74 Gilpin's poeest soeneey. 



so great a disposition to overshadow the ground, 

 as the Occidental Plane. At least I ncA'-er saw 

 any in our climate form so noble a shade ; though, 

 in the East, it is esteemed among the most shady 

 and most magnificent of trees. Lady Craven 

 speaks of some she saw in the Turkish dominions 

 of a size so gigantic, that the largest trees we 

 have in England placed near them, would appear 

 only like broomsticks.* In Italy a very noble 

 collection of them form the avenue to the convent 

 of Grotta-Ferrata, near Frascati, which is said to 

 occupy the exact site of TuUy's Tusculan villa, 

 about twelve miles from Rome on the Alban Hill. 

 The tree at the end of the avenue farthest from 

 the convent, and close to a plentiful spring, 

 exceeds the rest in size and beauty. This con- 

 vent is often visited for the sake of a picture by 

 Dominichino. 



The Oriental Plane I believe sheds its bark 

 like the Occidental, and the catkins of both are 

 round, spicated balls about the size of walnuts, 

 and fastened together often in pairs, like chain- 



* Letter 47. 



