28o OLD PLYMOUTH TRAILS 



gopher wood of which Noah is said to have built 

 his ark is believed by many to have been cypress, 

 and, like the red cedar, Cupressus sempervirens 

 is known to live to a very great age. Many in- 

 stances might be cited of this, one of the most 

 famous being the cypresses planted about the Mt. 

 Sinai Monastery by the monks more than a 

 thousand years ago and still standing there tall 

 and green in the arid region of southwestern 

 Arabia. The shape of these cypresses is singu- 

 larly like that of many a cedar in our New Eng- 

 land pastures, though their height is far greater. 



And as the cedar and cypress are closely re- 

 lated in longevity, so they are in the durability 

 of their wood. The former gates of St. Peter's 

 at Rome were made of cypress in the time of 

 Constantine. When they were removed and 

 brass ones substituted by Pope Eugenius IV. they 

 were still sound, though it was iioo years since 

 they were first placed in position. Brass itself 

 could hardly have lasted better. 



While the whole Appalachian Mountain region 

 is dotted with localities where the red cedar 

 grows plentifully, it is only in the southern por- 



