126 Gleanings from the 



" Eve feparatelhe fpies, 



Veiled in a cloud of fragrance, where me Hood, 

 Half fpied, fo thick the rofes blulhing round 

 About her glow'd, oft (looping to fupport 

 Each flower of tender ftalk, whofe head, though gay 

 Carnation, purple, azure, or fpeck'd with gold, 

 Hung drooping, unfuftain'd ; them fhe upftays 

 Gently with myrtle band, mindlefs the while 

 Herfelf, though faireft unfupported flower, 

 From her beft prop ib far, and ftorm fo nigh ! 

 Nearer he drew, and many a walk traverfed 

 Of ftatelieft covert, cedar, pine, or palm ; 

 Then voluble and bold, now hid, now feen, 

 Among thick-woven arborets, and flow'rs 

 Imbordered on each bank, the hand of Eve ! 

 Spot more delicious than thofe gardens feigned, 

 Or of revived Adonis, or renowned 

 Alcinous, hoft of old Laertes* fon ; 

 Or that, not myftic, where the fapient king 

 Held dalliance with his fair Egyptian fpoufe." 



ProfefTor Heer has refcued fome of the plants 

 and trees which flourifhed in prehiftoric gardens 

 from the buried flora of Switzerland. Such were 

 the following cereals {mall lake-dwelling wheat, 

 Egyptian wheat, two-rowed wheat, one-rowed 

 wheat, compact fix-rowed barley, fmall fix-rowed 

 barley, common millet and Italian (fetaria) ; peas, 

 poppies, flax, caraway feeds, apples, pears, and 

 bullaces. 1 The gardens themfelves were probably 

 mere patches of land adjoining caves or lake- 

 dwellings, ufeful for producing corn and a few 



fruits. 



" Retired Leifure, 

 " That in trim gardens takes his pleafure," 2 



certainly did not haunt neolithic gardens. 



1 See Dawkins, " Early Man in Britain " (Macmillan, 1880), 



pp. 301-2- 



2 " Penferofo," 49. 



