56 A WHITE-PAPER GARDEN 



were the robes of Aurora, and of Hymen, 

 and of that 



"Lyric woman with the crocus vest 

 Woven of sea wools." 



sent to Cleon by Protus. Bacon would have 

 crocus in the garden of his dreams, and spoke 

 of them by the colours which they still wear 

 for us yellow, purple, white and grey. We 

 have but to look at the shadows in a blue-and- 

 white crocus to see that his use of the adjective 

 is true, and that his eyes were more discriminat- 

 ing than ours would have been without them. 



What a piece of work is that garden essay 

 of his ! After all the years, and even centuries, 

 that have passed since it was written, it re- 

 mains the crown and summit of all garden 

 words. Where else are written down delights 

 so ravishing as are condensed in those all too 

 few pages in which he who had " taken all 

 knowledge to be his province" tells of the 

 pleasure gardens he would have if he could? 

 Of all that he did or said or wrote nothing is so 

 well known and well loved as his garden essay, 

 which, like my own, lay in that part of Spain 

 known as Heart's Delight. Wise and simple, 



