EPPING FOREST. 



ITS TREES. 



" A shadie grove not farr away they spide . . . 

 Whose loftie trees, yclad with sommer's pride, 

 Did spred so broad that heaven's light did hide, 

 Not perceable with power of any starr ; 

 And all within were paths and allies wide ; 

 With footing worne, and leading inward farr." 



The Faerie Qi tee lie. 



Epping Forest has no timber to show equal in 

 dimensions or antiquity to the rugged and 

 venerable giants in many of the forests of England. 

 The oaks of Sherwood and the New Forest, and 

 the beeches of Burnham, far surpass those of 

 Epping. Probably few of the latter date back 

 more than 400 or 500 years. This deficiency 

 is owing to the timber right, which was originally 

 entirely under the control of the officers of the 

 Crown who were charged with the preservation of 

 " His Majesty's vert," having been subsequently 

 vested in many hands, and to the abstraction for 

 the benefit of these persons of most of the valu- 

 able trees. The lord warden of the Forest for 

 instance and many others had perquisites in this 

 way, and many orders are found in the Court 

 Rolls, such as the following, for trees to be given 



