SYLVAN GIANTS. 277 



five feet in breadth, nine and a half in length, and 

 six inches thick, all entire and clear. This, cut 

 out of a tree felled by my father's order, was made 

 a pastry board.' In Baron Dillon's { Travels ' 

 occurs a statement that c English Elms planted at 

 Aranjuez, in Spain, by Charles V., and said to 

 have been brought from England, were ' this 

 was about ninety years ago ' about six feet in 

 diameter without any appearance of decay.' 



Another Elm is referred to by Grilpin as 

 follows : ' In the wars between Henry II., King 

 of England, and Philip of France, the two kings 

 had a conference in the year 1188, near (risers, 

 under an Elm which, we are told, covered several 

 acres of laud. (See Smollet's " Hist, of England," 

 vol. ii. p. 210.) The truth, I suppose, is that it 

 was an immense tree. Under its canopy so nu- 

 merous a train of the prelates and nobility of 

 both nations, who attended the two kings, were 

 assembled, that perhaps no tree ever before 

 sheltered so magnificent a company. Some time 

 afterwards, hostilities again commencing between 

 these princes, Philip ordered the Elm to be cut 

 down. As it appeared to be, in no shape, an 



