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than thefe pendent plants, particularly the 

 mantling vine, hanging, as I have here de- 

 fcribed it, in rich feftoons from bough to 

 bough. 



The rooting alfo of trees is a circumftance, 

 on which their beauty greatly depends. I 

 know not whether it is reckoned among the 

 maladies of a tree, to heave his root above 

 the foil. Old trees often do. But whether 

 it be a malady or not, it is certainly very 

 pidturefque. The more they raife the ground 

 around them, and the greater number of ra- 

 dical knobs they heave up, the firmer they 

 feem to eftablim their footing upon the earth; 

 and the more dignity they aflume. An old 

 tree rifing tamely from a fmooth furface, (as 

 we often find it covered with earth in arti- 

 ficial ground,) lofes half it's effect : it does 

 not appear as the lord of the foil ; but to 

 be ftuck into it ; and would have a ftill worfe 

 effed: on canvas, than it has in nature. 



Pliny give us an account of the roots of 

 certain ancient oaks in the Hercynian foreft, 

 which appears rather extravagant ; but which 

 I can eafily conceive to be true. Thefe roots, 



he 



