OF FOREST-TREES.

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Provincia minors but for the most part annexed and joined to some of thegreatest Consuls themselves; that facetious farcasm of the Comedian(where Plautus names it Provincia caudicaria) referring only to some underofficers, subservient to the other. And such a charge is at this day extantamongst the noble Venetians, who have near Trivisi (besides what theynourish in other places) a goodly forest of Oaks, preserved as a jewel, forthe only use of the arsenal, called the Montellos and this is carefullysupervised by a certain Officer whom they name il Capitano. The likehave the Genoeses for the care of the goodly forests of Attome, in the islandof Corsica, full of goodly Oaks and other timber; which not only furnishthat state with sufficient materials to build their own gallies and othervefsels, but so many for sale to other nations, that since the late insult theFrench Monarch made upon their glorious city, he has haughtily forbidthem to traffic any more with strangers, by supplying them as heretofore,to their great detriment and lofs: This timber is of such grain and quality,as though felled in the new moon, it is not at all impaired.

We might, besides all these, instance many other prudent states; notto importune you with the exprefs laws which Ancus Martius , the ne-phew of Numa, and other Princes long before Caesar, did ordain for thisvery purpose; since, indeed, the care of so public and honourable an en-terprize as is this of planting and improving of woods, is a right Nobleand Royal Undertaking; as that of the Forest of Dean in particular,were it bravely managed, an Imperial Design ; and I do pronounce itmore worthy of a Prince, who truly consults his glory in the highest in-terest of his subjects, than that of gaining battles, or subduing a pro-vince.

And now after all this, and the directions and encouragements enume-rated in this chapter, together with the most important concerns of thesedominions, I list not to declare by whose negligence so little effects appearof these improvements, which might by this time have been made in theRoyal Magazine, ever since the first edition of this Treatise q ; though theOfficers then intrusted, and whose duty it was, be now no more. I cannot

s This takes in a period of forty years, viz. from the first appearance of the Silva in ig64to the publication of the fourth edition in 1704 . :

Volume II. <5 s