It is then for the esteem which these wise and glorious people had of this tree above all others, that I will first begin with the oak; and indeed it carries it from all other timber whatsoever, for building of ships in general, and in particular being tough, bending well, strong and not too heavy, nor easily admitting water.
2.

'Tis pity that the several kinds of oak are so rarely known amongst us, that whereever they meet with _quercus_, they take it promiscuously for our common oak; as likewise they do +Drys+, which comprehends all mast-bearing trees whatsoever, (which I think they have no latin word for): And in the _Silva Glandifera_ were reckon'd the chessnut, ilix, _esculus_, _cerris_, _suber_, &c.

various species rather than different trees, white, red, black, &c.

among our American plantations, (especially the long-stalked oak not as yet much taken notice of): we shall here therefore give an account of four only; two of which are most frequent with us; for we shall say little of the _cerris_ or _aegilops_, goodly to look on, but for little else: Some have mistaken it for beech, whereas indeed it is a kind of oak bearing a small round acorn almost covered with the cup, which is very rugged, the branches loaded with a long moss hanging down like dishevell'd hair which much annoys it.
+Phagos+ is indeed doubtless a species of oak; however by the Latins usually apply'd to the beech, whose leaf exceedingly differs from that of the oak, as also the mast and bark rugged, and growing among the hills and mountains; the other in the valleys, and perhaps, but few of them in Italy.

Physicians, naturalists and botanists should therefore be curious how they describe and place such trees mention'd by _Theophrastus_ and others, under the same denomination as frequently they do; being found so very different when accurately examin'd.