CHAP, iv S Y L V A 259 



temple, and the palace he built in the city ; a preg- 

 nant instance what time, negligence and war will 

 bring to ruin. But to return to what is said of their 

 present number, Le Bruyn (whom just now we men- 

 tion'd) makes them 35 or 36, for he could not exactly 

 tell, and pretends (like our Stonedge on Salisbury 

 Plain) none could ever yet agree of their number. 



In short, upon reflection of what we have hitherto 

 concerning the universal waste and destruction of 

 timber trees, (where due regard is not taken to pro- 

 pagate and supply them) whole countries have suffer'd, 

 as well as particular provinces : Thus the Apennines 

 are stripp'd of their goodly pine and fir-trees (which 

 formerly the naturalist commends those mountains 

 for) to that degree, as to render not only the city of 

 Florence, but Rome her self so expos'd to the nipping 

 Tramontan's (for so they call the northern winds) 

 that almost nothing which is rare and curious, will 

 thrive without hyemation and art ; so as even thro' 

 the most of those parts of Italy, on this side the 

 Kingdom of Naples, flank'd by the Alpestral Hills, 

 (clad as they perpetually are with snow) they are fain 

 to house, and retire their orange, citron, and other 

 delicate and tender plants, as we do in England. 

 There remains yet one mountain among the Appen- 

 nines, cover'd and crown'd with cypress ; whereof 

 some are of considerable stature : Nor is all this 

 indeed so great a wonder, if we find the entire species 

 of some trees totally lost in countries, as if there never 

 had been any such planted or growing in them : Be 

 this applied to fir and pine, and several other trees, 

 for want of culture, several accidents in the soil, air, 

 &c. which we daily find produces strange alterations 

 in our woods ; the beech almost constantly succeed- 



