52G 



LANDSCAPE GARDENING. 



History. 



Minor jr. 



CHAP. I. 



First epoch, 



IfiOOto 

 200 B. C. 



Paradise. 



Garden of 

 Salomon. 



Garden of 



Ahasueuis, 



and of 

 Ahub. 



Garden of 

 Alcinous. 



Cardenof 

 Laertes. 



HISTORY OF OUNAMENTAL GARDENING. 



WHAT is known of the history of this branch of gar- 

 dening, may be arranged in four different epochs. 1st, 

 From the earliest accounts, that is, from about the tenth 

 century antecedent to the vulgar era, to the second 

 century before the same era ; referring chiefly to the 

 Jewish, and some of the Greek authors, as Moses, So- 

 lomon, Homer, Hesiod, Pausanias, &c. 2d, From the 

 above period to the decline of the Roman empire, in- 

 cluding the Roman poets and philosophers ; as Cato, 

 Varro, Virgil, Pliny, Columella, &c. 3d, From the 

 revival of the arts to the introduction of the modern 

 style, or what is properly- called landscape gardening, 

 about the middle of the 18th century; including Zano-- 

 ni, Clarici, &c. among the Italians ; Gesner, Trink- 

 house, &c. among the Germans ; Lobel, Liebault, &c. 

 among the Dutch, and the United Provinces ; Bertrand, 

 D'Argenville, &c. among the French; and Didymus 

 Mountain, Temple, James, Switzer, &c. among the 

 English. 4th, From the introduction of the modern 

 style to the present time ; among the principal writers 

 during which period may be reckoned Lauguier, Gi- 

 rardin, Wattelet, &c. among the French; Hirschfield, 

 Grohmann, &c. among the Germans ; and Shenstone, 

 G. Mason, Chambers, Wheatley, Mason the poet, Price, 

 Knight, Repton, &c. among the English. We shall 

 take a cursory view of each of these periods, and in our 

 progress, refer the more inquisitive reader to such 

 works as will afford him ample information. 



SECT. I. Asiatic and Grecian Gardening. 



The first garden on record is known to every read- 

 er. Moses, in describing it, no doubt intended to com- 

 bine every sort of excellence of which he deemed a gar- 

 den susceptible; and it is remarkable, that in so remote 

 an age, his outline should contain so much of general 

 nature. What was sketched by Moses, was al)ly com- 

 pleted by Milton, whose finished performance, as Mr. 

 Walpole observes, exhibits all the higher beauties of 

 the rural scenery of a modern country residence. Thus 

 the origin of gardening, as of moat other arts, is traced 

 to the eastern nations, through the writings of the Jews. 

 It is to be regretted, that Solomon has left so imper- 

 fect an idea of the manner in which his garden was 

 laid out, though he has made some degree of compen- 

 sation for this omission, by the hints of what it con- 

 tained. Besides fruits and odoriferous flowers, there 

 were baths, summer-houses, and water in various forms. 

 It was powerfully enclosed, as is generally the case 

 with eastern gardens to this day, for the sake of privacy 

 and seclusion. That it was contiguous to some of his 

 palaces, appears more than probable, from the circum- 

 stance of Ahasuerus, one of his successors, being men- 

 tioned as going forth from the banquet of wine into his 

 garden, and returning ; and king Ahab wishing to ex- 

 tend his garden, desired the vineyard of Naboth for 

 that purpose, " because it was near his palace." 



The next garden in the order of time, was situated 

 on an island in the Archipelago, on the confines of Eu- 

 rope, and is that of the Phoenician king Alcinous. It 

 is very minutely described in the Odyssey, and seems 

 to have been little more than an orchard "of four acres, 

 containing three or four sorts of fruit trees, some beds 

 of flowers or vegetables, two fountains to water it, and 

 a hedge as the boundary enclosure. That of Laertes, 

 also described in the Odyssey, was very similar to the 



above. Both appear to have been placed adjacent to History. 

 the house, ami evidently intended for use more than v "* "Y"^ 

 ornament. Orlyss. lib. v. 115. 



The paradises of Semiramis, or, according to Mr. Babylonian 

 Bryant. (Anal, of Ancient Mythology, vol. ii. p. 100, &c.) Pj 1 1 '^' 

 of a people called Semarim, ancient Babylonians, are o.,'^"^^ 

 the next in order. They were distinguished by their the city at 

 elevated and romantic situations, and also by their ex- Babylon, 

 tent. " When Semiramis came to Chanon," observes 

 Diodorus Siculus, (book ii. chap. 13.) a city of Media, 

 she observed on an elevated plain, a rock of stupendous 

 height, and of considerable extent. Here she formed 

 another paradise, exceeding large, enclosing the rock in 

 the midst of it ; on which she erecte^ sumptuous 

 buildings for pleasure, commanding a view both of the 

 plantations and of the encampment." 



Where nature did not furnish an adequate site, art 

 supplied the deficiency ; and hence those well-known 

 stupendous mechanical constructions, entitled the hang- 

 ing gardens of Babylon, and ranked among the ancient 

 wonders of the world. " This surprising and laborious 

 experiment," observes Mr. G. Mason, ( Essay on Design 

 in Gardening, p. 9,) " was a (train of complaisance in 

 king Nebuchadnezzar to his Medean queen, who could 

 never be reconciled to the flat and naked appearance of 

 the province of Babylon, but frequently regretted each 

 rising hill and scattered forest she had formerly delight- 

 ed in, with all the charms they had presented to her 

 youthful imagination. The king, who thought nothing 

 impossible for his power to execute, nothing to be un- 

 attempted for the gratification of his beloved consort, 

 determined to raise woods and terraces, even within the 

 precincts of the city, equal to those by which her na- 

 tive country was diversified." 



The word paradise, among the eastern nations, seems 

 to have had different shades of meaning, as well ass the 

 word garden of modern times The paradise of Alci- 

 nous was an orchard ; while those of queen Semiramis, 

 seem to have included all the external scenery appro- 

 priated to a country residence. 



Those of the Persians combined use with beauty. Different 

 Xenophon in his Economic*, makes Socrates say of the meanings 

 Persian king, " Wherever he resides, or whatever place of ihe worf 

 he visits in his dominions, he takes care that the gar- P ara d' se . 

 dens called paradises, shall be filled with every thing 

 both beautiful and useful the soil can produce." Me- 

 moral/. Socratis, lib. v. p. 82Q. Lysander finds the Persian 

 younger Cyrus in his paradise at Sardis. As he avows gidenj, 

 to the Spartan general, that " he planted the whole 

 himself,' it seems to have been of a more simple de- 

 scription. But another paradise at Celenae was very 

 extensive, and abounded with wild beasts ; and we are 

 informed, that the same prince there mustered the Gre- 

 cian forces, to the number of thirteen thousand." De 

 Cyri Exjtedilivne, lib. i. Aulus G^llius informs us, 

 that the vivarium, or park of the Romans, which, con- 

 tained game and wild beasts, was the same as the. pa- 

 radise of the Greeks. The Greeks, there can be little 

 doubt, would in this, as in other particulars, copy from 

 the Persians. 



The trees in the Persian gardens, were arranged in 

 straight lines and angular figures, and the ground was 

 covered with tufts of roses and odoriferous flowers. The 

 kings themselves often assisted, as we have seen, in their 

 culture with their own hands. A considerable variety of 

 trees were introduced, among which the plane .Mid the re- 

 sinous tribe seem to have held conspicuous places. The 

 Persian gardens, described by modern travellers, differ 

 little from the accounts derived from ancient writers. 

 Figuerosa, who was ambassador from the court of Spain 



