128 pfant Isore, bege?^/, cmi. Tsijnc/", 



violence of the storm, a cross was plainly depicted, about a foot 

 long. This cross remained for many years visible in the shattered 

 trunk of the Ash, and was regarded with superstitious awe by the 

 Catholics as having been Divinely sent to reprove the officious 

 zeal of Queen Elizabeth in banishing sacred images from the 

 Churches. 



In Zahn's work is an account — " resting on the sworn tes- 

 timony of the worthiest men," and on the authority of an arch- 

 bishop — of the holy name Jesu found in a Beech that had been 

 felled near Treves. The youth, who was engaged in chopping up 

 this tree, observed while doing so, a cloud or film surrounding the 

 pith of the wood. Astonished at the sight, he called his uncle 

 Hermann, who noticed at once the sacred name in a yellow colour, 

 changing to black. Hermann carried the wood home to his wife, 

 who had long been an invalid, and she, regarding it as a precious 

 relic, received much comfort, and finally, in answer to daily 

 prayer, her strength was restored, After this, the wood was pre- 

 sented to the Elector Maximilian Henry, who was so struck with 

 the phenomenon, that he had it placed in a rich silver covering, 

 and publicly exposed as a sacred relic in a church; and on the 

 spot where the tree was cut, he caused a chapel to be erecfled, to 

 preserve the name of Jesu in everlasting remembrance. 



In the same work, we are told that in a certain root, called 

 Ophoidcs, a serpent is clearly represented; that the root oi Astragalus 

 depicts the stars ; that in the trunk of the Quiacus, a dog's head 

 was found delineated, together with the perfect figure of a bird; that 

 the trunk of a tree, when cut, displayed on its inner surface eight 

 Danish words ; that in a Beech cut down by a joiner, was found the 

 marvellous representation of a thief hanging on a gibbet ; and that 

 in another piece of wood adhering to the former was depicfted a 

 ladder such as was used in those days by public executioners : 

 these figures were distincftly delineated in a black tint. In 1628, in 

 the wood of a fruit-tree that had been cut down near Haarlem, 

 in Holland, the images of bishops, tortoises, and many other things 

 were seen; and one Schefferus, a physician, has recorded that near 

 the same place, a piece of wood was found in which there was 

 given " a wonderful representation by Nature of a most orderly 

 star with six rays." Evelyn, in his ' Sylva,' speaks of a tree found 

 in Holland, which, being cleft, exhibited the figures of a chalice, 

 a priest's alb, his stole, and several other pontifical vestments. Of 

 this sort, he adds, was an Oxfordshire Elm, " a block of which 

 wood being cleft, there came out a piece so exactly resembling a 

 shoulder of veal, that it was worthy to be reckoned among the 

 curiosities of this nature." Evelyn also notices a certain dining- 

 table made of an old Ash, whereon was figured in the wood fish, 

 men, and beasts. In the root of a white Briony was discovered 

 the perfecfl image of a human being : this curious root was pre- 

 served in the Museum at Bologna. Many examples of human 



