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Show The Epittle to the Reader. The Eniftle to the Reader, i a Need pclae Saale Worke-man cannot imitate, andfuch vertues and properties, that although wee know many,yet many more lye bidden and pnknowne, but many good in/tru Elions alfoto ourjelues: That as many herbes and flowers with their fragrant [weete Jmels doe comfort, and as it were renin: the {pirits, and perfumea whole honje ; encnfofuch menas line pertuoufly labouring to doegood, and profit the Church of God and the Commonwealth by cheir paines or penne, doe as it were fend forth a pleajing fauour of Jweet inftruttions, not only to that time Wherein they line sand are frefh, but being drye, withered anddead, ceafe not in all after ages todoe as much or more. Many herbes and flowers that haue {mall beautie or [auourtocom. mend them, haye much moregood vfe and vertue : fo maprymen of excellent rare parts andgood qualities doe lye bid vaknownandnot re/petted, vntill imeandv/e ofthem doe fetforth their properties, Againe, many flowers haue a glorious fhew of beauty and brauery, yet Jtinking in fmell, or el/e of noothervfe : /omany _ doe make aglorious oftentation, and fiourifhinthe world, when as if they /tinke not horribly before Godandall good men,yet furely they haue no other vertue then their outfide to commend them, or leaue behind them, Some alforife up and appear like a Lilly among Thornes, or asagoodly Flower among many Weedes or Graffe, eyther by their honourable authoritie, or eminence of learning or riches, whereby they excell others, and thereby may doegood to many. The frailty alfo of Mans life is learned by thefoone fading ofthem before theirflowy ing, or in their pride,or Someafter, being either e1 opt by the bandof the [pettator, or by.a fuddenblaft wi- thered andparched, or by the revolution of time decaying of it owne nature ; as al/o that thefaireft flowers orfruitsfir(t ripe, aref oonef t and firfgathered. ‘The, miitabilit iealfo of/tates andperfons, by this, that as where many goodly flowers ex fruits didLrow this yeare and age, in anotherth and eyther weedes andgralfe growin their plac ey are quite pulled or digged ve3 e; orfome building erected thereon, and their place is namo many alfo: andfanage Should be inthe mindes ofLcnerous perfon, 2 for it m = f0 s not allured with this obic &.Theftadyskuowledge and trauelin 4s they bane been entertained of SreatK the ings {Princes and Potentatessbithout n, paragement te their GreatnefJe, dif or hind Affaires + fono doubtvnto all that are erance to their more ferious and weighty capable thereof, it is not onelypleafant profitableby comforting the minde, bat [pirits and fenfes withian harmeleffe deli and by enabling the iud ght dee gemment to conferre and ves nd apply helpe to many danverous di. feafes. -itisalfoan Inftru&ter in the ; verity ofthegen uine Plants of abthe erAncients; and a (orrecter of the many errours wherenntothe w orld by continuan ce hat dinerted,and almo(t therein fixed,by era dicating in t imeand by deovees the h hiss nacsous wilfulne/Je of manywho bec perti2 aufe they were brought yp in theire rrours, are moft vurwilling toleaue themwitho ut confideration ofthegood or euill,the risht oF Wrong, theydraw on therewith, An ownepaines and ftudies by anaturalldfor my felfe Imay willSay;char had not nmine any others:belpe (although fome inclination beene more powerfull inmee then through an euill4ifpofitionand far traducei me asto fay thi ignorance bavefo s was rather another:mans wor ke then mine‘owne bak Tleaue them to theirfolly) Thadne uer done fomuch as There publifh no r beenfit Pretfor 4 larger,as time may fiuddenly(b euolent di/pofitions o degenerate/pi y Godspermifsion)bying to lichtif rits doe not hinilep the actomplifhme nt. But Butperfwadingmyfelfe thereisno fhowre that producech noe fomefruit, or no word but worketh fome effet, eyther of 00d to per/wade,or of reproofe toeuiic e, I could not but declare my mindeherein, let others tudge or fay whatth ey pleafe, For Ihauealwaies held ica thing confit, toconceale or bury that knowledge God hathgiuen,and not to impartit, andfurther others therewith as much at isconye = ment, yettwithout oStencation, which | haue ener hated. Now further to informe the courteons Reader, ‘both of the occafion that led me on to this worke, andthei other occurrences to it, Firft, han ing perufed many Herbals in Latine, I obferued that moft of themhaue eyther neglected or not knowne the many diuerfit ies of thé flower Plants, and rave fruitsareknownto vs at this time, and (except Clufius) bane mademention but ofavery few. In Englifh likewi/e we haue fome extant as Turner and Dodonaus tranflatedwha baue haue[aid little ofFlowers,Gerard who is laft, hath nodoubtginen vs the knowledge of as many as he attained onto in his time,butfince his dates we hane bad many more varietiesthen he or they euer* beard ofas may beperceiued by theftore'l bane hereproduced. And none of haueparticularly feucred thofe that are beaucifullflower plants; fit tofore them agars denof delight andpleafure, from theswilde and confit: but hane enterlaced many, one among another, whereby many that hane defired to bane faire flowershauenot Rnown. either what tochoofe,or what'to desire: Diners Bookes ofFlowers alfohau e beenfer forth) fome imour owne (Countrey, and more inothers, all whichia re as.it were buthandfulsfnatchedfrom he‘plemtifull Treafury ofNature; none of them being willing or able'to.open all forts: und declaye them fully 3° but thegreatefk hinderance of all mens delight was, that none of them hadgiven.any deferpr ionof: them, but the bare name only, To[atisfie therefore their defires. that are loners offuch Delights, Ttook vpon methis labour and charge,andbane herefelefted and fetforth a Garden ofall the chiefeft for choyce, and faireft for fhew, from among all the feuerall Tribes and Kindyeds of Natures beauty and hane ranked them as neere as! couldor 43 thé Worke would permit,in affinity one vnto another. Second . ly, andfortheirfakes that areftudious in Authors,I hauefet down the names hane bin formerly ginen vato chem,withSome of their errours, not intendi ng to cumber this worke with all that might bee faidof them, becaufe the deciding of the many controuer/iesdoubts and que/tions that concerne them, pertaine morefitly toaZenerall Fiftory : yet Thane Beene in fome places more copiows and ample then at the firft Ibadintended, the occafton drawing on my defire to informe others with what I thought wasfitto be known,referuing what elfem ight be faid to another time ex worke; wherein (Godwilling) Iwill inlarge myfelfe,chefubieEt matter requirin it at my bands,in what my {mall ability can effet. Thirdly,I kauealfo to embellifh this Worke fet forth the figures of all{uch plants andflowers as are materiall and different one from another: but-notas-fome-others-hawe done;that-ts,a number of the figures of one fort of plant that haue nothing todiftinguifh them but the com lour,for that I hold to befuperfluousand wafte, Fourthly, haue alfo fet down the Oertues and Properties of them ina briefe manner, rather defiring togiue you the knowledge ofa few certaine and true,then torelate, as others haue done, ancedle /s and falfe multiplicitie, that fo there might as tellprofit as plea/ure be taken from them, ~and that nothingmight bewanting rouccomplifhitfullysAndfomuchfor this firft part, my Garden ofpleafant and delightfull Flowers. My next Garden confifte th ofHerbes and Rootes fit to be eaten ofthe rich andpoor as nourifhment andfood,as fawceor condiment,ae fallet or refrefhing,for pleafur e orprofit.where I doe as wellplay the Gardiner, tofhew you (in briefe, but not at large) the meA an |