328 



THE FIR TRIBE. 



household furniture. At the time when Judaea 

 was subject to the Romans, after the destruction 

 of Jerusalem by Titus, the daughter of the Em- 

 peror Adrian happened to be travelling through 

 that country, when her chariot was injured, and 

 her attendants proceeded, in an overbearing man- 

 ner, to cut down one of the sacred trees, to be 

 used in repairing it. The inhabitants of the 

 place rose and massacred the train of the princess, 

 who was so enraged that she forced her father to 

 make war against the Jews, to humble their 

 pride. 



Herodotus tells us, that Miltiades, at the head 

 of the Thracian Dolonci, having made war on 

 the people of Lamp sac us, was taken prisoner by 

 an ambuscade. His friend, Croesus, having heard 

 of his misfortune, sent a herald to the Lamp- 

 sacans, threatening them that unless they re- 

 leased their prisoner, he would cut them down 

 like a Fir-tree. The Lampsacans were at first 

 perplexed, but when one of their wise men 

 reminded them that the Fir-tree, if once cut 

 down, never shoots again, they were so terrified, 

 that they dismissed their prisoner forthwith. 



The victors at the Isthmian games, held at 

 Corinth, were crowned with garlands of Pine- 

 branches. The cones were used by the Romans 

 to flavour their wines, being thrown into the 

 vats, and suffered to float, — a custom which is still 

 in existence in Italy. Hence the thyrsus, or 

 wand of Bacchus, terminates in a Fir-cone. The 

 timber was employed by both Greeks and Romans 

 in naval and domestic architecture, and the 

 various resinous productions were extracted by a 

 method very similar to those now adopted. The 



