THE LURE OF THE GARDEN 



ing things hand in hand with the new birth of lyric song. 

 The Minnesinger, wandering over Germany, sang not 

 only of his lady, but, looking about him and discovering 

 the lily and the rose, the freshness of spring and the 

 bird in the tree, he found nature to be beautiful and 

 celebrated it in as lovely strophes as have ever been 

 sung. It was long before the time of formal gardens ; 

 but the happy knights and their ladies went out into the 

 green meadows and flowering woods, holding court: 



Where played a flowing fountain 



With fresh clear life inherent 



And as the sun transparent . . . 



Their ample court and their wide hall 



Were the linden green and tall, 



The sunshine and the shadow, 



The spring and the meadow, 



Grass, flowers, leaves, and blossom. . . . 



These lines by Gottfried von Strassburgh date back to 

 the first few years of this great century. It was a time 

 that saw the beginning of much we now term modern ; 

 and the perception of the social value of nature assisted 

 by art was one of its most charming discoveries. 



In the England of the sixteenth century the gardens 

 as well as the society were less formal, simpler, rougher 

 than the Italian, depending more on nature than on art 

 for their appeal. We have a fine picture of an English 

 festival occurring in the gardens and park of Kenilworth 

 during a visit of Queen Elizabeth to Lord Leicester. 

 As the maiden queen and her escort entered the con- 



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