HISTORIC TREES 145 



high treble, we should cable to the Royal Oak at 

 Donnington in Shropshire which sheltered him and 

 listened to his hysterical lamentations after his de- 

 feat by Cromwell at the Battle of Worcester. An 

 eye-witness for every event in the world's history! 

 What a millennium for truth and veracity! 



Next to the buildings of men, trees are the most 

 historic things in existence. All over the world 

 are venerable forest monarchs which men honour 

 and reverence as being associated with some great 

 man or event. England, especially, is unusually 

 rich in historic trees. There almost every feudal 

 estate boasts of one or more of glorious memory. 

 Among the most famous is the King's Oak at 

 Woodstock. It is situated on the former hunting 

 lodge of Henry II, where that ruler spent many 

 happy hours with his favourite Rosamond. It 

 bears the added distinction of having been asso- 

 ciated with King Alfred, the Black Prince, Chau- 

 cer and Charles II. 



There is a pretty story connected with an oak 

 on the grounds of Hatfield House, the ancient 

 manor of the Cecils on the River Lea. It was un- 

 der this gnarled giant that Elizabeth was seated 

 when she first heard of the death of her sister, 

 Bloody Queen Mary, and her own accession to the 

 throne. It is related that she was reading the Greek 



