SACRED AND CLASSICAL PLANTING. 



dom. Mechanicall}^ considered, it was equally sought after and prized. Jupiter's sceptre 

 was attributed either to the cedar or cj-press, a symbol of the eternity of his etnpire, be- 

 cause the tree was considered free from corruption. In the temple of Apollo atUlica, the 

 wood of this tree was found nearly 2,000 years old. Sesostris, king of Egypt, built a 

 vessel of 280 cubits, gilded without and within, with the cedar wood. It is highly pro- 

 bable, too, that king Solomon, who " made a navy of ships in Ezion-geber, which is be- 

 side Eloth, on the shore of the Red Sea," drew largely upon Lebanon for such an under- 

 taking; but whilst there is some doubt on this point, it is certain that the timber employ- 

 ed in building the sumptuous Temple and palace of Jerusalem was of this tree, and of the 

 growth of Lebanon. " All was cedar, — there was no stone seen." It appears, further, 

 that the infatuated idolater chose this wood for forming his favorite images; for it is re- 

 corded, that in a Spanish oratorj-, consecrated to Diana, some centuries before the destruc- 

 tion of Troy, beams and figures of this wood were found of great antiquity. In the fa- 

 mous Ephesian temple, the statue of the goddess, " whom all Asia and the world wor- 

 shipped," was reputed to be of this material, as was the most of the timber-work of that 

 glorious structure. The idol, too, " which fell down from Jupiter," so closely consulted 

 by those at Ephesus, was fashioned of the same wood; and it is probable that the most 

 of the " graven images" of all idolatrous nations were of cedar, because in ancient times 

 it was not only greatly prized for its beauty , but invested with imperishable qualities. Such 

 are some of the traits of the cedar, one of the grandest ligneous products of either hemis- 

 phere, and far excelling others in sacred historical remembrance. It rightfully takes its place 

 on the tops of mountains, and associates, naturally, with no trees except its own kindred — 

 the pines and firs. Though generally dwarfed and stunted in this country, by being 

 placed in situations and soils unfavorable to the development of its unrivalled character, 

 it may be seen in a few instances exhibiting something of that extraordinary beauty which 

 distinguished it in the days of Solomon, and rendered it the boast of Syria. 



Cavillers there are who insist that the cedar of the Bible cannot be that of Mount Le- 

 banon, as the tree cannot be considered very lofty. Let all such get a sight of a tree of 

 this sort, growing at the seat of Robert Marsham, Esq., Stratton Strawless, Norfolk, a 

 noble, upright specimen, with a branchless trunk of about fortj^ feet. 



Next in importance is the Oak. It will not be neceseary to dwell at any length on this 

 tree, as its associations both sacred and classical are well known to every one. The ob- 

 ject of this paper is to offer, if possible, new and striking features. It is scarcely to be 

 wondered at that this grand object bearing, when in perfection, such an immense burden 

 of boughs and spray, with a tufted, irregular, and consequently picturesque outline, should 

 have been selected as an object worthy of so much veneration. A chain of exalted re- 

 membrance is linked to it in the mind of all those who have read any classical author; and 

 in the bible there are several incidents connected with it, sufficient to hand it down as a 

 venerated object to the latest ages of the world. The patriarch Abraham spread his tent 

 under the oak of Mamre, and formed a grove of this tree for the accommodation of his 

 family and friends, where they might rest their weary limbs and drooping bodies in the 

 heat of the da}'. Under an oak Joshua set up the tabernacle of the Lord, that the con- 

 gregation might with comfort perform the public services of religion. How highly the 

 descendants of Jacob valued those oaks which grew on Bashan may be gathered from a 

 remark in the book of Ezekiel with reference to Tyre — " of the oaks of Bashan have they 

 made thine oars." Throughout the east it was customary to bury the dead under an oak, 

 that the relations might sit over the grave screened from the fierce heat of the 

 imperial plant, even 



