SYLVA 245 



but the Hamadryads it seems were immortal, and had 

 power to remove and change their wooden habitations. 

 In the mean while, as to those nymphs (grieving 

 to be dispossess'd of their ancient habitations) the fall 

 of a very aged oak, giving a crack like thunder, has 

 been often heard at many miles distance : Nor do I 

 at any time, hear the groans without some emotion 

 and pity ; constrain'd (as I too often am) to fell them 

 with much reluctancy. Now that many such disast- 

 ers have hap'ned to the owners of the places where 

 goodly trees have been fell'd ; I cannot forget one, 

 who giving the first stroke of the ax with his own 

 hand, (and doubtless pursuing it with more) kill'd 

 his own father by the fall of the tree, not without 

 giving the uncautious Knight (for so he was) suffici- 

 ent warning to avoid it. And here I must not pass 

 by the groaning-board which they kept for a while 

 in Southwark, drawing abundance of people to see the 

 wonder ; such another plant being formerly, it seems, 

 expos'd as a miracle at Caumont near Tolose in France, 

 and as it sometimes happens in woods aud forests, thro' 

 the inclusion of the air within the cavities of the 

 timber ; and perhaps gave heretofore occasion of the 

 fabulous Dodonian Oracle : But however it were, me- 

 thinks I still hear, and am sure feel the dismal groans 

 (hapning on the 26. Novemb. 1703.) of our forests, so 

 many thousand of goodly oaks subverted by that late 

 dreadful hurricane ; prostrating the trees, and crushing 

 all that grew under them, lying in ghastly postures, 

 like whole regiments fallen in battle, by the sword of 

 the conqueror : Such was the prospect of many miles 

 in several places, resembling that of Mount Taurus, so 

 naturally describ'd by the poet, speaking of the fall of 

 the Minotaurus slain by Theseus. 



