no A HISTORY OF GARDENING IN ENGLAND 
In the gardens typical of this age, between the flower-beds, 
and at intervals along the terrace or beside the walks, lead or 
stone vases were sometimes placed, either filled with flowers, 
or merely for ornament. Beautiful examples of lead vases 
still exist in some old gardens. At Drayton, in Northampton¬ 
shire, there are a number of these vases of different sizes 
throughout the garden. Two may be seen in the illustration 
of the pleached alley. Other ornaments were not so frequent 
as in later times ; “ Great Princes sometimes add statues and 
such things for state and magnificence, but nothing to the 
true pleasures of a garden.” 1 
Parkinson says a garden should have “ a fountain in the 
midst thereof to convey water to every part of the garden, 
either in pipes under the ground, or brought by hand and 
emptied into large cisterns or great Turkey jars, placed in 
convenient places.” Bacon writes : “ For fountains, they are 
a great beauty and refreshment; but pools mar all, and make 
the garden unwholesome and full of flies and frogs. Foun¬ 
tains I intend to be of two natures ; the one that sprinkleth 
or spouteth water, the other a fair receipt of water of some 
30 or 40 foot, but without fish, slime, or mud. For the first, 
the ornaments of images gilt, or of marble, which are in use, 
do well. . . . Also some steps up to it, and some fine pave¬ 
ment about, doth well. As for the other kind of fountain, 
which we may call a bathing-pool, it may admit much curiosity 
and beauty, wherewith we will not trouble ourselves ; as, that 
the bottom be finely paved, and with images ; the sides like¬ 
wise, and withal embellished with coloured glass and such things 
of lustre, encompassed also with fine rails of low statues.” 
In the ordinary garden the “ fair receipt of water ” was not so 
much embellished, being merely a straight pond with stone 
steps at each corner, the rest of the bank of smooth turf. 
November 25th, 1595, Sir Thomas Cecil wrote from Wimbledon 
to Sir William More, of Loseley, saying that “ hearing he has 
made divers great pools, he begs him to procure one skilful 
therein, as certain banks he has made that year about a great 
pool, have given way through unskilfulness of the workmen.” 2 
The pools at Loseley must have been some time in existence f 
1 Bacon. 2 MS. letter at Loseley, Surrey. 
