PARK AND CEMETERY. 
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fond of summer palaces surrounded by gardens, and 
their clear sky and bright sunlight caused them to de- 
velope a type suited to their climate. Their gardens were 
rectangular as before, and their lines suited to frame the 
architecture. Terraces, circular stairs and all their Ro- 
man inheritance were developed to the utmost. Par- 
terres, that is, portions of the garden forming a complete 
plan in itself were a feature of the style; labyrinths 
brought to them through the Middle Ages from the Per- 
sians were in great favor, while costly exotics made the 
Italian garden famous throughout Europe, Such was the 
development of gardening when Louis XIV. began his 
career, and such were the materials which Le Notre, the 
creator of the French style of gardening, made use of in 
masterpieces of garden art. 
Andre Le Notre was born at Paris in 1613, passing 
the prime of his life in the earlier and more brilliant 
part of the reign of Louis XIV. Though of peasant or- 
igin, he began existence under more favorable condi- 
tions than most of his class. His father was intendant of 
the gardens of the Tuileries, and was ambitious for his 
son in the arts. Le Notre studied painting under Vonet 
with Le Brun with such success as to bid fair to distin- 
guish himself in that branch of ait. His aptitude for ar- 
chitecture, his fertile imagination and his love for deco- 
rative art in the garden led him into gardening, where he 
showed such ability that he was made his father’s suc- 
cessor. Fouquet chose him to design his park and gar- 
dens of Vaux. The work was so admirably done that 
Louis XIV. was astonished and at once made him Di- 
rector of the Royal Gardens. It was he who laid out 
Versailles, now considered his masterpiece, and this was 
followed by the gardens of St. Cloud, Lceaux, Tuileries, 
Fontainebleau, St. Germain and others. Ilis fame went 
abroad. Either he or his followers laid out St. James 
and Greenwich in England, while Germany and Italy 
came to him for advice. It is not probab'e that he him- 
self visited England, as there is no distinct record of the 
fact. Indeed, Switzer, who was one of the last, if not 
the last, exponents of formal gardening, did not even 
know who it was that laid out ATrsailles. Le Notre’s 
peculiarities of character and intimacy with the king 
are illustrated by several anecdotes of him. While plot- 
ting out the gardens of Versailles he one day submitted 
to the king the principal features of his plan. As he ex- 
plained each portion, Louis would interrupt him by say- 
ing: “Le Notre, I give you twenty thousand livres.” At 
the fourth interruption Le Notre stopped him by this 
exclamation: “Your Majesty shall know nothing more 
about it. I should ruin it.” Indeed, one feature brought 
about by Le Notre’s genius, and which Louis could well 
admire, was his happy thought in turning the drainage 
waters of the marsh where Versailles was to be situated, 
since they could not be easily carried away into the 
canal which terminates the park. Le Notre was anxious 
to become acquainted with the gardens of Italy, and 
obtained permission to visit that country in 1678. Upon 
his arrival at Rome he was received in a distinguished 
manner by the Pope, Innocent XI., to whom he showed 
the plans of Versailles. At the end of one audience he 
said to the Pope: “I have nothing more to wish for, I 
have seen the two greatest men in the world — your Holi- 
ness and the King, my master.” “There is a great dif- 
ference,” replied Innocent. “The King is a great and 
victorious prince, and I am only a poor priest, servant 
of the servants of God.” Le Notre was delighted with 
this reply, and slapping the Pope familiarly on the 
shoulder, responded: “Reverend father, you seem very 
well indeed. You will bury the whole sacred college.” 
Innocent XL could not keep from laughing, and Le 
Notre, more and more delighted, threw himself on the 
Pope’s neck and kissed him. On his return to his apart- 
ments he wrote the affair to Bontemps, first valet de 
chambre , who had the letter read at a small reception of 
the king. The Duke de Crequi did not believe the de- 
tails of the incident and wagered that the enthusiasm of 
Le Notre did not go so far as to kiss the Pope. “Do 
not wager,” replied Louis. “When 1 return from a jour- 
ney Le Notre kisses me. He may well kiss the Pope.” 
After Le Notre had reached the age of eighty years he 
asked from the king permission to retire from his ser- 
vice. Louis consented on condition that he should 
come and see him occasionally. On one of his last vis- 
its, in the garden of Marly, Louis took him into his car- 
riage with him. Le Notre was moved to tears. “My 
good father,” he cried, “would open his great eyes if he 
saw me in a seat beside the greatest king in the world. 
One must say that your Majesty treats his mason and 
gardener well.” Louis had earlier given Le Notre let- 
ters of nobility and the order of St, Michael, and in 1675 
he wished to present him with a coat of arms. With all 
modesty Le Notre replied that he had his own — three 
snails crowned with a cabbage head. “Sire,” he added, 
“can I forget the spade which is so dear to me. Do I 
not owe to it the bounties with which your Majesty has 
honore 1 me?” Besides being a recipient of these honors 
Le Notre was a member of the National Academy of 
Architecture and one of the greater officers of the State. 
He died in 1700, and was buried in the Church of Saint 
Roch in a chapel which he had caused to be erected. 
Personally he was a man of large intelligence, scholarly 
execution, exquisite artistic taste, familiar with the arts 
in general and not unacquainted with the sciences. He 
is said to have been one of the original figures at court, 
a peasant with large shoulders, terrible face and rough 
carriage, joking and elbowing the courtiers with whom 
he mingled. 
Le Notre’s contribution to gardening is found in two 
qualities, feeling and grandeur. He united all his work 
into one great composition. He was the first designer 
to consider the work as a whole, and to look upon each 
of the innumerable details as a part of one great plan. 
He made verdure mingle with architectural forms to ac- 
centuate the outline. He placed statues to adorn the 
avenues and to determine their direction or serve as the 
end of walks. He introduced green sward, classified a'nd 
gave harmony to pastures and blended the movement 
of fountains and noise of cascades. He abolished ma- 
sonry walls and substituted earthen ones enfbrced by a 
moat in their place. He was the first to look for land- 
scape effect and commingled in some degree nature and 
design. At the same time all was on an'immehse scale, 
