GARDENS : AT LAVINGTON, WILTON, ETC. 93 



But 'twas Sir John Danvers, of Chelsey, who first taught us the way of Italian gardens. He had 

 well travelled France and Italy, and made good observations. He had in a fair body an harmonicall 

 mind. In his youth his complexion was so exceeding beautiful and fine that Thomas Bond, Esq. of 



Ogbourne S' in Wiltshire, who was his companion in his travells, did say that the people 



would come after him in the street to admire him. He had a very fine fancy, which lay chiefly for 

 gardens and architecture. 



The garden at Lavington in this county, and that at Chelsey in Middlesex, as likewise the house 

 there, doe remaine monuments of his ingenuity. The garden at Lavington is full of irregularities, 

 both naturall and artificiall, sc. elevations and depressions. Through the length of it there runneth 

 a fine cleare trowt stream ; walled with brick on each side, to liinder the earth from mouldring 

 down. In this stream are placed severall statues. At the west end is an admirable place for a 

 grotto, where the great arch is, over which now is the market roade. Among severall others, there 

 is a very pleasant elevation on the south side of the garden, which steales, arising almost insensibly, 

 that is, before one is aware, and gives you a view over the spatious corn-fields there, and so to East 

 Lavington : where, being landed on a fine levell, letteth you descend again with the like easinesse ; 

 each side is flanqued with laurells. It is almost impossible to describe this garden, it is so full of 

 variety and unevenesse ; nay, it would be a difficult matter for a good artist to make a draught ot it. 

 About An . 1686, the right honourable James Earle of Abinydon [who had become possessed of the 

 estate in right of his wife], built a noble portico, full of water workes, which is on the north side of 

 the garden, and faceth the south. It is both portico and grott, and was designed by Mr. Rose, of 

 , in Oxfordshire. 



Wilton Garden was the third garden after these two of the Italian mode ; but in the time of King 

 Charles the Second gardening was much improved and became common. I doe believe I may 

 modestly affirme that there is now, 1691, ten times as much gardening about London as there was 

 Anno 1660 ; and wee have been, since that time, much improved in fbrreign plants, especially since 

 about 1683, there have been exotick plants brought into England no lesse than seven thousand. 

 (From Mr. Watts, gardener of the Apothecary's garden at Chelsey, and other botanists.) 



As for Longleate Garden it was lately made. I have not seen it, but they say 'tis noble. 



Till the breaking out of the civill warres, Tom 6 Bedlam's did travell about the countrey. They 

 had been poore distracted men that had been putt into Bedlam, where recovering to some sober- 

 nesse they were licentiated to goo a begging : e. y. they had on their left arm an armilla of tinn, 

 printed in some workes, about four inches long ; they could not gett it off. They wore about their 

 necks a great horn of an oxe in a string or bawdric, which, when they came to an house for alines, 

 they did wind : and they did putt the drink given them into tliis horn, whereto they did putt a 

 stopple. Since the warres I doe not remember to have seen any one of them. (I have seen them 

 in Worcestershire within these thirty years, 1756. MS. NOTE, ANONYMOUS.) 



[This account of the " bedlam beggars" so well known to our forefathers, is repeated by Aubrey 

 in his " Remains of Gentilism," (Lansdoione MSS. No. 231,) portions of which have been printed in 

 Mr. Thoms's Anecdotes and Traditions (1839). The passage corresponding with the above is quoted 

 by Mr. Charles Knight from the manuscript referred to, in illustration of the character of " Mad 

 Tom," assumed by Edgar, in Shakspere's play of King Lear. J. B.] 



