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to a great Length, and in fo deli- 

 cate and pleafant Order, as if they 

 were trimm'd, and made even, with 

 great Diligence ; by which they are 

 eafily diftinguifrYd at a great Di- 

 ftance from Fir-trees. The Leaves 

 (continues he) are very like to thofe 

 of the Larch- tree, growing c!ofe 

 together in little Bunches, upon fmall 

 brown Shoots. 



Maundrel, in his Travels, fays, 

 there were but 16 large Trees re- 

 maining, when he vifited the Moun- 

 tains, Tome of which were of a 

 prodigious Bulk ; but that there 

 were many more young Trees of a 

 fmaller Size : he mealur'd one of 

 the largeft:, and found it to be i 2 

 Yards 6 Inches in Girt, and yet 

 found, and 37 Yards in the Spread 

 of its Boughs. At about five or fix 

 Yards from the Ground it was di- 

 vided into five Limbs, each of 

 which was equal to a great Tree. 

 What Maundrel hath related, was 

 confirmed to me by a worthy Gen- 

 tleman of my Acquaintance, who 

 was there in the Year 1720. with 

 this Difference only, nriz, in the Di- 

 menfions of the Branches of the 

 largeft Tree, which he allured me 

 he meafur'd, and found to be twenty- 

 two Yards Diameter. Now, whether 

 Mr. Maundrel meant thirty -feven 

 Yards in Circumference of thefpread- 

 ing Branches, or the Diameter of 

 them, cannot be determined by his 

 Exprelfions ; yet neither of thein 

 well agrees with my Friend's Ac- 

 count. 



Monficur le Brim reckons about 

 'thirty-five or thirty -fix Trees re- 

 maining upon Mount Libanus, when 

 he was there ; asd would perfuade 

 us it was rrot eafv to reckon their 

 Numbers (as is reported of our 

 Stonebenge on Salifbury Plain). He 

 alfo fays, their Cones do fome of 

 them grow dependent. Which is 



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abundantly confuted by the abcrrg- 

 mentionM Travellers, as alio frtra 

 our own Experience ; for all the 

 Cones grow upon the Upper-part 

 of the Branches, and ftand erect, 

 having a ftrong woody central Stvte. 

 by which it is firmly annex'd 10 

 the Branch, fo as with Difficulty to 

 be taken ofF; which central Style 

 remains upon the Branches after thr 

 Cone is fallen to Pieces; fo that 

 they never drop off whole, as the 

 Pines do. 



The Wood of this famous Tree 

 is accounted proof againft all Putre- 

 faction of animal Bodies: fhf ftnr 

 duft of it is thought to be one of the 

 Secrets uied by thofe Mountebanks 

 who pretend to have the embalm- 

 ing Myflery. This Wood is alfo 

 faid to yield an Oil which is famous 

 for preferving Books and Writing:,-; 

 and the Wood is thought, by the 

 Lord Bacon, to continue above a 

 thoufand Years found. It is alio re- 

 corded, that in the Temple of d pol- 

 io at Utica, there was found Timber 

 of near two thoufand Years old. 

 And the Statue of the Goddefs, ia 

 the famous Ephrfian Temple, was 

 faid to be cfthis Material alfo, E3 

 was moil of the Timber-work cf 

 that glorious Structure. 



This Sort of Timber is very dry*, 

 and fubject to fplit; nor does it 

 well endure to be f.Jten'd with 

 Nails, from which it ufually fhrinks; 

 therefore Pins of the fame Wooi 

 are much preferable. 



LARKSPUR. Vide Delphinium. 



LASERPITIUM, Laferwort. 

 The Cbaraclsrs arc ; 



It hatb an umbelluted Flower, 

 compofed cf fiv-: beart-Jbapcd Leaves,, 

 which are equal, and expand in form 

 of a Rofe, and reft on the Empale- 

 menty which afterward turns to a 

 Fruit compofed of two Seeds, which 

 are gibbons on one Side, with four 



lur^t 



