SYLVA 261 



charming and useful, than the culture and preservation 

 of such goodly plantations, 



1 That shade to our grand-children give ? 



and afford so sweet, and so agreeable refreshment to 

 our industrious wood-man, 



2 When he his wearied limbs has laid 

 Under a florid platan's shade. 



or some other goodly spreading trees, such as we told 

 you stopt the legions of a proud conqueror, and that 

 the wise Socrates sware by ; that Passienus Crispus did 

 sacrifice to, and the honours of his gods ? 



20. But whilst we condemn this excess in them, 

 Christians and true philosophers may be instructed to 

 make use of these enjoyments to better purposes, by 

 contemplating the miracles of their production and 

 structure : And what mortal is there so perfect an 

 atomist, who will undertake to detect the thousandth 

 part, or point of so exile a grain, as that insensible 

 rudiment, or rather halituous spirit, which brings forth 

 the lofty fir-tree, and the spreading oak ? that trees of 

 so enormous an height and magnitude, as we find 

 some elms, planes, and cypresses ; some hard as iron, 

 and solid as marble (for such the Indies furnish many) 

 should be swadl'd and involv'd within so small a 

 dimension (if a point may be said to have any) without 

 the least luxation, confusion or disorder of parts, and 

 in so weak and feeble a substance ; being at first but a 

 kind of tender mucilage, or rather rottenness, which 



1 Seris factura nepotibus umbram. 



2 Cum post labores sub platani cubat 



Virentis umbra 



Claud. 



