30 S Y L V A BOOK i 



tribe of cedars, firs, pines, Gfc. apples, pears, quinces, 

 and several other edulce fruits; peaches, abricots, plums, 

 &c. are reduc'd to the pomlferce : The bacciferce, are 

 such as produce kernels, sorbs, cherries, holley, bays, 

 laurell, yew, juniper, elder, Gfc. and all the berry- 

 bearers. The genistce in general, and such as bear 

 their seeds in cods, come under the tribe of siliquosce: 

 The lanugtna are such at bed their seeds in a cottony- 

 down. 



The ash, elm, tilia, poplar, hornbeam, willow, 

 salices, Gfc. are distinguish'd by their keys, tongues, 

 samera^ pericurpia^ and theca, small, flat and husky 

 skins, including the seeds, as in so many foliol's, bags 

 and purses, fine membranous cases, catkins, palmes, 

 julus's, Gfc. needless to be farther mention'd here, 

 being so particularly describ'd in the chapters follow- 

 ing ; as are also the various ever-greens and exoticks. 



CHAPTER III. 



Of the Oak. 



i. Robur, the oak; I have sometimes consider'd it 

 very seriously, what should move Pliny to make a 

 whole chapter of one only line, which is less than the 

 argument alone of most of the rest in his huge 

 volume : but the weightiness of the matter does 

 worthily excuse him, who is not wont to spare his 

 words, or his reader. Glandiferi maxime generis omnes^ 

 quibus honos apud Romanos perpetuus. "Mast-bearing- 

 trees were principally those which the Romans held 

 in chiefest repute,'' lib. 16. cap. 3. And in the fol- 



