THE ELIZABETHAN FLOWER GARDEN 113 



round with cisterns of lead into which the water is conveyed 

 through pipes, so that fish may be kept in them, and in summer- 

 time they are very convenient for bathing. In another room 

 for entertainment very near this, and joined to it by a httle 

 bridge, was a noble table of red marble." 



Having now completed the survey of the several features of 

 an EHzabethan garden, terraces, walks, alleys, mazes, mounts, 

 arbours, fountains, and streams having been looked at one by 

 one, it only remains to take a glance at it as a whole. The 

 two following descriptions of a garden take in all these details, 

 and are both contemporary, although from two very different 

 sources. One is the description of a stage arranged to re- 

 present a beautiful garden, on the occasion of the performance 

 of a " Maske of Flowers," by the gentlemen of Gray's Inn, at 

 Whitehall, upon Twelfth Night, 1613, " being last of the 

 solemnities and magnificences which were performed at the 

 marriage of the Earl of Somerset and Lady Francis, daughter 

 of the Earle of Suffolke, Lord Chamberlaine ;"^ the other is 

 from Spenser's Faerie Queene, the lines in which he pictures a 

 perfect garden, a " second Paradise." 



The Maske of Flowers. 



" The Daunce ended, the lowd musicke sounded. The 

 Trauers being drawne, was seen a garden of a glorious and 

 strange beauty, cast into foure quarters, with a crosse walke 

 and allies compassing each quarter. In the middle of the 

 crosse walke stood a goodly Fountaine, raised on foure columnes 

 of Silver. On the toppes whereof strode foure statues of silver, 

 which supported a bole in circuite containing foure and twenty 

 foote, and was raysed from the ground nine foot in height, in 

 the middle whereof upon scrowles of silver and gold, was 

 placed a globe garnished with 4 golden maske heads out of 

 the which issued water into the bole, aboue stood a golden 

 Neptune in height 3 foote holding in his hand a Trident. The 

 garden walls were of brick artificially painted in Perspective, 



^ This Maske was printed in 1614 by N. D. for Robert Wilson. It 

 is extremely rare ; the quotation is made from a perfect copy belonging 

 to Mrs. Rowley Smith, Plawhatch, Bishop's Stortford. 



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