and were often extremely beautiful. 



Bacon's garden was also a rectangle, encompassed on all 

 the four sides with a stately arched hedge, and a carpenter 

 w.is called in to fashion pillars for its support, and many 

 ingenious and curious devices were added. Bacon ;ilso had a 



garden that it was " best to be square," and the famous John 

 Thorpe made one design with the note that nothing should be 

 "out of square." John Parkinson, who produced his "Paradisi 

 in Sole Paradisus Terrestris " in 1629, remarked that, though 

 the orbicular or round form had excellencies, he thought the 

 four-square form the most usually accepted with all, since it 

 did best agree with any man's dwelling. " To form it therefore 

 with walks, cross the middle both ways, and round about it 

 also with hedges, with squares, knots and trails, or any other 

 work within the four-square parts, is according as every man's 

 conceit alloweth of it." The Pond Garden, still existing at 

 Hampton Court, which is illustrated, has been much altered, 

 but has its original rectangular enclosure formed by low 

 brick walls, in the corners of which are the bases of stone 

 piers, which once supported heraldic beasts, carrying the 

 King's Arms. Perhaps this was the parterre called Paradise, 

 with its banqueting-house, which attracted the notice 



