CHAPTER XV. 



GARDENS OF VARIOUS NATIONS 



LORD BACON, the great philosopher of the sixteenth century, 

 has shown his high appreciation for gardens by saying, that 

 " God Almighty first planted a garden, and indeed it is the purest 

 of human pleasures ; it is the greatest refreshment to the spirits of 

 man, without which buildings and palaces are but gross handy works." 

 And we find that the same sentiment, though differently expressed, may 

 be traced in the writings of the most ancient authors. For we learn 

 from history that gardens have existed from the earliest times on record ; 

 although with different nations, as with individuals, the same pro- 

 found feeling for Nature does not prevail, neither does the same dis- 

 position to cultivate plots of ground for the growth of plants. More 

 especially can this be seen in the various manners which different 

 nations, or even different individuals of the same nation, have in 

 their mode of laying out gardens. " My Garden," as previously 

 observed, was planned by myself; and though, like the great philo- 

 sopher I have just quoted, I have ever found it to be "the greatest 

 refreshment to the spirits," yet, as well as for recreation, I have 

 formed mine also for study and produce: "In lucem lucrum 

 ludum." 



Among the oldest gardens on record, are those belonging to the 

 ancient Egyptians. These were often of considerable size, and were 

 generally irrigated by canals communicating with the Nile. In them, 

 beneath the shade of trees, large tanks or basins were placed; and, 



