CELEBEATJED TEEES. 205 



But tlie Vine, even as a timber tree, has its 

 place in history. Mr. Misson, a traveller, of whom 

 Mr. Addison speaks with particular respect, tells 

 us * that the gates of the great church at Eavenna 

 in Italy were made of Vine planks, twelve feet 

 long, and fourteen or fifteen inches broad. The 

 Vine from which these planks were taken must 

 have been an enormous vegetable of its kind. 

 Indeed, if the account had not been well attested, 

 it would have exceeded credit. Misson adds that 

 the soil about Ravenna, on the side next the sea, 

 was remarkable for the enormous growth of Vines, 

 and, he supposes, it was owing to the rich manure 

 left by the sea. For though the town of Eavenna. 

 in his day stood a league from the Adriatic, yet 

 it is an undoubted fact that the sea formerly 

 washed its walls, and that the present Ravenna 

 occupies the site of the ancient Ravenna, which, 

 we know, was one of the best ports the Romans 

 had on the Adriatic. 



Having thus given the history of some of the 

 most celebrated trees on record, I cannot help 



* See Missou's Travels in Italy. 



