THE EDITOR’S PREFACE.

xi

His Grace the Duke of Portland lays me under the greatest obligation,by presenting this work with two most elegant views of the green daleoak. Mr. Grimm’s delineation of this venerable Tree deserves thehighest encomiums; and I have great satisfaction in acknowledging themerits of Mefsrs. Rooker and Vivares, whose Engravings have done it allimaginable justice. Each View has its Skeleton annexed, that the excel-lence of the workmanship might not be injured by the Table of Mensu-ration. Mr. John Miller has shown great elegance and correctnefs inhis department as a draughtsman and engraver; and I am singularlyobliged to Mr. Bartolozzi for the line head of Mr. Evelyn, which standsan unrivalled monument of his excellence as an Artist.

I beg leave to present my warmest acknowledgments to Sir JohnRufsel, Bart, and to Thomas Frankland, Esq. for their friendly care inoverlooking the artists in their different departments. Without theirafsistance the plates would have been lefs worthy of the public appro-bation.

I efteem myself greatly indebted to my most excellent and learnedfriend the Rev. Mr. Cappe, for his kind afsistance in the elucidation ofseveral obscure pafsages and corruptions of the Text.

Having explained my motives for undertaking this design, and acknow-ledged my obligations where due, either for civility or information, Ihave nothing left but to observe, that the liberties I have taken with theText, in a variety of places, are warranted from a careful collation of thefive editions with some Original Manuscripts, without which I couldnot pofsibly have proceeded with any degree of satisfaction: for of all thebooks in the English language, there are, perhaps, none so incorrect asthe two last editions of the Silva: The one printed in 1704;, the otherin 1729.