120 SYLVA FLORIFEIIA. 



wife by exposing his house to every gaze, 

 his fields to every wind. But in charity we 

 will presume that this rural devastation was 

 committed, not through a want of taste, but 

 that it was a sacrifice to the will of his spouse, 

 and that he acted upon the principle of the 

 Duke of Antin, who gratified Louis XIV. by a 

 similar demolition. This monarch complained 

 of a wood that injured the view from his apart- 

 ment at Fontainbleau, upon which the Duke of 

 Antin caused all the trees to be sawn (secretly) 

 near the root, and cords fixed to each tree. 

 More than 1200 men remained in readiness to 

 fell them at the least signal, when the King, 

 walking near the spot, repeated that this wood 

 displeased him, which was no sooner said, 

 than the obsequious Duke gave a whistle, and 

 in an instant the whole forest was seen to fall. 

 The Duchess of Burgundy, who witnessed this 

 feat, exclaimed, laughing, " Ah! bon Dieu, 

 si le roi avoit desire nos tetes, Monsieur 

 d' Antin les feroit tomber de meme." 



We have not learnt whether this forest 

 sprang up again ; but we are told by Mortimer, 

 that bay-trees whose branches are killed by the 

 weather, or other accident, if cut down to the 

 ground, will send up strong shoots, which we 

 know by experience to be correct ; therefore 

 we should caution gardeners against grubbing 



