PROGRESS OF GARDENING. 201 



labourer also has his garden, which is half his support, as well 

 as his delight ; and common farmers provide plenty of beans, 

 peas, and greens, for their hinds to eat with their bacon ; and 

 those few that do not are despised for their sordid parsimony, 

 and looked upon as regardless of the welfare of their dependents. 

 Potatoes have prevailed in this little district, by means of pre- 

 miums, within these twenty years only ; and are much esteemed 

 here now by the poor, who would scarce have ventured to taste 

 them in the last reign. 



Our Saxon ancestors certainly had some sort of cabbage, be- 

 cause they call the month of February sprout-cale ; but, long 

 after their days, the cultivation of gardens was little attended to. 

 The religious, being men of leisure, and keeping up a constant 

 correspondence with Italy, were the first people among us that 

 had gardens and fruit-trees in any perfection, within the walls 

 of their abbeys and priories.* The barons neglected every 

 pursuit that did not lead to war or tend to the pleasure of the 

 chase. 



It was not till gentlemen took up the study of horticulture 

 themselves that the knowledge of gardening made such hasty 

 advances. Lord Cobham, Lord Ila, and Mr. Waller of Beacons- 

 field, were some of the first people of rank that promoted the 

 elegant science of ornamenting without despising the superin- 

 tendence of the kitchen quarters and fruit-walls. 



A remark made by the excellent Mr. Ray in his Tour of 

 Europe at once surprises us, and corroborates what has been 

 advanced above ; for we find him observing, so late as his days, 

 that "the Italians use several herbs for sallets, which are not 

 yet or have not been but lately used in England, viz. selleri (ce- 

 lery) which is nothing else but the sweet smallage ; the young 

 shoots whereof, with a little of the head of the root cut off, they 

 eat raw with oil and pepper." And further he adds, " curled 

 endive blanched is much used beyond seas ; and, for a raw sallet, 

 seemed to excel lettuce itself." Now this journey was under- 

 taken no longer ago than in the year 1663. 



I am, &c. 



k "In monasteries the lamp of knowledge continued to burn, however dimly. In them men 

 of business were formed for the state : the art of writing was cultivated by the monks ; they were 

 the only proficients in mechanics, gardening, and architecture." See Dalrymple's Annals of 

 Scotland. 



