Holly, Yew and Box 



To hear the thrilling accents of her tongue ; 

 That lovely breast, on which his head reclined, 

 Form'd to have humanised his savage mind ; 

 Were doomed to bleed beneath the tyrant's heel, 

 Whose selfish heart could dote but could not feel ! " 



In the churchyard at Harlington, a village 

 about four miles out from Hounslow on the Bath 

 road, a fine old Yew may be seen (see illustra- 

 tion). At the present time it is about 50 or 55 

 feet high, with a girth at 4 J feet above the ground 

 of 21 feet 3 inches, and a diameter across the 

 lower branches of about 60 feet. Loudon refers 

 to this tree, and says that it was formerly fantas- 

 tically clipped. He gives a copy of an illustration 

 of it as it appeared in 1729. This shows a very 

 curious looking tree, rising by means of two or 

 three wide, table-like storeys to a globe, sur- 

 mounted by a weather-cock, the interspaces being 

 thick, round, green columns. The original illus- 

 tration was accompanied by a poem composed by 

 the parish clerk, whose name was John Saxey. In 

 reference to the lower part he says that it was 



" So thick, so fine, so full, so wide, 

 A troup of guards might under it ride." 



The weather - cock came in for notice as 

 follows : 



" A weather-cock, who gaped to crow it, 

 This world is mine and all below it." 



I saw this tree on February 2nd of the present 

 188 



