BOOK XVl. Lvii. 131-LV111. 134 



woiind. This is most common with plane trees, 

 which hold a very large quantity of wind because of 

 the density of their branches, which are lopped to 

 reheve the trees of the weight and the trees are then 

 replanted in their own hole ; and this has before now 

 also been done in the case of Malnuts and oHves and 

 a number of other trees. There are also many cases 

 of trees having fallen even without a storm or any 

 other cause except one of a miraculous nature and 

 having risen up again of their own accord. This 

 portent occurred to the citizens of the Roraan 113-101 

 nation during the Cimbrian wars in the case of an ^'^' 

 elm in the grove of Juno at Nocera, actually after its 

 top had been lopped off because it was leaning 

 forward right on to the altar ; the tree was restored 

 of its own accord so completely that it at once 

 flowercd, and from that date onward the majesty of 

 the Roman people recovered, after having previously 

 been ravaged by disasters in war. It is recorded 

 that this also happened at Phihppi with a willow 

 that had fallen down and had been severed from its 

 trunk, and at Stagira with a white poplar in the shrine 

 of the Muses, all of these occurrences being of good 

 omen. But most wonderful of all, a plane-tree at 

 Antandros recovered of its own accord and was 

 restored to hfe even after its sides liad been rough- 

 hewn all round, a tree 22J feet high and 6 feet" 

 thick. 



LVIII. Those trees which we owe to Nature grow Propamtiox 

 in three ways, spontaneously or by seed or from a root. ''■' ''"^**- 

 More numerous artificial methods have come into 

 existence, about which we shall speak in the volume xvii. 58. 

 given to the subject; for at the present our whole 

 discourse is about Nature, so memorable for her 



475 



