246 GARDENS. 



and common farmers provide plenty of beans, 

 peas, and greens, for their hinds to eat with their 

 bacon ; and those few that do not are despised 

 for their sordid parsimony, and looked upon as 

 regardless of the welfare of their dependents. 

 Potatoes have prevailed in this little district, by 

 means of premiums, within these twenty years 

 only, and are much esteemed here now by the 

 poor, who would scarce have ventured to taste 

 them in the last reign. 



Our Saxon ancestors certainly had some 

 sort of cabbage, because they call the month of 

 February sprout-cale ; but long after their days, 

 the cultivation of gardens was little attended to. 

 The religious, being men of leisure, and keeping 

 up a constant correspondence with Italy, were 

 the first people among us who had gardens and 

 fruit-trees in any perfection, within the walls of 

 their abbeys 1 and priories. The barons neglected 

 every pursuit that did not lead to war, or tend to 

 the pleasure of the chase. 



It was not till gentlemen took up the study of 

 horticulture themselves that the knowledge of 

 gardening made such hasty advances. Lord 

 Cobham, Lord Ila, and Mr. Waller of Beacons- 

 field, were some of the first people of rank that 

 promoted the elegant science of ornamenting, with- 

 out despising the superintendence of the kitchen 

 quarters and fruit walls. 



A remark made by the excellent Mr. Ray in 

 his Tour of Europe, at once surprises us, and 



1 " In monasteries the lamp of knowledge continued to 

 burn, however dimly. In them the men of business were 

 formed for the state. The art of writing was cultivated by 

 the monks ; they were the only proficients in mechanics, 

 gardening, and architecture." See DALRYMPLE'S Annals 

 of Scotland. 



