THE OAK. 41 



daily report in men's ears. Our early food was 

 acorns ; and our very poetic existence is strangely 

 blended with our oaks. Thor and Odin may dwell 

 in their vast and dreary caverns of the North. A 

 more beautiful and gentle race are the legendary 

 tenants of our groves ; or Jonson and Shakspeare 

 have belied their muse ; and Chaucer has poured 

 forth his descriptive melodies in vain. Even the 

 grave and classic Milton, when he tells 



" Of forests and enchantments drear," 



departing from the time-hallowed superstitions of 

 the Greek and Roman page, acknowledges 



" Each gentle habitant of grove and spring," 



and indulges his fancy on the subject of these 

 popular and romantic traditions, with an elegance 

 and grace peculiarly his own : 



" fairy elves, 



Whose midnight revels, by a forest side 



Or fountain, some belated peasant sees, 



Or dreams he sees, while over head the moon 



Sits arbitress, and nearer to the earth 



Wheels her pale course ; they on their mirth and dance 



Intent, with jocund music charm his ear : 



At once with joy and fear his heart rebounds." 



PARADISE LOST, B. 1. 



But we must not be tempted, by fairy visions and 

 poetic numbers, to stray too far from the more 

 sober matter of our page ; we will therefore return 

 to our original consideration of such trees as may 

 be classed under the head of historical. These 



