JUNE 
225 
F. — Nulla fronti fides" here : the bark of trees will 
often seem perfectly sound, when the interior is^ as you ob- 
serve, become a mere mass of dust^ utterly gone to decay. 
This is owing to the greater abundance of carbon in the bark 
than in any other part^ which resists putrefaction. The bark 
of the birch^ in particular, appears almost incorruptible. 
We see here an example of that continued round of 
decay and renovation which pervades all created, or, at least 
all organised, bodies. The seed falls from the tree ; it shoots 
up a tender twig ; it grows upward, drawing continual sup- 
plies of nutriment from the earth by means of its increasing 
roots ; the slender stem slowly, but surely expands in height 
and thickness, till it has become a mighty tree ; it continues 
erect, and apparently vigorous, for centuries : but time, 
edax rerum, at length prevails over its giant frame : and by 
imperceptible, but ceaseless attacks, robs it of life. The 
frost rends, and the rain rots the heart ; the moss and the 
lichen fix themselves on its outside ; the winter gales blow ; 
and the majestic, hoary veteran bows to the blast, and de- 
scends with a rushing roar that shakes the earth. There it / 
lies : the process of decomposition now goes on unresisted by 
the living principle ; many agents complete the work, and at 
length the place of its bed is marked but by a slight, a very 
slight elevation of the soil. It has reverted to the same 
earth from which its own sustenance was first drawn, and 
now its elements are forming the sustenance of other trees, 
to perform the same round again, as long as earth shall 
endure. 
