Show tribute to trees the trees formed the first temples of the gods and even at the present day the country people preserving in ID all their simplicity their ancient rites consecrate the finest of their trees tree to some divinity indeed we feel ourselves inspired to adoration not less leaa by the sacred groves and their very still nessi than by the statues of the gods resplendent as they are with gold and ivory each kind of tree remains m at ns immutably consecrated to some divinity the beech to jupiter the laurel to apollo the olive alive to minerva Aliner vp the myrtle to venus and the poplar to hercules in more recent times it was the trees that by their juices more soothing even than corn first molli mollified fled the natural asperity off of man pliny |