THE PRINCIPLES OF BOTANY. 
473 
which even covered the sea, exhausted rivers, and thrust 
Mount Athos from the Continent, to admire the pulchritude 
and processity of one of them, and became so fond of it that, 
spoiling both himself, his concubines, and great persons of 
all their jewels, he covered it with gold, gems, necklaces, 
scarfs, and bracelets, and infinite riches; in fact was so 
enamoured of it, that for some days neither the concernment 
of his grand expedition or interest of honour, nor the necessary 
motion of his portentous army, could persuade him from it. 
He styled it his mistress, his minion, his goddess, and when 
he was forced to part from it, he caused the figure of it to he 
stamped on a medal of gold, which he continually wore about 
him. Wherever they built their sumptuous and magnificent 
colleges for the exercise of youth in gymnastics, as riding, 
wrestling, running, leaping, throwing the discus, &c., and 
where the graver philosophers also met to converse together 
and improve their studies, he planted walks of platans to 
refresh and shade the palgestrita, as you have them described 
by Vitruvius (Lib. v, cap. 11), and as Claudius Perrault has 
assisted the text with a figure or ichnographical plot. These 
trees the Romans first brought out of the Levant and cul¬ 
tivated with so much industry and cost for their stately and 
proud heads only, that the great orators and statesmen, 
Cicero and Hortensius, would exchange now and then a 
turn at the bar, that they might have the pleasure to step to 
their villas and refresh their platans, which they would often 
irrigate with wine instead of water: Credit et affuso laiior 
umbra mero . And so prized was the very shade of this tree, 
that when afterwards they transplanted it into Trance they 
exacted a solarium, by way of tribute, of any of the natives 
who should presume but to put his head under it. Whether 
for any extraordinary virtue in the shade or other propitious 
influence issuing from the tree, a worthy knight, who staid 
at Ispahan, in Persia, when that famous city was infected 
with a raging pestilence, told me that since they have planted 
a greater number of these noble trees about it, the plague 
has not come nigh their dwellings. Pliny affirms there 
is no tree whatsoever that so well defends us from the heat 
of the sun in summer, nor that admits it more kindly in 
winter. And for our encouragement 1 do upon experience 
assure you that they will flourish and abide with us without 
any more trouble than a frequent and plentiful watering, 
which from their youth they excessively delight in and grate¬ 
fully acknowledge by their growth accordingly, so as I am 
persuaded that with very ordinary industry they might be 
propagated to the incredible ornament, walks, and avenues 
