132 A HISTORY OF GARDENING IN ENGLAND. 



says that vegetables "have been very plentiful in this land in the 

 time of the first Edward, and after his daies, but in process of 

 time the}' grew also to be neglected, so that from Henry the 

 Fourth till the latter end of Henry the Seventh and beginning of 

 Henry the Eighth, there was little or no use of them in England, 

 but they remained either unknown or supposed as food more 

 meet for hogs and savage beasts to feed upon than mankind. 

 Whereas in my time their use is not onelie resumed among the 

 poore commons, I meane of melons, pompions, gourds, cucumbers, 

 radishes, skirets, parsnips, carrets, cabbages, nauewes, turnips, 

 and all kinds of salad herbes, but also feed upon as deintie dishes 

 at the tables of delicate merchants, gentlemen and the nobilitie, 

 who make their prouision yearelie for new seeds out of strange 

 countries." Holmshed was writing to extol Elizabeth's reign, 

 and though a faithful chronicler of contemporary events, would 

 be tempted to colour them in order to enhance the glory of the 

 period he was describing. Although vegetables were now more 

 fashionable and more used, still from what we have seen of the 

 gardens of earlier times, it seems incredible that the neglect of 

 them had been so entire as Holinshed would have us believe. 

 Parkinson advises some vegetable seeds to be obtained from 

 abroad, especially melons, but says of many of those on Holin- 

 shed's list of seeds to be obtained from " strange countries, 

 Redish, Lettice, Carrots, Parsneps, Turneps, Cabbages, and 

 Leekes . . . our English seede ... is better than 

 any that cometh from beyond the seas." 



A striking proof of the progress gardening was making during 

 this period, was the growing importance of those practising the 

 craft in and around London, until at length, in the third year of 

 King James I., they attained the dignified position of a Company 

 of the City of London, incorporated by Royal charter. In that 

 year all those "persons inhabiting within the Cittie of London 

 and sixe miles compas therof doe take upon them to use and 

 practice the trade, crafte or misterie of gardening, planting, 

 grafting, setting, sowing, cutting, arboring, kocking, mounting, 

 covering, fencing and removing of plantes, herbes, seedes, fruit 

 treeS;, stock sett, and of contryving the conveyances to the same 

 belonging, were incorporated by the name of Master Wardens, 



