TO THE READER.

ZlFTER what the frontispiece and porch of this wooden edifice pre-sents you, I shall need no farther to repeat the occasion of this followingdiscourse: I am only to acquaint you, that as it was delivered to theRoyal Society , by an unworthy member thereof, in obedience to theircommands ; by the same it is now re-published without any farther pro-spect: And the reader is to know, that if these dry sticks afford him anysap, it is one of the least and meanest of those pieces which are everyday produced by that illustrious assembly, and which enrich their col-lections, as so many monuments of their accurate experiments, andpublic endeavours, in order to the production of real and useful theories,the propagation and improvement of natural science, and the honour oftheir institution. If to this there be any thing subjoined here, whichmay a while befpeak the patience of the reader, it is only for the encou-ragement of an industry, and worthy labour, much in our days negleCted,as haply reputed a consideration of too sordid and vulgar a nature fornoble persons and gentlemen to busy themselves withal, and who oftenerfind out occasions to fell down and destroy their woods and plantations,than either to repair or improve them.

But we are not without hopes of taking off these prejudices, and ofreconciling them to a subjeCt and an industry which has been conse-crated, as I may say, by as good and as great persons as any the worldhas produced; and whose names w r e find mingled amongst kings andphilosophers, grave senators and patriots of their country: for such of oldwere Solomon, Cyrus, and Numa; Licinius , surnamed Stolo, Cato, andCincinnatus; the Pisos, Fabii, Cicero , the Plinys, and thousands morewhom I might enumerate, that disdained not to cultivate these rusticitieseven with their own hands, and to esteem it no small accefsion to dignifytheir titles, and adorn their purple with these rural characters of theiraffections to planting, and love of this part of Agriculture, which hastransmitted to us their venerable names through so many ages andvicifsitudes of the world.

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