MONASTIC GARDENING 3 



remains of villas, mosaic pavements, baths, roads, and bridges 

 have been left by that nation ? — it was fully a thousand years 

 before anything as beautiful was again seen in our Island. 



The fall of the Roman Empire, and the subsequent invasions 

 of barbarians, struck a death-blow to gardening as well as to all 

 other peaceful arts. During the stormy years which succeeded 

 the Roman rule in Britain, nearly all knowledge of horticulture 

 must have died out. Only such plants as were thoroughly 

 naturalized and acclimatized would be strong enough to con- 

 tinue to grow when not properly cultivated. 



The few Saxon names of plants which can be traced to the 

 Latin seem to identify these hardy survivors, or at any rate 

 show that the Anglo-Saxons were well acquainted with many 

 of the Roman plant-names. The following list, given by Mr. 

 Earle in English Plant Names, clearly shows their Latin origin : 



1 Beam = the living tree, as Ger. *' Baum." 



