98 A Leaf from the History 



subject, with all its ornaments and circumstances, but God 

 only knows when my opportunities will permit me to bring it 

 to maturity." 



" In the Preface to the Acetaria, published in 1699, he men- 

 tions a work in which he had spent upwards of forty years, 

 and his collections for which had, in that time, filled several 

 thousand pages. The author of the Biographia Britannica 

 believes that this was the work part of which he had shewed 

 to his friends under the title of ' Elysium Britannicum,' but 

 which, in that Preface, he calls ' The Plan of a Royal Gar- 

 den,' «fcc. ; and that his Acetaria and Gardener's Kalendar. 

 were parts of it. This is confirmed by the preceding letter to 

 Dr. Boyle. 



" Among the MSS. at Wotton, there are parts of two vol- 

 umes with the running title of ' Elysium Britannicum,' con- 

 sisting of miscellaneous observations on a great variety of 

 subjects, but not digested, except a printed sheet of the con- 

 tents of the intended work as follows : — 



ELYSIUM BRITANNICUM, 



IN THREE BOOKS. 



Proeniissis proemittendis, 6lc. 

 Book I. 



" Chap. 1. A Garden derived and defined, with its dis- 

 tinctions and sorts. — 2, Of a Gardiner, and how he is to be 

 qualified. — 3. Of the Principles and Elements in generall. 

 4._0f the Fire.— 5. Of the Air and Winds.— 6. Of the Wa- 

 ter. — 7. Of the Earth. — 8. Of the Celestial influences, parti- 

 cularly the Sun and Moon, and of the Climates. — 9. Of the 

 four Seasons. — 10. Of the Mould and Soil of a Garden. — 11. 

 Of Composts and Stercoration. — 12. Of the Generation of 

 Plants. 



Book II. 



"Chap. 1. Of the instruments belonging to a Gardiner, 

 and their several uses. — 2. Of the situation of a Garden, with 

 its extent. — 3. Of fencing, enclosing, plotting, and disposing 

 the Ground. — 4. Of a Seminary, and of propagating Trees, 

 Plants, and Flowers. — 5. Of Knots, Parterrs, Compartiments, 

 Bordures, and Embossements. — 6. Of W alkes, Terraces, Car- 

 pets, and Alices, Bowling greens, Maills, their materials and 

 proportions. — 7. Of Groves, Labyrinths, Doedales, Cabinets, 



