THE ELIZABETHAN FLOWER GARDEN 
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round with cisterns of lead into which the water is conveyed 
through pipes, so that fish may be kept in them, and in summer¬ 
time they are very convenient for bathing. In another room 
for entertainment very near this, and joined to it by a little 
bridge, was a noble table of red marble/’ 
Having now completed the survey of the several features of 
an Elizabethan garden, terraces, walks, alleys, mazes, mounts, 
arbours, fountains, and streams having been looked at one by 
one, it only remains to take a glance at it as a whole. The 
two following descriptions of a garden take in all these details, 
and are both contemporary, although from two very different 
sources. One is the description of a stage arranged to re¬ 
present a beautiful garden, on the occasion of the performance 
of a “ Maske of Flowers,” by the gentlemen of Gray’s Inn, at 
Whitehall, upon Twelfth Night, 1613, “ being last of the 
solemnities and magnificences which were performed at the 
marriage of the Earl of Somerset and Lady Francis, daughter 
of the Earle of Suffolke, Lord Chamberlaine ;” x the other is 
from Spenser’s Faerie Queene, the lines in which he pictures a 
perfect garden, a “ second Paradise.” 
The Maske of Flowers . 
“ The Daunce ended, the lowd musicke sounded. The 
Trauers being drawne, was seen a garden of a glorious and 
strange beauty, cast into foure quarters, with a crosse walke 
and allies compassing each quarter. In the middle of the 
crosse walke stood a goodly Fountaine, raised on foure columnes 
of Silver. On the toppes whereof strode foure statues of silver, 
which supported a bole in circuite containing foure and twenty 
foote, and was raysed from the ground nine foot in height, in 
the middle whereof upon scrowles of silver and gold, was 
placed a globe garnished with 4 golden maske heads out of 
the which issued water into the bole, aboue stood a golden 
Neptune in height 3 foote holding in his hand a Trident. The 
garden walls were of brick artificially painted in Perspective, 
1 This Maske was printed in 1614 by N. D. for Robert Wilson. It 
is extremely rare; the quotation is made from a perfect copy belonging 
to Mrs. Rowley Smith, Plawhatch, Bishop’s Stortford. 
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