Jhe PREFACE. ifi 



that cheerful Deity with his beauteous Pro- 

 duce, and in elevating his Statue above the 

 Rabble of thofe fiditious and bloody Damons^ 

 rather than Deities, common amongft the 

 Antientis. 



But that Agriculture and Gard'ning, ab- 

 ftraded from the Profits of it, was fo very 

 folid, durable, and delightful an Employ, 

 plac d above the moft refined Pleafures of An- 

 tiquity (not inferior to the Seraphick Enter- 

 tainments of Mufick and Poetry) ancient 

 Hiftory undeniably proves 5 and that the 

 ancienteft and politeft Heathens formed the 

 greateft Conceptions, and the moft elevnted 

 Notions they had of Heaven and a Future 

 State, from the incomparable Beauties of the 

 Garden 5 the Writings of their Poets and 

 Hiftoriahs do every-where declare 3 their 

 Elyziu7n being no other than the happy and 

 regular Diftribution, and cheerful Afped 

 of pleafant Gardens, Meadows, and Fields, 

 and had its Original and Etymological Deri- 

 vation fi^m the feveral Roots out of the Ori- 

 ental Languages, implying the exalted No- 

 tions of Joy, Happinefs, and Pleafurc, and 

 the other unbounded Felicities of Nature, 

 in her greateft Glory, the fublimeft Height 

 thofe adumbrated Minds could at that time 

 poffibly amount to. 



-Of the like. Import doubtlefs was Paradife, 



which properly fignifics Gardens of Pleafi^rej 



the Refidence of Angelick and Happy Souls, 



unfuUied with Guilt, and of Duration equal 



a 2 with 



