GARDEN LETTERS 191 



they cal'd their Gardens were onely spacious plots of 

 ground planted with platans & other shady trees in 

 walks, & built about with Porticos, Xisti, & noble 

 ranges of pillars, adorn'd with Statues, Fountaines, 

 Piscariae, Aviaries, &c. But for the flowry parterre, 

 beds of Tulips, Carnations, Auricula, Tuberose, Jon- 

 quills, Ranunculas, & other of our rare Coronaries, we 

 heare nothing of, nor that they had such a store & 

 variety of Exotics, Orangeries, Myrtils, & other curious 

 Greenes ; nor do I believe they had their Orchards in 

 such perfection, nor by far our furniture for the Kitchen. 

 Pliny indeede enumerates a world of vulgar plants & 

 olitories, but they fall infinitely short of our Physic 

 gardens, books and herbals, every day augmented by 

 our sedulous Botanists, & brought to us from all the 

 quarters of the world. And as for their Husbandry & 

 more rural skill, of which the same author has written 

 so many books in his Nat. History, especial lib. 17. 

 18. &c. you'l soone be judge what it was. They 

 tooke great care indeede of their Vines and Olives, 

 stercorations, ingraftings, & were diligent in observing 

 seasons, the course of the stars, &c. and doubtlesse 

 were very industrious ; but when you shall have read 

 over Cato, Varro, Columella, Palladio, with the Greek 

 Geoponics, I do not think you will have cause to 



