Another feature of the garden was the maze, or labyrinth. It was a
favorite diversion for a visitor to puzzle his way through the green
walls, breast high, to the center; and the owner took delight in
watching the mistakes of his friend and was always ready to give him
the clue. When James I on his "Southern Progress" in 1603 visited the
magnificent garden known as Theobald's and belonging to Lord Burleigh,
where we have already seen[7] Gerard was the horticulturist, the King
went into the labyrinth of the garden "where he re-created himself in
the meanders compact of bays, rosemary and the like, overshadowing his
walk."
[7] Page 33.
The labyrinth, or maze, was a fad of the day. It still exists in many
English gardens that date from Elizabethan times and is a feature of
many more recent gardens. Perhaps of all mazes the one at Hampton Court
Palace is the most famous.
The orchard was another feature of the Elizabethan garden. It was
the custom for gentlemen to retire after dinner (which took place at
eleven o'clock in the morning) to the garden arbor, or to the orchard,
to partake of the "banquet" or dessert. Thus _Shallow_ addressing
_Falstaff_ after dinner exclaims:
"Nay, you shall see mine orchard, where, in an arbor, we will eat a
last year's pippin of my own grafting with a dish of carraways and so
forth."[8]
[8] "King Henry IV"; Part II, Act V, Scene III.
The uses of the Elizabethan garden were many: to walk in, to sit in, to
dream in. Here the courtier, poet, merchant, or country squire found
refreshment for his mind and recreation for his body. The garden was
also intended to supply flowers for nosegays, house decoration, and
the decoration of the church. Sweet-smelling herbs and rushes were
strewn upon the floor as we know by _Grumio's_ order for _Petruchio's_
homecoming in "The Taming of the Shrew." One of Queen Elizabeth's
Maids of Honor had a fixed salary for keeping fresh flowers always in
readiness. The office of "herb-strewer to her Majesty the Queen" was
continued as late as 1713, through the reign of Anne and almost into
that of George I.
The houses were very fragrant with flowers in pots and vases as well
as with the rushes on the floor. Flowers were therefore very important
features in house decoration. A Dutch traveler, Dr. Leminius, who
visited England in 1560, was much struck by this and wrote:
"Their chambers and parlors strewed over with sweet herbs refreshed
me; their nosegays finely intermingled with sundry sorts of fragrant
flowers in their bed-chambers and private rooms with comfortable smell
cheered me up and entirely delighted all my senses."
We have only to look at contemporary portraits to see how essential
flowers were in daily life. For instance, Holbein's "George Gisze,"
a London merchant, painted in 1523, has a vase of choice carnations
beside him on the table filled with scales, weights, and business
paraphernalia.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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