OF FOREST-TREES. 



315 



(besides fens, highways, rivers, &c. not counted,) and without reckoning CHAP.VII. 



in the mast or loppings ; which whosoever shall calculate from the an- 

 nual revenue that the mast only of Westphalia, (a small and wretched 

 country in Germany,) does yield to that prince, will conclude to be no 



In this poor territory, every farmer does, by ancient custom, plant so 

 many Oaks about his farm as may suffice to feed his swine. To effect 

 this, they have been so careful, that when of late years the armies infested 

 the poor country, (both imperialists and protestants,) the single bishopric 

 of Munster was able to pay one hundred thousand crowns per mensem, 

 (which amounts of our money to about 25,000/. sterling,) besides the or- 

 dinary entertainment of their own princes and private families. This 

 being incredible to be practised in a country so extremelybarren, I thought 

 fit to mention, either to encourage or reproach us. General Melander 

 was wont to say, the good husbandry of their ancestors had left them this 

 stock pro sacra anchord ; considering how the people were afterwards re- 

 duced to live even upon their trees, when the soldiers had devoured their 

 hogs ; redeeming themselves from great extremities, by the timber which 

 they were at last compelled to cut down, and which, had it continued, 

 would have proved the utter desolation of that whole country, 



I have this instance from my most worthy and honourable friend Sir 

 William Cursius, late his majesty's resident in Germany, who received 

 this particular from the mouth of Melander himself. In like manner, 

 the princes and freedoms of Hesse, Saxony, Thuringia, and divers other 

 places there, make vast incomes of their forest-fruit (besides the timber) 

 for swine only : so as in a certain wood in Hessia only, twenty thousand 

 have been fatted, yielding the prince 30,000 florins. 



I say, then, whosoever shall duly consider tliis, will find planting of 

 wood to be no contemptible addition, besides the pasture much improved, 

 the cooling of fat and heavy cattle, keeping them from injurious mo- 

 tions, disturbance, and running as they do in summer, to find shelter 

 from the heat and vexation of flies. 



despicable improvement. 



But I have done, and it is now time to get out of the wood, and to 

 recommend this, and all that we have proposed, to his most sacred ma- 

 jesty, the honourable parliament, and to the lord high-treasurer, prin- 



