( zo6i ) 
Having told us, , that their Anceftpi^ were wont to cut 
their Letters on Stones and Brafs (as Plato alfo tefti- 
lies from the Tables of J/?/ or D//i, carried from the Hj/- 
perboream to the Ifle oi Detos^ belonging to the Greeks') 
he fays, as for the Wood, which their Anceftors chiefly 
us*d for cutting their Laws on, and making their Ru^Jiaffs^ 
and dehneating their Sea-Charts, it was of Bcechy or the 
Service-Tree : Ewm Kircher^ a Foreigner, teftifying itcon- 
cerning the former,f and faying that thence even to this day 
in the Northern Countries they call a Book Buech^ a Beech 
being calVd Bfiechaust As for the Service-tree, its calfd in 
thQ Gothicki Rooffy Rmebarjira, 'taking its name from the 
themfelves, and is much etteem'd, as having a pecu- 
lior property for that ufe, as may be feen in the Author. 
From what he has faid concerning cutting in a Beec& the 
Spires of Serpents, Letters, and Sea-Charts, he fays we have 
an eafy Senfe of a palTage in Ofpheui concerning a Speaking- 
Beech^ and of the Speaking Beeches at Dodona^ the latter im- 
plying no more, but that the Flamines Diales^ or Priefts 
cut Letters on Tables of Beech^ in the form of a Serpent, 
by which future things were told to thofe that confulted 
the Oracle: Whence alfo Serpents were faid to give'An- 
fwers, or Oracles, inftead of Gods. 
He adds one thing here, to corroborate what he faid in 
his firft Volume, viz>» that the Letter I, in nature of a 
prop, is the firft of all the reft of the Letters, the reft be^ 
ing formed of it, with Knees (jCnan) being added to it. 
Now he fays the Bird /te, calW by them a Storkr hy. 
reafon of hisfubtilty in finding but and devouring Serpents, 
is wont to be Piftured with his long Bill, holding i Ser- 
pent winding itfelf about it, after the fame manner as its 
feen in Mercury % Caduceus: As therefore this 'Bird is cal- 
led B^, fo by this (3:m^^M(i^B?ry' vvonld t^ach the J^g}p^ 
tians that the Lettet t,-^- y^'6f4^ Wtb^^WK in the word 
denotes ! to be thepf6|jf ib?^4ll tli3^^ 
Rumck Learning. By ffi^i§nf f^^ill of 'that Bird, A4>m/r; 
P p p p p p p p p p'p p would 
