THE CYPRESS. 79 



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is a native of the south eastern countries of Europe, 

 of the Levant, of China, and of several other parts 

 of Asia. It thrives best in a warm, sandy, or gravelly 

 soil; and though it has not been much cultivated in 

 England as a timber tree, yet it seems well adapted 

 for many situations in the southern parts of the king- 

 dom. It is true that, in the early stages of its 

 growth, it has been supposed to fall a victim to the 

 keen frosts of our climate ; yet Evelyn says, that he 

 had upwards of a thousand cypress trees in his garden, 

 and did not lose more than three or four of them during 

 the uncommonly severe winters of 1663 and 1665. 



Of all timber, that of the cypress is generally 

 supposed to be the most durable, superior even to 

 that of the cedar itself. The doors of St. Peter's 

 Church at Rome, which had been formed of this 

 material in the time of Constantine, shewed no sign 

 of decay when, after the lapse of eleven hundred 

 years, Pope Eugenius IV. took them down to re- 

 place them by gates of brass. In order to preserve 

 the remains of their heroes, the Athenians buried 

 them in coffins of cypress; and the chests or coffins 

 in which the Egyptian mummies are found are 

 usually of the same material. Cypress is a hand- 

 some timber. Though hard, it is elastic; and, there- 

 fore, would answer well for musical instruments. 

 For furniture, it would be equal even to maho- 

 gany; for, though not so beautiful in its colour, it is 

 stronger, resists the worm equally, and its odour repels 

 insects from whatever may be contained in a cabinet or 

 chest made of it . For building, there is no timber supe- 

 rior to the cypress, which lasts almost as long as stone 

 itself; accordingly, where it is found in great abund- 

 ance, it is very much used for that purpose. The 

 cypress is reputed to live to a great age; and, though 

 the precise period has not been ascertained, the fact 

 of its being planted over the graves of the dead, and 

 carried in funeral processions, as an emblem of im- 



