46 



H erne's Oak had not been cut down by his father, 

 and which has been confirmed to me by one of 

 the surviving members of his family. 



Seventhly : The present appearance of the 

 tree would serve to prove that it might have re- 

 mained in nearly the state, in which we now see 

 it, through a long succession of ages. I remember, 

 a few years ago, going to see a fine sound oak, of 

 about the same girth, a few minutes after it had 

 been struck with lightning. It was in Richmond 

 Park. The bark had been stripped, with the 

 leaves completely pulverized. Not one of the 

 smaller branches was to be seen. Some of the 

 larger ones were riven and thrown to a consider- 

 able distance, but the trunk was left, having only 

 two or three naked arms remaining upon it, and no 

 appearance of vitality to shew how lately it had 

 been a flourishing and beautiful ornament of the 

 Park, except some sparkling drops of sap which 

 oozed from the tree, and looked like tears trick- 

 ling down the sturdy stem, as if it were weeping 

 over its premature fate ; 



Black from the stroke above, the smould'ring oak 

 Stands a sad shatter'd trunk. 



That this trunk would have remained in that state 

 during many centuries, there can be little doubt, 

 and this, I think, might have been the case with 

 Herne's Oak. It had evidently been " blasted/' 



