OF FORES T-T REES.

28c,

r c ly , sp^nsandgco^a^ t

Grove at Mambrc, sm. Gen. | How heir ^ in C <fir,

ted m their We tie and F " re P’C jlnwuanm , i»«»,

Vkny, Strabo, ‘D.odoru, you w ili fee that

Aventmus, and innumerable other Writ , > Relinous

they chole the Wood, and the Grove, not caly &

£«™> , but their G>*«* ot Jfg ‘' > “ ^ "t seems, found itand Dilciplmc es recorded by Cæsar, L - afterwards translated

in our Country of Britain, from. whene hapov

into Gallia : kr he attributes the first rise °f st ^th, ^happy

IJlandoi Groves and Oaks ; and affirms, t . a {r en ts 14. An-veiled hither for their initiation. To this Tacitus Gr*l

nal. and our most learned Criticks vindicate 1 , Name it self

and French impertinently challenging it: But t e y t h 0 uehwhich is purely Celtic k, does best decide the Controvc y . .

V? he Onerous-, yet Vojstus skilfully proves that the T>ruids vcaltogether Strangest to the Greeks ; but what come.jy*■

T>ru, sides (as one observes) begetting our antiquated TE or

True, Calces our Title the stronger: Add to this that amongst theGermans it signified no less than God himself’, an vr Gospelor TVwii# to import Ptivine, or Faithful, in the , f •£ rs ’.

both of them Sacerdotal Expressions. But that in this J/ >

Men should be so extremely devoted to Trees, and clpeaOæ£, the Strength and Defence of all our Enjoyments, m ^ ir0 *j \are by the Seas, and martial Neighbours, is less to be u on er

5 Cur British Druids not with vain intent,

Or without Providence did the Oak frequent ;

That Albion did that Tree so much advanceNor Superfiition was, nor Ignorance.

Those Priests divining even then, bespokeThe mighty Triumphs of the Royal Oak:

When the Sea\r Empire with like boundless Fame,

Vittorious CHARLES the Son 0/CHARLES Jhall claim.

as we may find the Prediction gloriously followed by our ingeniousPoet, where his Pry ad consigns that sacred Pepositum to this Mo-narch of the Forest, the Oak ; than which nothing can be more su-blime and rapturous, whilst we must never forget that wonderful Pro-vidence which saved this forlorn and persecuted Prince , after his De-feat at Worc est er, under the shelter of this auspicious and hospitableTree alone j when

-All the Countries fill'd

With Enemies Troops, in every House and Grove ,His Sacred Head is at a Value held,

They seek, and near, now very near they move.

Non igitur Dryadæ nostrates pectore vano,

Ncc sine confulto coluerunt Numine Quercum;Non illam Albionis jam turn. celebravit honore’St uha Snpcrstitio, venturive inscia secli,

An^H ac | mgentes puto prasvidisse triumphosRoboris, Impcrimnque maris quod maximus olimc -aRQLlDES vasta Victor ditione teneret.

C o v l e 1 L.6. Pi. 1

4 v

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