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than Rome -, and thefe trees were not only 

 older than Tibur; but were trees of con- 

 fequence in the days of Tiburtus, who founded 

 it. For tradition aflures us, fays Pliny, they 

 were the very trees, on which that hero ob- 

 ferved an ominous flight of birds, and was 

 determined by them in the fite of his town. 

 As Tiburtus was the fon of Amphiareus, who 

 died at Thebes a hundred years before the 

 Trojan war ; thefe trees, at the loweft cal- 

 culation, muft have been fourteen or fifteen 

 hundred years old, in the time of Pliny. 

 Tho this is far from being incredible, yet 

 as it re (Is wholly on tradition, we pay it the 

 lefs attention. What Pliny fays in favour of 

 the fourth tree however has fomewhat more of 

 weight. This tree, he tells us, grew in the 

 Vatican ; and had it's age infcribed in old Tuf- 

 can characters, upon it's trunk ; from which 

 infcription it appeared, that before the city 

 of Rome had it's exiftence, this holm was 

 a celebrated tree. 



When Tiberius built his naumachia, and 

 had occafion for large beams in feveral parts 

 of his work, he endeavoured to colled: them 



from 



