16 THE BOOK OF TOPIARY 
gardening, and that the designs carried out by some of 
the artists were, to say the least of it, remarkable. As 
indicative of the progress already made, he states: 
‘*Your gardener can frame your lesser wood to the 
shape of men armed in the field, ready to give battell : 
or swift-running Grey Hounds to chase the Deere, or 
hunt the Hare. This kind of hunting shall not waste 
your corne, nor much your coyne.” 
In the reign of Charles II. (1669-1685), garden 
design and garden ornamentation reached a degree of 
extravagance not previously attempted and not subse- 
quently repeated. This was the time when Le Notre 
rose to be the most famous gardener in Europe, a time 
when Louis XI. was King of France (1643-1715). 
During this period there was a great striving after 
effect on the part of all possessed of ample means, 
while both aristocrat and plebeian desired and loved to 
be dazzled by brilliance or enchanted by the novel and 
singular. From Johnson we learn that during a 
residence at the court of France, Charles II. became 
enamoured of the French style of ornamental gardening 
introduced by Le Notre. This style differed chiefly 
from that already in vogue in its magnificence; every- 
thing was carried out more elaborately and regardless 
of expense. ‘The alleys were lengthened, but still 
there were alleys, jets d’eau, mazes, parterres and 
statues, clipt trees and mathematically formed borders 
as of yore.” It is said that the extravagance in garden 
ornamentation at Versailles was designed and carried 
into effect by Le Notre at a cost of two hundred million 
francs, or over £8,250,000. The great features were 
huge marble-edged water-basins, elaborate fountains, an 
abundance of masonry for the terraces, and clipped yew 
and box, making a sum total described at a much later 
date by Mr Wm. Robinson, in his ‘‘ Parks and Gardens 
of Paris” as ‘‘ the deadly formalism of Versailles.” 
