September  26,  1901. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
295 
Early  English  Gardening. 
( Continued,  from  page  214.) 
But  although  Britain  was  first  visited  by  the  Romans  fifty-five 
years  before  the  Christian  era,  and,  although  it  is  thus  evident  how 
much  they  were  alive  to  the  improvement  of  this,  in  common  with  all 
other  nations  over  which  they  had  spread  their  conquering  arms,  yet 
it  was  not  until  the  time  of  Agricola,  A.D.  78,  that  the  devastations 
and  turmoils  attendant  upon  a  war  of  subjugation  bad  ceased  so  far 
as  to  enable  them  to  win  the  attention  of  the  natives,  with  success,  to 
the  arts  of  peace.  By  the  strenuous  endeavours  of  that  distinguished 
general  the  natives  were  inspired  with  a  love  of  the  Roman  language 
and  acquirements,  and  when  the  legions  were  finally  withdrawn  from 
the  island,  a.d.  426,  the  Britons  were  left  comparatively  a  polished  but 
enervated  people.  The  art  of  cultivating  the  ground  was  a  principal 
object  of  improvement,  and,  during  their  possession  of  the  island, 
influence  of  the  tyr.mny  and  convulsions  which  shook  the  city,  and 
their  native  land  generally,  there  were  many  extra  temptations  to  adopt 
this  as  their  home.  The  teeds  of  improvement  having  thus  strongly 
germinated,  no  untoward  circumstances  were  afterwards  capable  of 
entirely  preventing  their  further  growth  ;  for  though  continually 
checked,  yet,  on  a  review  of  ages,  the  superior  civilisation  of  any  one 
over  its  immediate  predecessor  is  always  apparent. 
Immediately  after  the  departure  of  the  Romans — viz.,  about 
a.d.  450,  the  Saxons  formed  a  settlement  in  our  island,  and  a  series 
of  civil  wars  succeeded,  until  the  inhabitants  pretty  generally  hailed 
Egbert,  about  A.D.  726,  sole  sovereign  of  the  realm.  Christianity 
being  introduced  in  a.d.  507,  this  period  may  be  reckoned  as  an  epoch 
in  the  gardening  annals  of  this  country.  Independent  of  the  tendency 
it  had  to  Boften  the  manners  of  the  people  and  render  them  more 
domestic,  it  gave  encouragement  to  the  progress  of  the  useful  arts, 
and  of  these  gardening  was  one  ol  the  most  congenial,  for  it  helped 
innocently  to  beguile  otherwise  unoccupied  hours,  and  was  the  means 
A  ROCKERY  IN  DULWICH  PARK. 
became  so  extended,  that  not  only  were  large  quantities  of  corn 
annually  exported  from  it,  but,  during  the  government  of  Agricola,  he 
was  enabled  to  augment  the  tribute  which  had  formerly  been  imposed 
upon  grain. 
About  a.d.  278,  the  Roman  settlers,  finding  that  some  parts  of  the 
island  were  not  unfit  for  vineyards,  obtained  permission  of  the 
Emperor  Probus  to  plant  Vines  and  make  wine  of  their  produce,  a 
liberty  which  had  been  refused  to  them  by  the  narrower-minded  policy 
of  his  predecessor  Domitian.  Probus,  also,  to  preserve  his  soldiers 
from  the  dangerous  temptations  of  idleness,  employed  them  in  covering 
with  vineyards  the  bills  of  Gaul  and  Pannonia  ;  and  two  large  districts 
are  described,  the  digging  and  planting  of  which  were  by  military 
labour.  (“  Vopiscus  Hist.  August.,”  240.  “  Eutropius,”  ix.  17. 
“  Aurel.  Victor  in  Probi  vita.”  “  Victor  Junior.”) 
From  the  remains  of  Roman  villas,  and  other  records  of  the  state 
to  which  they  had  brought  the  arts  of  civilisation  in  this  island,  we 
have  every  reason  to  believe,  although  particular  evidence  is  wanting, 
that  gardening  was  likewise  improved  by  them,  so  as  to  be  in  every 
respect  similar  to  its  practice  in  their  mother  country.  The  Britons 
amalgamated  with  the  Roman  settlers,  who  were  very  numerous.  The 
veterans  even,  whether  they  received  the  reward  of  their  services  in 
land  or  money,  usually  settled  with  their  families  in  the  country  where 
they  had  spent  their  youth ;  and  in  Britain,  far  removed  from  the 
of  affording  luxuries  to  the  palate,  which  were  by  no  means  held  in 
contempt  by  the  monks  and  recluses  of  those  times.  These  were 
persons  of  education  when  compared  with  the  laity,  and  had  an 
intercourse  with  foreign  countries,  through  their  brethren,  which 
facilitated  the  communication  of  improvement.  Even  their  fasting 
from  animal  food  was  of  benefit  to  horticulture,  for  it  rendered  them 
more  desirous  of  superior  vegetables,  and  condiments  arising  from 
their  tribes.  Thus  Italy,  Spain,  Germany,  and  France,  countries 
always  abounding  in  the  ministers  of  religion,  became  distinguished 
for  their  culinary  vegetables  and  fruits.  It  may  be  added,  as  another 
truly  valuable  advantage  to  horticulture,  secured  to  it  by  religious 
establishments,  that,  whilst  the  couutry  at  large  was  devastated  by 
war,  their  property  was  usually  held  sacred,  and  consequently  many 
varieties  of  vegetables  were  preserved  which  otherwise  would  soon 
have  become  extinct  if  cultivated  only  in  less  hallowed  ground. 
From  the  example  of  the  ecclesiastics  the  higher  orders  of  the  laity 
acquired  a  similarity  of  taste,  and  from  these  again  the  fondness  for 
the  products  of  the  garden  and  its  improvements  extended  in  wider 
circles. 
Gardens  and  orchards  are  mentioned,  as  being  in  the  possession  of 
the  inhabitants  of  monasteries  and  other  religious  establishments, 
in  the  oldest  chartularies.  Of  orchards  many  traces  still  remain.  One  in 
Icolnmkill,  in  Iona,  one  of  the  Hebrides,  is  described  by  Dr.  Walker 
