136 Gleanings from the 



by a river-fide, muft; s needs be a deledtable recrea- 

 tion." And he names the prince's garden at 

 Ferrara, Fontainebleau, " the Pope's Belvedere in 

 Rome, as pleafing as thofe horti pen/ties in Babylon, 

 or that Indian king's delightfome gardens in ^Elian, 

 or thofe famous gardens of the Lord Cantelow in 

 France." Many of thefe wonders have been 

 eclipfed by modern marvels of greenery ; and fuch 

 lordly gardens as thofe at Trentham, Chatfworth, 

 Alton, and others, need fear no comparifon with 

 any predeceflbrs. And as for botanical gardens, 

 our own at Oxford may be worthily matched with 

 thofe at Nuremberg, Montpellier, or Leyden. 



From Saxondom to Chaucer is a long leap, but 

 the fcantinefs of chronicles, and the little leifure 

 granted men for gardening in the intermediate 

 ages, compel us to take it. With his pure love 

 for flowers and the country, Chaucer delights to 

 dwell upon the gardens of his time. Thus, in 

 the " Romaunt of the Rofe," is a garden, lying 

 four-fquare, enclofed within walls " inftede of 

 hegge": 



" The gardin was not daungerous 

 To herborowe birdes many one ; 

 So riche a yere was nevir none 

 Of birdis fong and branchis grene, 

 Therin were birdis mo, I wene, 

 Than ben in all the relme of Fraunce." 



It is worth while recounting the ordinary 

 furniture of this garden, as may be gathered 

 further on in the poem. Ordinary trees were 

 " laureres, pine-trees, cedres, oliveres, elmis grete 

 and ftrong, maplis, afhe, oke, afpe, planis long," 



