TREES AND TREES. 



95 



Trees occupy a prominent place in the literature of all 

 ages, and especially in the pleasing myths handed down 

 to us by Hessiod, Homer, Ovid and Yirgil, and a partial 

 acquaintance of this literature is absolutely necessary to 

 the full enjoyment and understanding of most fanciful 

 writings of our standard authors. 



One cannot but admire the reverence with which the 

 ancient Greeks and Eomans regarded the trees, endow- 

 ing them as they did with attributes half human, half 

 divine. They believed that many of them held en- 

 shrined within their woody bark sylvan deities, wdiose 

 lives were darkened when the tree was felled. These 

 Dryads and Hamadryads animated every part of the 

 trees from root to smallest spray of hmb, investing them 

 with life and beauty, feeling and intelligence. It was 

 these bright creatures that shuddered and moaned in the 

 storm or softly sighed in the gentle breeze. They shiv- 

 ered and grew pale at the approach of cold, but became 

 glad in the spring-time, and their joyous laughter rippled 

 out in shining, fluttering leaves and bright blossoms. 

 These woodland deities regarded with favor those who 

 treated them kindly, but often meted out punishment to 

 such as did them violence, as in cases of Ehecus and 

 Erisicthon. The former, seeing an oak about to fall, 

 propped it up and stayed it in its place, and the grateful 

 nymph inhabiting it rew^arded the generous deed by 

 granting the fulfillment of any wish which he might 

 make. Erisicthon was famous for " hfting up the axe 

 against trees," and despoiling forests; he regarded 

 neither the use nor the beauty of trees, and even felled 



