5 8 Gleanings in Old Garden Literature. 



The orange, which forms, as we perceive, 

 part of Neckam's twelfth century list, soon 

 became a favourite, and was a comparatively 

 cheap fruit in this country. It appears from 

 one of the Household Books that in 1480 

 ten were to be had for a silver penny ; but 

 in 1290 some had come over from Spain, and 

 were purchased for the Queen of Edward I., 

 Eleanor of Castile. They are described in 

 the record as Pomes de Orange ; and they 

 are associated with a variety of other fruit, 

 so that there is little doubt that the Seville 

 orange, imported thither from Arabia, is 

 meant, more especially as the Spanish 

 parentage and tastes of Eleanor were calcu- 

 lated to favour the importation of the pro- 

 duce of her native land. Yet Sir Antonio 

 More painted Sir Thomas Gresham with an 

 orange in his hand, as the introducer of it 

 into England. He was no more entitled to 

 that distinction than the Flamborough family 

 mentioned in the Vicar of Wakefield. 



The account of Johannes de Garlandia 

 (an English resident in France) of his own 

 garden at Paris is not very dissimilar from 



