But this is nothing to the denunciation by Pope, which may be found in the _Guardian_ of September 29th, 1713. It is extremely humorous. He declares that “A citizen is no sooner proprietor of a couple of yews, but he entertains the thought of erecting them into giants, like those of Guildhall. I know an eminent cook, who beautified his country-seat with a coronation dinner in greens, where you see the champion flourishing on horseback at one end of the table, and the queen in perpetual youth at the other. For the benefit of all my loving countrymen of this curious taste, I shall here publish a catalogue of greens to be disposed of by an eminent town gardener, who has lately applied to me on this head. He represents, that for the advancement of a politer sort of ornament in the villas and gardens adjacent to this great city, and in order to distinguish those places from the more barbarous countries of gross nature, the world stands much in need of a virtuoso gardener, who has a turn for sculpture, and is thereby capable of improving upon the ancients in his imagery of evergreens. I proceed to his catalogue: “Adam and Eve in Yew; Adam a little shattered by the fall of the Tree of Knowledge in the great storm; Eve and the Serpent very flourishing. “Noah’s Ark in Holly, the ribs a little damaged for want of water. “The Tower of Babel, not yet finished. “St. George in Box, his arm scarce long enough, but will be in a condition to stick the Dragon by next April. “A green Dragon of the same, with a tail of ground-ivy for the present. N.B. These two not to be sold separately. “Edward the Black Prince in Cypress. “A Laurustine Bear in blossom, with a Juniper Hunter in berrie. “A pair of Giants stunted; to be sold cheap.” And there are various other lots equally remarkable and interesting. But the _topiarian_ art has never been either scolded or laughed entirely out of existence, and we all remember how many years later when Lovel first visits “The Antiquary” he found the house of Monkbarns “surrounded by tall clipped hedges of yew and holly, some of which still exhibited the skill of the _topiarian_ artist, and presented curious arm-chairs, towers, and the figures of St. George and the Dragon. The taste of Mr. Oldbuck did not disturb these monuments of an art now unknown, and he was the less tempted so to do, as it must necessarily have broken the heart of his old gardener.” NOTE III. A POET’S FLOWER-BED.