HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 



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of u-Qod, Stone and marble D-lunins. trclliscd porticoes and pavilions constituted the principal 

 features of these villa gardens, amidst which flocks of peacocks increased the variety of the scene 

 by the brilliancy of their plumage. The alleys and courts ^^■ere often covered ^^■ith mosaic 

 pavements such as may still be seen at Pompeii. .Marble, pumice-stone, porph)-ry, and mothcr-of- 

 pcarl, Ivories and precious woods, were all used in the construction of the sumptuous garden 

 fncliuia, or pavilions, placed beneath treillage covered uith foliage, where slaves served their 

 master and guests with fruit or cakes on massive gold and s!!\-or plate, whilst hydraulic organs 

 produced sweet melodies. Aviaries full of 

 birds o{ rare plumage, like tliosc in the gar- 

 dens of LucuIIus and Varro ; the finest 



productions of the scnlptor's art in vases and 

 statues— philosophers, athletes, Dianas, satyrs, 

 muses, centaurs, dogs, and wild animals. In 

 brief, all the richest products of the arts were 

 cmpluyed to ornament these luxurious villas of 

 the Augustan period, when Rome was in its 

 glory, and the arts and poetry nourished. 



Conser\^atories and hot-houses for the 

 protection of the more tender kind of plants 

 agaiubt cold, and for the cultivation of roses, 

 early melons, and grapes out of season, are 

 mentioned as early as tlie Hrst century. They 

 were enclosed with specularia, or \^■^ndows of 

 talc split into thin plates. It is also quite 

 possible that glass was used in place of talc. 

 Bf)th Columella and Pliny speak of houses for 

 forcing grapes and melons. In the house of 

 Maecenas at Rome a building was excavated i 

 1874, which is supposed to have been such 



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conscrvatoiy. Martial sarcastically wishes he were his friend's apple-tree, rather than his guest, for 

 it was protected from the cold by glass or talc, whilst his bedroom windows had none (^fa^tial, 

 viii. 14), and he compares the grapes seen through ihc hothouse windows during a frost to a lady in 

 gauze (Martial, viii. 68); he also speaks of conservatories of lilies and roses. 



The staff required to maintain the -ardehs of a villa was usnally a very large one. At the head 

 of all uould be the ' topiarius ' or 'viridarins,' entrusted with the topiary work. Topiarii are 

 mentioned by Cicero, and placed by him among the more re.M.ected slaves. Besides the ciittin- of 

 trees and shrubs, it was their duly to arrange the covering of the walls and tree-trunks with ivy, 

 evergreen, or acanthus, and also to assist in the disposition and care of the arbours and pergolas. The 



