but especially
because they are seldome seene: But a tree liuing, come to his growth
and age, twice that length, and of a bulke neuer so great, besides his
other parts, is not admired, because he is so commonly seene. And I
doubt not, but if he were well regarded from his kirnell, by succeeding
ages, to his full strength, the most of them would double their measure.
About fifty yeeres agoe I heard by credible and constant report, That in
_Brooham_ Parke in _West more-land_, neere vnto _Penrith_, there lay a
blowne Oake, whose trunke was so bigge, that two Horse men being the one
on the one side, and the other on the other side, they could not one see
another: to which if you adde his armes, boughs, and roots, and consider
of his bignesse, what would he haue been, if preserued to the vantage.
Also I read in the History of the _West-Indians_, out of _Peter Martyr_,
that sixteene men taking hands one with another, were not able to
fathome one of those trees about. Now Nature hauing giuen to such a
faculty by large and infinite roots, taws and tangles, to draw
immediately his sustenance from our common mother the Earth (which is
like in this point to all other mothers that beare) hath also ordained
that the tree ouer loden with fruit, and wanting sap to feed all she
hath brought forth, will waine all she cannot feed, like a woman
bringing forth moe children at once then she hath teats. See you not how
trees especially, by kind being great, standing so thicke and close,
that they cannot get plenty of sap, pine away all the grasse, weeds,
lesser shrubs, and trees, yea and themselues also for want of vigor of
sap? So that trees growing large, sucking the soile whereon they stand,
continually, and amaine, and the foyzon of the earth that feeds them
decaying (for what is there that wastes continually, that
shall not haue end?) must either haue supply of sucker, or else leaue
thriuing and growing. Some grounds will beare Corne while they be new,
and no longer, because their crust is shallow, and not very good, and
lying they scind and wash, and become barren. The ordinary Corne soiles
continue not fertile, with fallowing and foyling, and the best requires
supply, euen for the little body of Corne. How then can we thinke that
any ground (how good soeuer) can containe bodies of such greatnesse, and
such great feeding, without great plenty of Sap arising from good earth?
This is one of the chiefe causes, why so many of our Orchards i