52 ROYAL GARDENS 



intelligence that first and last, she despised the said Duke 

 Casimir. Therefore I did write back, from London to his 

 father and him in cipher dissuading them to meddle any more 

 in that marriage." A few months later Melville was back 

 again at Hampton Court, this time as special representative of 

 the young Scotch Queen. His writings contain some quaint 

 accounts of interviews he had with Elizabeth, several of which 

 took place in the garden. 



From letters and diaries of other visitors in her reign the 

 gardens were noted for " sundry bowers for places of recreation 

 and solace," and for " the rosemary so nailed and planted to 

 the walls as to cover them entirely." About this time many 

 new plants were introduced. Harrison in his Description of 

 England says, " If you looke into our gardens annexed to our 

 houses, how wonderfullie is their beautie increased, not onlie 

 with floures and varieties of curious and costlie workmanship, 

 but also with rare and medicinal hearbes sought up in the 

 land within these fortie yeares." He then describes his own 

 garden in detail, and continues, " If therefore my little plot, 

 void of all art in keeping, be so well furnished, what shall we 

 think of Hampton Court ? " The Duke of Wirtemburg, who 

 visited the palace in 1592, gives a description in his diary, 

 and says, "... many beautiful gardens, both for pleasure 

 and ornament — some planted with nothing but rosemary ; 

 others laid out with various other plants, which are trained, 

 intertwined, and trimmed in so wonderfull a manner, and in 

 such extraordinary shapes, that the like could not easily be 

 found." 



James I. spent much time at Hampton Court, and was 

 very fond of hunting in its parks. Politically, during his 

 reign, it is famous as having been the scene of the notorious 

 but abortive conference between Churchmen and Presbyterians. 

 Of the palace and grounds at this period. Prince Otto, son of 

 Landgrave Maurice of Hesse, who visited it in 161 1, says in 

 the course of an interesting description, " The palace has seven 

 courts and two fine gardens, and five parks." And about the 

 same time, Ernest Duke of Saxe- Weimar records, " The plea- 



