120 THE CEDAR OF LEBANON. 



The Cypress is often a long-lived tree, although it 

 will sometimes attain a great size in a comparatively 

 short time. A tree of the American variety, planted 

 by John Bartrarn, in his botanic garden near Phila- 

 delphia, some 100 years since, now (1859) measures 

 about 9 feet in diameter, and over 100 feet in height. 

 An old and venerated tree of the European species 

 was some years since standing near Somma, in Lom- 

 bardy, which was supposed to have been planted the 

 yp.ar of the birth of our Saviour, although it is said 

 that a record exists at Milan which proves that it 

 was a tree in the time of Julius Caesar, B. C. 42. 

 So great was the respect shown for this tree, that 

 Napoleon Bonaparte, when laying down the plan for 

 his great road over the Simplon, diverged from the 

 straight line to avoid injuring it. 



In the Scriptures we find frequent allusions made 

 to the Pine, the Fir, the Cypress, and the Cedar, all 

 of which appear to be natives of Syria. In Isaiah 

 xli. 19, the Pine, the Fir, and the Cedar are spoken 

 of; and again in Ix. 13, "The glory of Lebanon 

 shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and 

 the box together, to beautify the place of my sanc- 

 tuary." But of all the trees of this class, the Cedar 

 of Lebanon seems to have been regarded by the 

 Sacred writers as a tree of uncommon beauty, and 

 was therefore frequently used in the figurative lan- 

 guage of the times to convey the idea of majesty and 

 power. 



In Ezekiel, chap, xxxi., we have the following 

 remarkable expressions : " Behold the Assyrian waa 



