366 STUDIES OF NATURE. 



** fome illuftrious bard of Greece, or of Egypt, to 

 •' poliQi the minds of my fubjeâis ? Nothing tends 

 *' fo much to humanize the heart, as the melody 

 ** of fweet fongs. With the capacity of com- 

 " pofing fine verfes, and ingenious fidions, there 

 '* is no need of a fceptre to maintain authority." 



He carried Cephas and me to vifit the fpot where 

 he had planted tiie trees and the grains recovered 

 from our (bipwreck. It was on the declivity of a 

 hill expofed to the South. I was tranfported with 

 delight, when I faw the trees which we had im- 

 ported, repleniflicd with juices and vigor. I firft 

 diftinguilhed the quince tree of Crete, from it's 

 cottony and fragrant fruit ; the walnut-tree of j^u- 

 piier, of a glofly green ; the filbert ; tlie fig-tree j 

 the poplar : the pear-tree of Mount Ida, with it*s 

 pyramidical fruit. All thefe trees were from the 

 Ifland of Crete. There were befides the vines of 

 Thafos, and young cheftnut-trees of the llland of 

 Sardinia. I faw a vaft country within the com- 

 pafs of a fmall garden. Among thofe plants ap- 

 peared fome which were my compatriots, fuch 

 as, the hemp and the flax. Thcfe were the 

 vegetables which pleated the King moft, becaufe 

 of their utility. He had admired the ftuffs into 

 which they are manufadured in Egypt, more 

 durable and more pliant than the fkins in which 

 moft of the Gauls are habited. The King took 



delight 



