THE CHARM OF GARDENS 



And this delightful Herb whose tender Green 

 Fledges the River's Lip on which we lean. 

 Ah, lean upon it lightly ! for who knows 

 From what once lovely Lip it springs unseen." 



Little did the dull ploughman think of Roses in tin 

 hedge, or Violets in the bank, he'd little care excep 

 for a dish of Pulse. Yet, all the time, curious men wer< 

 studying botany, dredging the earth for secrets, as tin 

 astronomer swept the sky. The Arviells, Gilbert am 

 Hernicus, were, one in Europe, the other in Asia, collect 

 ing good plants and herbs to replenish the Jardins d< 

 Sante the monks kept that in the thirteenth century 

 too, with war clouds everywhere, and steel-clad knight 

 wooing maidens in castles by the secondhand means o 

 luting troubadours. 



The Arts of Rome were dead, buried, and cut up b; 

 the plough. (How many ploughmen, such as Chauce 

 knew, turned long brown furrows over Roman vine 

 yards, and black crows, following, pecked at brigh 

 coins, brought by the plough to light.) 



All at once, it must have seemed, the culture of flowers 

 was in the air : Carnations became the rage ; the 

 men spent heaven knows what on a Tulip bulb ; bui] 

 orangeries ; sent Emissaries abroad to cull flowers i 

 the East. The great men's gardeners, great men their 

 selves, kept flowers in the plot of ground about thei 

 cottages ; gave out a seed or so here and there ; talke 

 garden gossip at the village ale-house. (Tradescan 

 steals Apricots from Morocco into England. A Care 1 

 imports Oranges. The Cherry orchards at Sittingboura 

 are planted by one of Henry the Eighth's gardener: 

 Peiresc brings all manner of flowers to bloom und( 

 our grey skies : great numbers of Jessamines, the claj 

 coloured Jessamine from China ; the crimson America 

 kind ; the Violet-coloured Persian.) 



56 



