s to excel for
beams, doors, windows, and masts of ships, resists the worm: Being
driven into the ground, it is almost petrified, and will support an
incredible weight; which (and for its property of long resisting fire)
makes Vitruvius wish, they had greater plenty of it at Rome to make
goists of, where the Forum of Augustus was (it seems) built of it, and
divers bridges by Tiberius; for that being attempted with fire, it is
long in taking hold, growing only black without; and the timber of it is
so exceedingly transparent, that cabanes being made of the thin boards,
when in the dark night they have lighted candles in them, people, who
are at a distance without doors, would imagine the whole room to be on
fire, which is pretty odd, considering there is no material so (as they
pretend) unapt to kindle. The _larix_ bears polishing excellently well,
and the turners abroad much desire it: Vitruvius says 'tis so ponderous,
that it will sink in the water: It also makes everlasting spouts,
pent-houses, and featheridge, which needs neither pitch or painting to
preserve them; and so excellent pales, posts, rails, pedaments and
props for vines, &c. to which add the palats on which our painters
separate and blend their colours, and were (till the use of canvas and
bed-tike came) the tables on which the great Raphael, and most famous
artists of the last age, eterniz'd their skill.

FOOTNOTES:

{227:1} De causis, l. 1. cap. 5.

{229:1}

Et comitem quercum pinus amica trahit.

{239:1}

......dant utile lignum
Navigiis pinus.......

_Georg. 2._

{239:2} _Macrob. Sat._ 56. cap. 9.

{240:1}

.......... Sectaque intexunt abiete costas.

_AEn. 2._

{242:1}

............ Cujus apertum
Adversi longa transverberat abiete pectus.

AEn. 11.

{243:1} Where the LXX calls it +apeleketa+, _non dedolata_; others
_ligna undulata_. See _Ezek._ 27. 5, 6.

{245:1} See Plin. _Nat. Hist._ lib. 16. cap. 11. or rather Theophrastus
_Hist._ lib. 9. cap. 2, 3. & lib. 14. cap. 20. lib. 23. c. 1. lib. 24.
c. 6.

CHAPTER IV.

_Of the Cedar, Juniper, Cypress, Savine, Thuya &c._

1. But now after all the beautiful and stately trees, clad in perpetual
verdure,

_Quid tibi odorato referam sudantia ligno?_

Should I forget the cedar? which grows in all extreams; in the moist
Barbadoes, the hot Bermudas, (I speak of those trees so denominated) the
cold New England, even where the snows