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La Quintinie, Jean de (cent.) 
John Evelyn in ’’The Compleat Gardener” (1693), includes 
*^Directions concerning melons” with a preliminary note: ”It 
is now more than twenty years since Monsieur De La Quintinye, 
being in England, that receiving the Honor of a visit from him 
at my House, and falling into a Discourse of Gardens, he after¬ 
wards (on my request) sent me some Directions from Paris, con¬ 
cerning the Ordering of Melons; it being in Effect the same 
(thoiigh somewhat more ample) which was about that time pub¬ 
lished by Mr. Oldenburg. [Henry Oldenburg was the secretary 
of the Royal Society] It may not perhaps be unwelcome to our 
Gard’ner, or improperly annex’d to this useful part of Horti¬ 
culture; especially coming from the most Experienc’d in rela¬ 
tion to this delicious fruit: However (and for what Reason I 
enquire not) omitted as to any particular, and full instruct¬ 
ions in this long expected Work of his. I give it therefore 
in the Method I long since cast it for some Friends of mine.” 
J. Evelyn. 
In margin by this; **Trans. R.S.” On the page follcwing: 
"Directions oo ncerning melons" in "An advertisement to Ihe 
curious", Evelyn adds "It were to be wish’d that the Author 
(whom I had the Honor to know) had lived to put his last Hand 
to this whole Work and added to his Potagere, the Culture of 
Melons in which he was the most Exquisite Master". 
His statement that his version is in "effect the same 
(though somewhat more ample)" as that publii^ed in the Phil. 
Trans, seems just. There are differences in arrangenent, as 
tho letters with practically the same content had been writ¬ 
ten to different people, and also many differences in phras¬ 
ing, as tho two people had translated the same thing. These 
English letters in the Phil. Trans, were translated back into 
French by A. Landrin in 1865. _ . 
