Thomas
Hyll was an English gardener who claimed to be a
man with "not much learning." In the preface he speaks
of his "rudeness of pen" and states that he had nerves
"tasted of the learned loake but rather always rudely
taught" and that his book is for "the simple and
unlettered."
His first book was the first gardening book printed
in England and was entitled A most briefe and
pleasaunt treatyse, teachynge howe to dress, sowe and
set a garden and what propertyes also these few herbes
heare spoken of have to our comodytie (1563). An
earlier book was mentioned by him but no copy of this
can now be found.
A small garden is depicted on the title page of his
book. Students are requested to examine the plan
carefully with a magnifying glass.
Later editions of this book were entitled The
Profitable Arte of Gardening. The first was in
1568 and six editions were printed up to 1608. This
book gives a more popular title and is actually a
record of a small garden consisting of "posie and
garland flowers" and "sweet-smelling bee-harvested
herbs" (Rohde, 1924).
He discussed garden flowers in detail, growing
instructions for their culture. He supplied designs
for mazes and knots. His directions were practical.
Two of the designs for mazes were identical with those
of the finest country residences in France in the
early 16th Century. This is not quite understandable
in view of the date of publication of his book.
Hyll died before he had completed The Gardeners
Labyrinth (1577). He left the editing to his
friend Henry Dechicke. Dethicke prefaced the book with
a letter of dedication addressed to Lord Burghley,
Lord High Treasurer of England. The letter is as
follows:
"I wish unto your honour by dayly Prayer and
fruition of the
Heavenly Paradise, crauying of the omnipotent and
prouident God
the guider of that gorgeous Garden that hee would
vouchsafe to
graunte unto you the sweete Sauour of his chiefe
fragrante
floures, that is his comfort to cleave faste unto you,
his mercy
to keepe you and his grace to guyde you now and
euermore."
Eleanour Rohde has stated that "a more charming
dedicatory letter to a gardening book, it would be
difficult to imagine."
