The illustration on this page is a modernist woodcut by Paul Nash. It depicts a symmetrical, quincunx-style arrangement of curving vines and circular floral motifs in green, orange, and blue. This geometric design reflects the book's central theme: the recurrence of the five-point "quincunx" pattern in nature and art.

THE GARDEN OF CYRUS, OR THE QUINCUNX Quincunx (original: "Quincuncial"): An arrangement of five objects with four at the corners and one in the middle—like the five dots on a die—which creates a diamond pattern when repeated. DIAMOND original: "Lozenge", OR NETWORK PLANTATIONS OF THE ANCIENTS,

ARTIFICIALLY, NATURALLY, AND MYSTICALLY CONSIDERED

BY SIR THOMAS BROWNE, PHYSICIAN OF NORWICH

PRINTED AND SOLD AT THE GOLDEN COCKEREL PRESS,

WALTHAM SAINT LAWRENCE, BERKSHIRE.

Sir Thomas Browne (1605–1682) was a renowned English polymath and author. In this work, he explores the "quincunx" pattern across various fields: "artificially" (in man-made gardens and structures), "naturally" (in plants and animals), and "mystically" (in religious and philosophical symbolism).