CHAP, in S Y L V A 47 



Honourable Sir George Carteret, Vice-Chamberlain 

 to His Majesty, and late Treasurer of the Navy: Not 

 to mention the goodly planks, and other considerable 

 pieces of squar'd and clear timber, which I observ'd 

 to lie about it, that had been hew'd, and sawn out of 

 some of the arms only torn from it by impetuous 

 winds. Such another monster I am inform'd is also 

 to be seen in Sutton church-yard, near Winchester. 

 To these we add what we find taken notice of by 

 the learned, and industriously curious Dr. Plot, in his 

 Natural History of Oxfordshire ; particularly an oak 

 between Nuneham Courtney and Clifton, spreading 

 from bough-end to bough-end, 8 1 foot, shading in 

 circumference 560 square yards of ground, under 

 which 2420 men may commodiously stand in shelter. 

 And a bigger than this near the gate of the water- 

 walk at Magdalen-Colledge, whose branches shoot 

 1 6 yards from the stem ; likewise of another at Ricat 

 in the Lord Norrey's Park, extending its arms 54 

 foot, under which 304 horses, or 4374 men may 

 sufficiently stand : This is that robur Britannicum so 

 much celebrated by the late author of Dodonas Gro^e, 

 and under which he leans contemplating in the front- 

 ispiece. But these (with infinite others, which I 

 am ready to produce) might fairly suffice to vindicate 

 and assert our proposition, as it relates to modern 

 examples, and sizes of timber-trees, comparable to any 

 of the ancients, remaining upon laudable and unsus- 

 pected records ; were it not great ingratitude to con- 

 ceal a most industrious, and no less accurate account, 

 which comes to my hands from Mr. Halton, Auditor 

 to the Right Honourable the most illustrious and 

 noble Henry Duke of Norfolk, Earl Marshal of 

 England. 



