THE DELIGHTS OF THE GARDEN 



41 



so the garden is often an indication of the 

 temperament of its maker. One might 

 almost judge a man by his garden. A 

 generous, benevolent disposition would 

 show itself in the planting of broad, 

 effective masses ; ribbon borders and 

 flower beds of geometrical design would 

 appeal to those of methodical turn of 

 mind ; an indiscriminate dotting of similar 

 plants in various positions might be 

 expected to show a love of fine display, 

 but a lack of knowledge and method in 

 making the most of opportunities. One 

 might suggest other analogies with the 

 certainty that, more often than not, they 

 would be in accordance with the facts. 



A most satisfactory 

 reflection is that for 

 centuries gardening has 

 been a joy and perfect 

 relaxation to the hard- 

 worked and harassed, 

 and especially, perhaps, 

 to the literary man. 

 One of the saddest 

 figures in the whole his- 

 tory of English litera- 

 ture is that of Alexan- 

 der Pope. Deformed 

 and crippled from birth, 

 denied many pleasures 

 common to the majority 

 of men, the life of Pope 

 demands much sj-m- 

 pathy, in spite of the 

 bitter and vengeful 

 spirit that animates 

 much of his writing. 

 How excellent it is to 

 know that Pope, the 

 genius, the cleverest 

 man of letters of his 

 generation, found solace 

 in the simple delights 

 of gardening in his 

 home at Twickenham. 



" This garden," says 

 Horace Walpole, " was 

 a little bit of ground 

 of five acres enclosed 

 by three lanes. Pope 

 had twisted and twirled 

 and rhymed and har- 

 monised this till it ap- 

 peared two or three 

 sweet little lawns, open- 



ing and opening be\ond one another, and 

 the whole surrounded with impenetrable 

 woods." 



Apparently Pope preferred the in- 

 formal to the formal garden, which he 

 thus satirises in his description of Timon's 

 villa : 



" His gardens next your admiration call, 

 On every side you look, behold the wall, 

 No pleasing intricacies intervene, 

 No artful wildncss to perplex the scene ; 

 Grove nods at grove, each alley has a brother. 

 And half the platform just reflects the other." 



" The picture of Pope amusing himself 

 with his plantations, directing old John 

 Searle, his gardener, and conversing with 



lIUNllMeKLE AND CKIMSON KAMBLKKS. 

 A "back-yard" Garden. Wollaston, Norlhants. 



6 



