^S A Difcourfe ef Foreft-Trecs, 



ous Tree which we reade the Romans brought out of the Le- 

 vant, and cultivated with fo much induftry and coft, for its ftate- 

 ly and proud head only , that they would irrigate them with IVitte 

 in ftcad of IVater 5 and fo priz'd the vevypadoxv of it, that when 

 afterwards they tranfplanted them into Fraute, they exafted a 

 Tribute.oi any of the Natives who fhould prefume but to put his 

 head under it-* Flitty tells us there is no Tree whatfoever which fi> 

 well defends us from the heat of the Sun in Summer , nor that ad- 

 mits it more kindly in Winter. 

 TlatattH^' '• There was lately at Bafil m Sn>itz,erland an ancient goodly 



Vlatanetum : and they may with us be rais'd of their feeds with 

 care,in a moift foil, as here I have known them ; But the reafondT 

 our little fuccefs is, that we very rarely have them fent us ripe ^ 

 which (hould be gather'd late in Autumn , and brought us from 

 fome more Levantine parts then Italy. 



1. They come alfo of L^^cr/ abundantly 5 afFefting a frefli and 

 feeding ground ; for fo they plant them about their Rivulets^ and 

 Fountains. 



Igf^ I. Thefameopinionhavel of the noble Lotus^ whidx'm Italj 



yields both an admirable j?We, and Timber immortal. 



2. The offer of Crajfus to Domitius for half a dozen of thefc 

 Trees growing about an houfe of his in Rome^ teftifies in what 

 cfteem they were had for their incomparable beauty and ufe. 



CHAP. XXIII. 



Of the Cyprcfs-tree and Cedar. 



CypTtft. I. TF we (bould reafon only from our common experience, even 

 J the Cypref-tree was, but within a few years paft, reputed fo 

 tender, and nice a Plant, that it was cultivated with the greateft 

 care, and to be found only amongft the Curious ^ whereas we foe 

 it now, in every Garden, rifing to as goodly a bulk and ftature, as 

 moft which you (hall find even in Italy it felf ; for fucfa I remem- 

 ber to have once feen in his late Majefiies Gardens at Theobalds^ 

 before that Trincelyiesx was demolith'd. I fay, if we did argue 

 from this Topic : Methinks it (hould rather encourage our Country- 

 men to add yet to their Plantations other Forreign and ufefulTrees, 

 and not in the leaft deter them , becaufe many of them are not as 

 yet become endenizon'd amongfi: us: 



'4. We may read that the Peach was at firft accounted fo tender 

 and delicate a Tree, as that it was believ'd to thrive only in Perjfa ; 

 and even in thedaysofG^/e* it grew no nearer then Egypt, of all 

 the Roman Provinces, but was not feen in the City till more then 

 thirty years before Pliny's timei whereas there is now hardly a 

 more common and univerfal in Europe : Thus likewife the Avel/a- 

 na from Pontus in Afia ^ Thence into Greece, and fo Italy, to the 

 City of Abellino in Campania. Vna 



