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and I shall gladly take another Opportunity of communicating to you my other Thoughts. upon this Subject.

I am, Sir,

Your most bumble Servant,

R. Bradley.

In the next place our young Gardener fhould take every convenient Opportunity of converfing with ingenious Men, as well in the Art of Hufbandry as Gardening, and to view their different Ways of Practice, by which he may learn the different Effects of different Soil, and Pruning or Planting, and gather to himself particular Knowledge from Variety of Obfervation. To finifh a Man who has paffed thro' thefe Paths of Study, let him travel firft to Holland, and from thence thro' Flanders to France; fuch a Voyage, tho' it will give him but few valuable Particulars, yet will furnish him with fome general Ideas which may tend to his Improvement. He will fee in Holland, that the Study of Gardening is not unworthy the wifeft and greateft Men in the Country; that it is not only ufed as a Recreation, but as a profitable Bufinefs. If he has ufed his Time well, he will meet with extraordinary Refpect, and be encourag'd to proceed in his Studies, and the Purfuit of Knowledge; for no People in the World have a greater Regard for Men of Understanding and Induftry than the Hollanders;

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landers; their Country is maintain❜d by that Policy.

In Flanders the Gardens vary from the former, they are more after the English Manner, but 'tis the best Paffage to France, and may prepare the Mind to judge of the French Gardens, whofe Value chiefly confifts in the Management of Fruit-Trees, Verfailes excepted, which is the Sum of every Thing that has ever been done in the Gardening Way; Trianon and Marly are partly of the fame Tafte, and a Sight of them will furnish fine Ideas.

CHAP.

CHAP. I.

Concerning the Gardeners Charter granted by King JAMES I, with Remarks.

To Mr. BRADLEY, Fellow of the Royal Society.

SIR,

Have had a mind fome Time fince to print Ian an Abstract of the Charter granted to the Gardeners of London; but as I observe in the News, that you invite the Lovers of that Profeffion to fend you fuch Matter as may be advantagious to Gardeners, I think you may do them Service in publishing it; and if you think proper, you may add the Remarks I have made, but I leave that to your felf. The Charter begins thus :

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AMES, by the Grace of God, King of "England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, "Defender of the Faith, &c. Whereas divers "and fundry Perfons inhabiting within the City of London, and fix Miles Compass there"of, have continually taken upon them to "ufe and practise the Trade, Craft, or Mystery

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"of Gardening, Planting, Graffing, Setting, "Sowing, Cutting, Arbouring, Rocking, "Mounting, Covering, Fencing, and Re"moving of Plants, Herbs, Seeds, Fruits, "Trees, Stocks, Sets, and of contriving the Conveyances to the fame belonging, being "therein Ignorant and Unskilful, having not "been brought up in the faid Trade or Myftery; and whereas the faid Perfons have alfo "daily fold and fet unto our loving Subjects, "into fundry the Parts of our Dominions and "Countries, dead and corrupt Plants, Seeds, "Stocks, and Trees, to the great Deceit and "Lofs of our faid Subjects: For Redrefs and "Prevention of which Deceits and Wrongs, "we did by our Letters Patents, in the Third "Year of our Reign over this our Kingdom, grant to the Gardeners, then inhabiting in

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London, and within fix Miles of the faid. "City, that they fhould be one Body Cor"porate, by the Name of Mafter, Wardens, "Affiftants, and Commonalty of the Company "of Gardeners of London, and did thereby "give unto them divers Powers and Privileges, as by our faid Letters Patents appear"eth: And whereas we are credibly inform'd that there are certain Defects, Queftions, "and Doubts found and arisen in and upon "our faid Letters Patents, whereby the Pub"lick Good and Profit of the faid Company "is much hinder'd, and the Abufes aforefaid "ftill continu'd; which Company of Garden"ers have hereupon made their humble Peti"tion unto us, that we would be graciously "pleafed to renew the faid Letters Patents "with Amendment of thofe Defects, and with

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"fuch other neceffary Additions and Altera❝tions as we fhall think moft fit and conve"nient. Know ye, &c.

It is to be noted, that this Charter was granted at a Time when the Buildings in and near the City of London, were not half fo many as they are at this Day; there were then many Intervals between the feveral Houses in London and Westminster, and other Places, which at prefent are join'd with the City. Within the Memory of Men now living, SomersetHoufe, and the Buildings thereabouts, were ftyled Country-houses, and the open Places about them were employ'd in Gardens for Profit; and many Parts now within the City and Liberties, were then in the Poffeffion of working Gardeners, who were at that Time enough in Number, and employ'd Ground enough to furnish the Town with Garden Neceffaries, for then there were few Herbs used at the Table with regard to what there are now; but the Succefs which thofe regular Gardeners met with at that Time, encourag'd many others to fet up and profefs the fame Calling near London, who fo unfkilfully went to work, that many Abuses were committed, and the Subject was injur'd by them: The Gentry and Nobility loft the Certainty and Advantage of their Defigns, by employing Perfons of no Experience; and therefore it was proposed, that the London Gardeners, who were profefs'd Men, fhould become a Body, and infpect the Worth of others, who pretended to practife without Knowledge, or fhould offer to invade their Cuftoms. In the fame King's Time, I

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