166 



THE LIME-TREE. 



lished, and now in the library at Vienna, after it 

 had formerly been the greatest rarity in that of 

 the late Cardinal Mazarin." 



In the Middle Ages the same honours were paid 

 to the Lime-tree which belonged to the Poplar, 

 a tree which derived its name from being the 

 emblem of popular freedom. During the strug- 

 gles of the Swiss and Flemish to recover their 

 liberty, it was their custom to plant a Lime- 

 tree on the field of every battle that they gained 

 over their oppressors ; and some of these trees, 

 particularly those planted by the Swiss in com- 

 memoration of their victories over Charles the 

 Bold, are still remaining, and have been the 

 subject of many ballads. At Fribourg," Loudon 

 informs us, there is a large Lime, the branches 

 of which are supported by props of wood. This 

 tree was planted on the day when the victory of 

 the Swiss over the Duke of Burgundy, Charles 

 the Bold, was proclaimed, in the year 1476 ; and 

 it is a monument admirably accordant with the 

 then feebleness of the Swiss Republics, and the 

 extreme simplicity of their manners. In 1831, 

 the trunk of this tree measured thirteen feet, 

 nine inches, in circumference." Another tree 

 stands near the same place, which is supposed to 

 be nearly a thousand years old; its trunk is 

 thirty-six feet in circumference and is still per- 

 fectly sound. 



When too we recollect that the father of 

 modern botany, Linnaeus, derived his name from 

 the Swedish Lin (our Linden-tree) we must allow 

 that it is recommended to us by the most pleasing 

 associations. 



The Lime-tree occurs in Europe, under three 



