. Trees in nature, myth and art; . almost in-evitably begins with the oak; though theKing of the forest holds its proud place inpart through its mere serviceableness to places it first when discoursing onforest-trees in his Sylva, and eloquently praisesit for its useful qualities. To enumerate nowthe incomparable uses of this wood, he says,were needless: but so precious was theesteem of it, that of old there was an expresslaw of the Twelve Tables concerning the verygathering of the acorns though they should befound fallen into another mans ground : Theland and the sea do sufficientl
. Trees in nature, myth and art; . almost in-evitably begins with the oak; though theKing of the forest holds its proud place inpart through its mere serviceableness to places it first when discoursing onforest-trees in his Sylva, and eloquently praisesit for its useful qualities. To enumerate nowthe incomparable uses of this wood, he says,were needless: but so precious was theesteem of it, that of old there was an expresslaw of the Twelve Tables concerning the verygathering of the acorns though they should befound fallen into another mans ground : Theland and the sea do sufficiently speak for theimprovement of this excellent material; housesand ships, cities and navies are built with it;and there is a kind of it so tough, and extremelycompact, that our sharpest tools will hardlyenter it, as scarcely the very fire itself, in whichit consumes but slowly, as seeming to partakeof a ferruginous and metallin shining natureproper for sundry robust uses. That which istwined, and a little wreathed (easily to be dis-. ANCIENT OAK, AND SILVER BIRCHES, IN SHERWOOD FOREST TREES IN NATURE 61 cerned by the texture of the bark) is best tosupport burthens, for posts, columns, summers,etc., for all which our English oak is infinitelypreferable to the French, which is nothing souseful, nor comparably so strong; insomuchas I have frequently admired at the suddenfailing of most goodly timber to the eye, whichbeing employed to these uses does many timesmost dangerously fly in sunder, as wantingthat native spring, and toughness, which ourEnglish oak is endued withal. And so, afterthis inevitable patriotic note, he runs on;saying what kinds of oak-wood are best forshingles, pales, lathes, coopers ware, clap-board, piles, and various other uses; and,after referring to the value of the mast forthe fattening of hogs and deer, he says, re-gretfully, the very acorns themselves wereheretofore the food of men (as well as otherproductions of the earth) till their luxuriouspalates were
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