82 
SHAKESPEARE’S GARDEN 
Be it moon or sun, or what you please, 
And if you please to call it a rush-candle. 
Taming oj the Shrew, IV. v. 13. 
One cannot proceed without alluding to the beauti¬ 
ful flowering rush, Botomus umbellatus, L. (Nat. Ord., 
Alismaceae), which shows its fine pink umbel above 
the waters of the Avon in close proximity to Strat¬ 
ford, and is also found in the river Stour. 
In the fruit-garden this month we have apricots 
and figs. The first-named is a plum ( Primus 
armeniaca , L.). Its name lends itself to a study in 
language. A native of Armenia, it passed to the 
West, and its name travelled with it, passing back to 
the East with constant variations. We have in Shake¬ 
speare “apricock,” older “abricot” and “ abrecot,” 
from the Latin proecocia (“ early,” as an early peach), 
and Spanish albaricocque , Italian albericoca, and 
even Arabic, al burquq. As Prior says : “ One would 
have supposed that the Arabs living near the region 
of which the fruit is a native might have either had 
a name of their own for it, or at least have borrowed 
one from Armenia; but they have apparently 
adopted a slight variation of the Latin.” It is said 
to have been introduced into English gardens temp. 
Henry VIII., and was known before Turner wrote 
his “ Names of Herbes ” in 1548, though it is 
doubtful if Shakespeare is not mistaken in placing 
it in the garden of Richard II., when the gardener 
is told to 
Go, bind up yon dangling apricocks. 
Richard II., III. iv. 29. 
And, lastly, we have Titania’s command to the 
fairies to be 
Kind and courteous to this gentleman 
Hop in his walks and gambol in his eyes; 
Feed him with apricocks and dewberries. 
Midsummer-Nighfs Dream, III. i. 167. 
