a spot which had been garlanded with 

 bloom ; and so, many species were 

 lost and had to be re-introduced. 

 You will wonder how the flowers 

 came again to the land which had 

 been swept bare. It is a pretty tale, 

 for they crept in in the wake of 

 Christianity. The very earliest comers 

 from the south were the monks, who 

 came in little bands and gradually 

 built monasteries, and horticulture re- 

 vived by their efforts. Within the 

 walls of every monastery was included 

 a garden, for vegetables were so im- 

 portant a part of the monks' diet that 

 it was as necessary as sleeping-cells. 

 The monks were skilled gardeners, and 

 if they gave their chief attention to 

 vegetables the physic garden was well 

 tended, and there grew blossoming 

 plants as well as simples and herbs. 

 Even in times of war the monas- 

 teries were respected and the gardens 

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