C 2 43 ] 
Mr. Ray *, in the fecond volume of his hiftory of 
plants, which was publifhed in the year 1688, gives 
us a catalogue of the rare and exotic trees and ftirubs, 
which he had juft before obferved in the bilhop’s 
garden, which he at that time called hortus cultifji- 
tnus , novifque et elegantioribus magno jludio nec mi- 
nor e impenfa undique conquijitis flirpibus refer tijjimus. 
As this prelate’s length of life and continuance in 
the fee of London were remarkable, fo we find the 
botanifts, who wrote after Mr. Ray, moft frequently 
mentioning in their works the new acceffions of trea- 
fure to this garden; and of this you meet with a 
great variety of examples in the treatifes of Dr. Pluk- 
net, Herman, and Commelin. 
Botanical, much more even than other worldly 
affairs, are fubjeCt to great fluctuations ; and this 
arifes not only from the natural decay of vegetables, 
and their being injured by the variety of feafons, but 
alfo from the genius and difpofition of the poffefibrs 
of them. So here, upon the death of biihop Comp- 
ton, all the green-houfe plants and more tender ex- 
otic trees were, as I am informed by Sir Hans Sloane, 
given to the anceftor of the prefent Earl Tylney at 
Wanftead. And as the fucceffors of this bifhop in 
the fee of London were more diftinguilhed for their 
piety and learning, than for their zeal in the pro- 
motion of natural knowledge, the curiofities of this 
garden were not attended to, but left to the manage- 
ment of ignorant perfons ; fo that many of the hardy 
exotic trees, however valuable, were removed, to 
make way for the more ordinary productions of the 
kitchen-garden. 
H h 2 I thought 
* Cap. xi. 
