Me thinks hitherto we haue but a bare Orchard for fruit, and but halfe good, so long as it wants those comely Ornaments, that should giue beauty to all our labours, and make much for the honest delight of the owner and his friends.

Delight the chiefe end of Orchards. For it is not to be doubted: but as God hath giuen man things profitable, so hath he allowed him honest comfort, delight, and recreation in all the workes of his hands. Nay, all his labours vnder the Sunne without this are troubles, and vexation of mind: For what is greedy gaine, without delight, but moyling, and turmoyling in slauery? But comfortable delight, with content, is the good of euery thing, and the patterne of heauen. A morsell of bread with comfort, is better by much then a fat Oxe with vnquietnesse. An Orchard delightsome. And who can deny, but the principall end of an Orchard, is the honest delight of one wearied with the works of his lawfull calling? The very workes of, and in an Orchard and Garden, are better then the ease and rest of and from other labours. When God had made man after his owne Image, in a perfect state, and would haue him to represent himselfe in authority, tranquillity, and pleasure vpon the earth, he placed him in Paradise. An Orchard is Paradise. What was Paradise? but a Garden and Orchard of trees and hearbs, full of pleasure? and nothing there but delights. The gods of the earth, resembling the great God of heauen in authority, Maiestie, and abundance of all things, wherein is their most delight? Causes of wearisomnesse. and whither doe they withdraw themselues from the troublesome affaires of their estate, being tyred with the hearing and iudging of litigious Controuersies? choked (as it were) with the close ayres of their sumptuous buildings, their stomacks cloyed with variety of Banquets, their eares filled and ouerburthened with tedious discoursings? whither? but into their Orchards? Orchard is the remedy. made and prepared, dressed and destinated for that purpose, to renue and refresh their sences, and to call home their ouer-wearied spirits. Nay, it is (no doubt) a comfort to them, to set open their Cazements into a most delicate Garden and Orchard, whereby they may not onely see that, wherein they are so much delighted, but also to giue fresh, sweet, and pleasant ayre to their Galleries and Chambers.

All delight in Orchards. And looke, what these men do by reason of their greatnes and ability, prouoked with delight, the same doubtlesse would euery of vs doe, if power were answerable to our desires, whereby we shew manifestly, that of all other delights on earth, they that are taken by Orchards, are most excellent, and most agreeing with nature.

This delights all the senses. For whereas euery other pleasure commonly filles some one of our senses, and that onely, with delight, this makes all our sences swimme in pleasure, and that with infinite variety, ioyned with no lesse commodity.

Delighteth old age. That famous Philosopher, and matchlesse Orator, M.T.C. prescribeth nothing more fit, to take away the tediousnesse and heauy load of three or foure score yeeres, then the pleasure of an Orchard.

Causes of delight in an Orchard. What can your eye desire to see, your eares to hear, your mouth to tast, or your nose to smell, that is not to be had in an Orchard, with abundance and variety? What more delightsome then an infinite variety of sweet smelling flowers? decking with sundry colours, the greene mantle of the Earth, the vniuersall Mother of vs all, so by them bespotted, so dyed, that all the world cannot sample them, and wherein it is more fit to admire the Dyer, then imitate his workemanship. Colouring not onely the earth, but decking the ayre, and sweetning euery breath and spirit.

Flowers. The Rose red, damaske, veluet, and double double prouince Rose, the sweet muske Rose double and single, the double and single white Rose. The faire and sweet senting Woodbinde, double and single, and double double. Purple Cowslips, and double Cowslips, and double double Cowslips. Primerose double and single. The Violet nothing behinde the best, for smelling sweetly. A thousand more will prouoke your content.

Borders and squares. And all these, by the skill of your Gardner, so comely, and orderly placed in your Borders and Squares, and so intermingled, that none looking thereon, cannot but wonder, to see, what Nature corrected by Art can doe.

Mounts.
Whence you may shoote a Bucke.
Dyall.
Musique. When you behold in diuers corners of your Orchard Mounts of stone, or wood curiously wrought within and without, or of earth couered with fruit-trees: Kentish Cherry, Damsons, Plummes, &c. with staires of precious workmanship. And in some corner (or moe) a true Dyall or Clocke and some Anticke-workes and especially siluer-sounding Musique, mixt Instruments and voices, gracing all the rest: How will you be rapt with delight?

Walkes.
Seates. Large Walkes, broad and long, close and open, like the Tempe groues in Thessalie, raised with grauell and sand, hauing seats and bankes of Cammomile, all this delights the minde, and brings health to the body.

Order of trees. View now with delight the workes of your owne hands, your fruit-trees of all sorts, loaden with sweet blossomes, and fruit of all tasts, operations, and colours: your trees standing in comely order which way soeuer you looke.

Your borders on euery side hanging and drooping with Feberries, Raspberries, Barberries, Currens, and the rootes of your trees powdred with Strawberries, red, white, and greene, what a pleasure is this? Shape of men and beasts. Your Gardner can frame your lesser wood to the shape of men armed in the field, ready to giue battell: or swift running Greyhounds: or of well sented and true running Hounds, to chase the Deere, or hunt the Hare. This kind of hunting shall not waste your corne, nor much your coyne.

Mazes. Mazes well framed a mans height, may perhaps make your friend wander in gathering of berries, till he cannot recouer himselfe without your helpe.

Bowle-Alley.
Buts. To haue occasion to exercise within your Orchard: it shall be a pleasure to haue a Bowling Alley, or rather (which is more manly, and more healthfull) a paire of Buts, to stretch your armes.

Hearbes. Rosemary and sweete Eglantine are seemely ornaments about a Doore or Window, and so is Woodbinde.

Conduit. Looke Chapter 5, and you shall see the forme of a Conduite. If there were two or more, it were not amisse.

Riuer. And in mine opinion, I could highly commend your Orchard, if either through it, or hard by it there should runne a pleasant Riuer with siluer streames; you might sit in your Mount, and angle a peckled Trout, or fleightie Eele, or some other dainty Fish. Moats. Or moats, whereon you might row with a Boate, and fish with Nettes.

Bees. Store of Bees in a dry and warme Bee-house, comely made of Fir-boords, to sing, and sit, and feede vpon your flowers and sprouts, make a pleasant noyse and sight. For cleanely and innocent Bees, of all other things, loue and become, and thriue in an Orchard. If they thriue (as they must needes, if your Gardiner bee skilfull, and loue them: for they loue their friends, and hate none but their enemies) they will, besides the pleasure, yeeld great profit, to pay him his wages Yea, the increase of twenty Stockes or Stooles, with other fees will keepe your Orchard.

You need not doubt their stings, for they hurt not whom they know, and they know their keeper and acquaintance. If you like not to come amongst them, you need not doubt them: for but neere their store, and in their owne defence, they will not fight, and in that case onely (and who can blame them?) they are manly, and fight desperately. Some (as that Honorable Lady at Hacknes, whose name doth much grace mine Orchard) vse to make seates for them in the stone wall of their Orchard, or Garden, which is good, but wood is better.

Vine. A Vine ouer-shadowing a seate, is very comely, though her Grapes with vs ripe slowly.

Birds.
Nightingale. One chiefe grace that adornes an Orchard, I cannot let slip: A brood of Nightingales, who with their seuerall notes and tunes, with a strong delightsome voyce, out of a weake body, will beare you company night and day. She loues (and liues in) hots of woods in her hart. She will helpe you to cleanse your trees of Caterpillers, and all noysome wormes and flyes. Robin-red-brest.
Wren. The gentle Robin-red-brest will helpe her, and in winter in the coldest stormes will keepe a part. Neither will the silly Wren be behind in Summer, with her distinct whistle (like a sweete Recorder) to cheere your spirits.

Black-bird.
Thrush. The Black-bird and Threstle (for I take it the Thrush sings not, but deuoures) sing loudly in a May morning and delights the eare much (and you neede not want their company, if you haue ripe Cherries or Berries, and would as gladly as the rest do you pleasure:) But I had rather want their company than my fruit.

What shall I say? A thousand of pleasant delightes are attendant in an Orchard: and sooner shall I be weary, then I can recken the least part of that pleasure, which one that hath and loues an Orchard, may find therein.

What is there of all these few that I haue reckoned, which doth not please the eye, the eare, the smell, and taste? And by these sences as Organes, Pipes, and windowes, these delights are carried to refresh the gentle, generous, and noble mind.

Your owne labour. To conclude, what ioy may you haue, that you liuing to such an age, shall see the blessings of God on your labours while you liue, and leaue behind you to heires or successors (for God will make heires) such a worke, that many ages after your death, shall record your loue to their Countrey? And the rather, when you consider (Chap. 14.) to what length of time your worke is like to last.

FINIS.

Containing Rules for Hearbs and Seedes
of common vse, with their times and seasons,
when to set and sow them.

TOGETHER,
With the Husbandry of Bees, published with secrets
very necessary for euery House-wife.

As also diuerse new Knots for Gardens.

The Contents see at large in the last Page.

Genes. 2. 29.
I haue giuen vnto you euery Herbe, and euery tree, that shall be to you for meate.

LONDON,
Printed by Nicholas Okes for Iohn Harison, at the
golden Vnicorne in Pater-noster-row. 1631.