A Monster Pine. 173 



of my friends, it was found that it would take three 

 persons with arms outstretched at full to go round its 

 mighty bole. Many giant oaks and beeches have I 

 seen in the New Forest, at Bushey, down in the rich 

 park lands of Suffolk, and have looked on great firs in 

 Scotland, but I never remember to have seen so great 

 a pine as this — " Fit to be the mast of some great 

 ammiral," to quote Milton. Why, the ship that could 

 take this pine for a mast would make of the Great 

 Eastern but a tiny dwarf. 



And then there is the middle walk, with the pines so 

 regularly ranged in line on both sides, that the place 

 veritably looks what it has been called, The Cathedral 

 — the mighty branches interlocking overhead, and the 

 light, passing through them, taking that mysterious 

 blue tint and making the looker-on think of the " dim 

 religious light." It is not difficult to be in a certain 

 way poetic in such a place as this, and so I may be 

 excused quoting here what was indeed suggested on 

 this very spot : — 



A sea of fern, far-sweeping, wave on wave, 

 With rhythmic answer to the wind that steals 

 Through pillared stems, and yonder arch reveals 



Blue glory islanded like faery cave, 



Withdrawn from touch of all rude winds that rave 

 Round men's abodes ; blue-dim the light that seals 

 The sense of worship, making mild appeals, 



Like mellowed sunshine through Cathedral nave, 



When low the organ notes swell out and die, 

 And rise again to flow in fuller strain : 



The spirit of the woods is waiting there 

 To wed the mystery of tears and pain 



In human life with solace soft and fair, 

 Still found in nature's holy constancy. 



And then did I not once make a journey down there 

 in mid- winter, after a heavy snowfall, just to see how 



