[Illustration: 131.--GATEWAY IN GARDEN, LINGFIELD, SUSSEX (1617).]
The lay-out of a late sixteenth century garden was tolerably simple, the whole being treated on a definite system, and with straight lines. The bowling-green was an important adjunct, and the larger houses had mounts for prospect, and also a "wilderness" of considerable extent. The description of the gardens at Nonesuch, given by the Parliamentary Commissioners in their survey of April, 1650[15] (already quoted), gives a good idea of the gardens attached to the larger sort of houses. The "frontispiece," or approach, was railed with handsome rails and balusters of stone; at a distance of eight yards from the house was the bowling-green, from which a fair and straight path led along an avenue to the park gate, which (they say) being very high, well-built, and placed in a direct line opposite to the house, was, in consequence, a good ornament to it. On three outward sides of the inner court lay the "Privy Garden," surrounded with a brick wall 14 feet high, and cut out and divided into various alleys, quarters, and rounds, set about with thorn hedges. Adjoining this garden was the kitchen garden, also enclosed by a 14 feet wall: on the west of this lay the wilderness. In the privy garden was a spiral pyramid of marble, set upon a base of similar material, "grounded upon a rise of freestone;" and near this there was a large marble wash basin, over which stood a marble pelican, fed with water through a lead pipe. There were also two other marble obelisks, and between them a fountain of white marble, set round with six lilac trees, "which trees bear no fruit, but only a very pleasant flower." In the highest part of the park stood the banqueting-house, a three-storey timber building of quadrangular form, enclosed within a brick wall. The ground floor was occupied by the hall, the upper storeys had respectively three and five rooms, and they were all panelled with oak. In each of the four corners of the whole house there was a balcony placed for prospect. This is worth remembering, for the desire to obtain a prospect is generally considered to be of modern growth; and no doubt until quite recently it was necessary to a beautiful view that it should be obtained in ease and comfort. The notion of climbing a wild mountain for the sake of the view was probably never entertained before the beginning of this century.