EARLY HISTORY 9 
consequently, where it was not at all necessary to 
cultivate this particular form of gardening, the desire 
for contrast and display led to a very widespread 
adoption of the art of Topiary. 
From the gardens of the wealthy Romans the taste 
for clipped trees and general formality of design was 
carried throughout the Empire. Doubtless the monks 
who carried the arts of gardening throughout the 
European continent took with them and put into 
practice a taste for Topiary. In their wall-encircled 
monastic gardens dense hedges would rise both for 
the provision of shelter and to afford additional seclu- 
sion, and in a modest way these would in all probability 
be embellished by verdant sculptures. 
But it was much later than this that Topiary com- 
menced to be one of the chief features of garden design, 
for with the corruption of the ruling powers came the 
decline of the Roman Empire, and then followed the 
Dark Ages wherein the clash of arms, coupled with 
deep superstition, put gardening, as a pleasure, out of 
the question, so that except in some few cases it was 
only conducted at all because of the necessity of pro- 
viding a meagre food supply. For long, long years 
war-like occupations were, either from choice or 
necessity, in the ascendant. But there presently came 
a time when peace again reigned and arts and commerce 
flourished; gardening revived, and in Italy where still 
remained many examples of the grandeur of Ancient 
-~ Rome, it soon flourished in the establishments of the 
wealthy princes. 
Although Charlemagne revived the art of gardening 
in France in the eighth century, he was not the kind 
of man to care much for garden display; he rather 
introduced useful fruits and encouraged the cultivation 
of herbs and fruits wholly from an economic point of 
view. So we are compelled by the lack of historical 
