164 Gilpin's forest soeneby. 



it was nevertheless ' certainly in decay.' He added, that 

 by historical documents^ it was known to be six hundred 

 years old ! The present vicar of Needwood, the Rev. John 

 E. A. Penwick, informs us that there is a tradition that 

 the tree was named after one Swilcher, a Danish poet. To 

 give us some indication of its present enormous size, Mr. 

 Penwick added that he placed his sixteen-hand horse 

 sideways against one side of the tree, and on going him- 

 self to the other side he was unable to see either the horse's • 

 head or tail. — Ed. 



One of the most celebrated trees on ancient 

 record was an Oriental Plane, wliicli grew in 

 Phrygia. Its dimensions are not handed down to 

 us; but, from the following circumstances, we 

 may suppose them to have been very ample. 

 When Xerxes set out on his Grecian expe- 

 dition his route led him near this noble tree. 

 Xerxes, it seems, was a great admirer of trees. 

 Amidst all his devastations in an enemy's country, 

 it was his particular order to spare the groves. 

 This wonderful Plane therefore struck his fancy. 

 He had seen nothing like it before, and, to the aston- 

 ishment of all his of&cers, orders were despatched 

 to the right and left of his mighty host to halt 

 three days, during which time he could not be 



