:VJJ 



ing them to his customers at the lowest possible prico. You may think, 

 that in this stricture I bear rather hard on our profession ; but, since you 

 do me the honour to question me, I must tell you the truth." 



All this, we must own, is extremely deplorable. It places in a strong 

 point of view, the benefits that would flow from a society for the im- 

 provement of arboriculture, were it judiciously constituted, and the ne- 

 cessity there is for at length cultivating the art independently, and as a 

 separate department. There is now sufficient wealth, and, what is 

 of more importance, sufficient intelligence in the country to accomplish 

 the object, and for once to enable us to lead the way in this instance, in 

 the advancement of the arts. 



Note III. Page 7. 



It was not till after the civil wars, that the arts of planting and garden- 

 ing were greatly cultivated in England. The immortal Bacon, in the 

 preceding age, was certainly the first, who seemed to apprehend the true 

 principles of beauty in the garden, and 



Taught a degenerate reign 

 What in Eliza's golden day was Taste.* 



See his 46th Essay ; in which he directs, that a considerable portion of 

 what he terms his " princely garden" should be " framed, as much as 

 may be, to a natural wilderness." 



The genius of Milton, likewise, at a later period, figured for his Eden 

 a garden, which could have no prototype, but in his own taste and ar- 

 dent imagination, but which might rather seem to have belonged to tlie 

 richest garden and park-scenery of an after age. The passage is curi- 

 ous, and to some it has appeared not less prophetic than beautiful ; as the 

 only models, that were before our great poet's eyes, were the formal and 

 rectilinear gardens, which we derived from antiquity, and which still exist 

 in most parts of Europe : 



Not that sweet grove 

 Of Daphne by Orontes, and the inspired 

 Castalian spring, might with this Paradise 

 Of Eden strive. * * * The crisped brooks, 

 Rolling on orient pearl, and sands of gold 

 Willi mazy error, under pendent shades, 

 Ran nectar, visiting each plant, and fed 

 Flowers worthy Paradise; which not nice art, 



* Mason's English Garden, B. I. 



