Mazes and Labyrinths: A General Account of Their History and DevelopmentMatthews, W. H.
History
Mazes and Labyrinths: A General Account of Their History and Development
Matthews, W. H.
Labyrinths; Maze gardens
We have already, in Chapter XII, drawn attention to a labyrinth-emblem
in the collection of the French writer Claude Paradin. A labyrinth of a
different type appears in the "Emblems" of Quarles (_e.g._, in the 1635
edition, bk. iv, no. 2). In this case we are shown a woman walking away
from the centre of what looks like a tall hedge maze, which has its
path on the top of the hedge! With one hand she holds a staff and in
the other a cord, the distant end of which is held by an angel located
at the summit of a round tower some way off. A winding path proceeds
from this tower to the gateway of the labyrinth. Here and there one
sees unfortunate beings who are slipping from the wall into the deep
crevasses below. A quotation from the Psalms, in Latin and in English,
accompanies this figure: "Oh that my Wayes were directed to keep Thy
Statutes." The labyrinth shown in most of the other emblem-books, where
one occurs at all, is a very poor affair and looks rather like a low,
flat fortress or an inverted cake-tin. A more realistic arrangement,
however, appears in the collection of Jacob Cats.
The Hampton Court maze has more than once figured in literature. One
appearance we have already noticed at the end of the preceding chapter;
another, of a totally different character, we cull from the _British
Magazine_ for 1747. Few people, one would imagine, look upon a visit
to this popular resort as an occasion for melancholy meditations, or
for chanting moral dirges, but a foreigner might well be excused for
reading the following lines as a justification of the reproach that
Englishmen take their pleasures sadly.
_Reflections on Walking in the Maze at Hampton Court._
"What is this mighty labyrinth--the earth,
But a wild maze the moment of our birth?
Still as we life pursue the maze extends,
Nor find we where each winding purlieu ends;
Crooked and vague each step of life we tread,--
Unseen the danger, we escape the dread!
But with delight we through the labyrinth range,
Confused we turn, and view each artful change--
Bewildered, through each wild meander bend
Our wandering steps, anxious to gain the end;
Unknown and intricate, we still pursue
A certain path, uncertain of the clue;
Like hoodwinked fools, perplex'd we grope our way
And during life's short course we blindly stray,
Puzzled in mazes and perplex'd with fears;
Unknown alike both heaven and earth appears.
Till at the last, to banish our surprise,
Grim Death unbinds the napkin from our eyes.
Then shall Gay's truth and wisdom stand confest,
And _Death_ will shew us _Life_ was but a jest."
This genial gem should be engraved on brass and stuck up at the
entrance to ensure that visitors, especially those of tender age, may
enter the maze in the right spirit!
Scarcely more cheerful is the view regarding mazes taken by "The Poet"
in Alfred Austin's "The Garden that I Love," where he speaks of
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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