JULY
A perfect summer’s day—Wild birds strong on the wing—They can mock at the terriers—My roses in full glory—My collection of Moss roses—Chinese larkspurs or delphiniums—Larkspurs of many strange colours—Chinese peonies—The glory of the tree peony—A hedge of Austrian briar—The hybrid teas—The charm and excellence—The gorgeous hybrid perpetuals—Irises and their beauty—Crimson ramblers and Penzance briars—The bower garden—The charm of annuals—The border beneath the old greengages—Marigolds—Stocks—Love-in-the-Mist—Sweet sultan and cockscomb—Sweet peas in lines for picking—Bess’s treasure—Great excitement—A great twittering in the great yew hedge—A cat the suspected cause—Greenfinches hover round us—I see a nest—We fetch the garden steps—A moment of glory—Alas! I fall, and heavily, in securing the prize—The treasure proves to be a young cuckoo—Terror of the children—Help at last arrives—I cannot spend the week, as I had intended, seeing friends framed in their gardens—The children flit off to Constance, and I am left alone—An afternoon of happy daydreams, past and present—The old Hampshire garden—The great gardens of England—Shipton and its charms—James I. of Scotland and his Quhair—The garden at Westminster where Chaucer wrote—Lord Bacon’s stately conception of what a garden should be—The charms of wild gardening—A talk about Bacon—His greatness and his baseness—Nonsuch—John Evelyn and his love of a garden—His ride along the Mediterranean coast—Elizabeth of York’s bower—Sir Thomas More’s garden—The gardens at Hampton Court—Moor Park and its beauties in Hereford—Sheen—Sir William Temple’s Moor Park in Surrey—His sundial—The gardens of the ancients—The garden where Epicurus walked—Where Solomon wrote—The Hesperides—The garden of Alcinous—Chaucer’s earthly paradise—Sir Philip Sidney’s Arcadia—The wreaths of other centuries—The extent of Theobalds—Kenilworth and its garden—The old delight of sweet scents—Bacon’s suggestion to surround the house with pleasant perfumes—Markham’s nosegay garden—Lawson’s delight in a garden—A word about the gardeners of the Middle Ages—Many of the gardens of the past are gone—The old home of the Newports—The old gazebo at Eyton—The garden in which the Masque of Flowers was given in 1613—The children return to me—How they spent the afternoon—Shropshire games—Kiss-in-the-ring—Dog Bingo—Bell-horses—Green Gravel—Wallflowers—Nuts in May—Three Dukes a-riding—Ring of roses—A-walking up the green grass—I lie awake—A volume of Milton—The charm of “Comus”—The beauty of the masque—The stately ruins of Ludlow Castle—Princes who have visited it in its days of splendour—The little murdered Princes—Prince Arthur—The Lady Alice—John Milton—His learning—Musician and poet, and a fine swordsman—Auguste’s gift—Burbidge’s roses—A word about roses—Stories about ladies who have disliked them in the past—Hals’ visit draws to a close—Bess broken-hearted—We leave for the seaside
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
| TO FACE PAGE | ||||
| [Wenlock Abbey in 1778] | [Frontispiece] | |||
| From an engraving after a drawing by Paul Sandby, R.A. | ||||
| [The Abbey Farmery] | [18] | |||
| [The Cloister Garden] | From photographs by kind permission of Messrs. F. Frith & Co., Ltd. | [32] | ||
| [The Red Walled Garden] | [62] | |||
| [Wenlock Abbey in 1731] | [94] | |||
| From Buck’s view. | ||||
| [“Mouse” at Home] | ||||
| From photographs by Miss Gaskell | [114] | |||
| [“Mouse” on a Visit] | ||||
| [The Chapel Hall] | [132] | |||
| From a photograph by Miss K. Wintour. | ||||
| [Sir Thomas Botelar’s House] | [152] | |||
| From a photograph by Mr. W. Golling. | ||||
| [The Abbey Ruins] | [174] | |||
| From a photograph by kind permission of Messrs. F. Frith & Co., Ltd. | ||||
| [Nest of Greenfinch] | ||||
| From photographs by kind permission of Mrs. New. | [186] | |||
| [Nest of Ring-ouzel] | ||||
| [Ruins of Wenlock Abbey in 1778] | [202] | |||
| From an engraving after a drawing by Paul Sandby, R.A. | ||||
| [The Lavabo] | [224] | |||
| From a photograph by Mr. W. Golling. | ||||
| [The Old Guildhall] | [246] | |||
| From a photograph by kind permission of Messrs. F. Frith & Co., Ltd. | ||||
| [The Oratory] | [264] | |||
| From a photograph by Mr. W. Golling. | ||||
| [Chapter House at Wenlock] | [292] | |||
| From photographs by kind permission of Messrs. F. Frith & Co., Ltd. | ||||
| [Old Wenlock Town] | [304] | |||