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Show To the Reader. in his manner o .L as he followed .4ri/fotle in the Schoole,foalfo tobe drawne. Theophraftus P 9 writingforaccording as Ari/totle hath deliueredhis Hiftoria _Animalinm, fo hathhee fet forth this of Plants,not by writing ofcach /pecies in particular, but of their differences and Theoph. nif. naturesby their partsaffections, generations and life. VVhichhowhard a thing it was, heetells phl.s.capr. you in his fecond Chapter,andrenders you this reafon, Becaufe there iz nothing common to all Plants yas the mouth andbelly is to other lining creatures,8c. Now bythis manner of wtiting yotrmaylearne the genetall ‘differences and affections of Plants,but cannot come to * theparticular knowledge of any without muchlabour: for you muft goe to manyplaces to gathervp the defeription of one Plant: neither doth hee (nor is it neceffarie for any writing in this mahner)make mention ofany great number, and of many itmaybee but once. His workes being in Greeke were tranflated into Latine by Theodore Gaza,who did them but Greca fide,for he omitted fome things otherwhiles rendred them contrary tothe TO THE READER. mindeofthe Author : but aboue all, he tooke to himfelf too muchlibertie in giuing of namesin imitation of the Greeke,or ofhis owne inuention, whenit had beene better by muchfor his Reader to haue had them in the Greeke,as when he renders ‘txenig1, Azitato- Cotrteous READER, Here are many things whichI thinke needfull to impart vnto thee; both concerning the knowledge of plants ingenerall, as'alfo for the better explaining of fome things:pertinent to this prefent Hiftorie; which I hauehere fet forth much amended and enlarged. For the ge. nerall differences,affections; &c. of Plants, I hold ito now fo fitting nor neceffarie for me to infift vpon them , neither dog I. intendin any largedifcourfe to fet forth their many and great vfes and vertues : ging-me leaue onely totell you, That God ofhis infinit goodneffe and bountie hath by the twediuss of Plants beftowed almoft all food,clothing,and.medicinevpon man. And tothis off-{pring we alfo‘owe'(for the moft parr).our boulesfhiping and, infinite other things, thoughfome of them Protews-like haue runthrough diuets fhapes,as this paper wereon [ write, that firft from feed became Flax; thenafter much vexation thred,then cloath whereit was curand mangledto ferue the Fathions of the time : bucvafterwards tejeced and caftafide yet vnwilling fo to forfake the feruice of man for which God had created (as‘I may terme it) tothe Hammer,from whence it takes amoreno it, againeit comes tude to be imployed to Sacred,Ciuill,Forreine and Dometticke ble forme and aptis vies. T-will nor {peake of the many and various obieds ofdelight that thefe prefent tothe fenfes, nor of fundry ao oe Solomon, plentifullyinthis kinde deliner : butrather acquaint you ged tom what Fountai ie nes ne this a Knowle rledg: dge may be drawne, by fhewing i 7 eae to vs. the < orie of Plants, and after what manner what Authours hate they have doneir; and this will be a meanes anes the that many controuerfies maybe ay be the more eafily vnderftood y leffe learned and judicious Reader. { oe He whofe name we firft finde vpon tecord (though doubtl effe'fome hadtreated therof before) rhat largely writ of Plants,was thewifett of men,e cuen King Solomon,whocertainé: lywould not haue medled withthis fubie,ifhe in his w ifedomehad not knowne it wore ee himfelfe,and exceedingfitting: Firft for the honour ofhis Creator, whofe gifts and oe thefeare : Secondly for the good of his Subiecéts,whereofwithout doubt hein oe hada fpeciall regard in the curingof their difeafes and infirmities. But this TB works beingloft, Iwill not infift vponit,but come which (following thecourfeof antiqiitie) that ofTheop to fuch as are yer/extant, of hraftiis firkk takes place. Now Theophraflus {ucceeded Ariffotle in the gouernement of the School : about oe the 114 4 Olymp. Ulymp.Wwhich which was was {tome322 yeares re before Chrift. C r e He among manyot her ~ Theophraftus « Lued. Batau. {nara eS rt 1 } ; oe rita mre of Plants inten bookes,and of the caufes of them Seheb owlc of former ten there are Soa¢ saab : ninee come come ¢to our times timesre reafonable perfeé, perf her now remain but there vias the eightof the caufes of Plants. Some looking vypon the Catalogueof the bookes of Theophrafius his writing, fet forth in his life. write by Diogenes wonder thatthey f ‘ pabimLaertins, Titine, aide, may Hinhis life, written Cs . — goed hnde no mention of thefe bookes'of Plants, amoneft thefehe eckan. P.and indeed thor it fomen { i ft : ‘Se I thought it rhe hat ftrange,andfo much the more,be 5 h life fe caufethis hi: : “Storch Oy Daniel Heinfius before his* Edition of Theophra vs, andthere alfo aoe ne no menhe Gonnnng nee . = in me Greeke nor Latine F of Y thofe workes. Confid ering‘this, I thinking to 1aueu faidsfom a ethitio " ‘9 gt the uiig, therof, Lfound the2 doubt was long fince can cleared bythe earned Cavpon “ Laertins pac. 221. rer . 2,where P4fan i 33. for ces for rei SoGenkinn. esi and gmt. Thus being certaine of t and eu7Kar emi, hee o f the Authour ,let mee ivi cacefacn rk Which though by theiniurie of time it hath futfered much, foie ete ee u cle picecs of Antiquitie,from whencett se knowledge of Plants is to en woultote Ui dus notes Withes ade rium, inosine» Solaris,&c. The learned Julins Scaliger hath {et forth Animacuerfiones vpon thefe bookes,wherein he hath both much explained the minde of Teophraftus, and {hewed theerrours of Gaza. Some fince his time haue promifed to do fomething to this Author\as Duniel Heinfins,and Spigelus but twentie yeares are paft fince,and I haue not yet heardofany thing doneinthis kinde by either of them. Thus muchfor Theophraftus. Let me not pafie ouer _4riflotle in filence,though his bookes writ of this fubie& but two,andthefe according to the conieture ofTulivs Scal:ger (who hath made large Arifigtles and curious examination of them) haueeither perifhed,or cometovs not as theywere otiginally written by Ari/forle,but as they haue been by fome later man put into Greeke. Amongft other things Scaliger hath thefe concerning thofe two bookes : Reor 2 textrind T heophrafti detratta fila quadam,i(q;, clavosaddicos,tametfe neque auveos, nequepurpureos. Quod fiprotinus autoremtib: dari vis ad _Arabumdilizentiampropius accedit: And afterwards thus : Aitribuere viri dottijalius ali, at quidem qui aliorum viderem nihilPlanudém autorém tacienti malim affentiri extant enim illius alijs in librisfimilis veltigiafemilatinictatis,8cc. Thusmuch for Ariftotle,whom as youfee I haue placed after his Scholler, becaufe thereis fich doubt of thefe bookes carried about in his name, \and for that Scalicer as youfee thinks then rather taken out of Theophrajfus,than written by his Matter. The next that orderly followesis Pedacius Diofcorides _AnaXarbeus, who liued (accor- Diofcorides. ding to'Swidas)in the time of Cleopatra,which was fomefewyeares before the birth of our Aiox9; Sauiour| Now Suidas hath confounded * Diofiorides AnaXarbeus with Diofcorides Phacas,but Zep) by fomeplaces in Galen you mayfee they were different men: forour Anazarbeah Diofco rides was of the Empericke fect,but the other wasa follower of Herophy/us and of the Ra- Ot. tional] fe&.He writ not only of Plants,but de tota materia medica, towhich ftudie hee was addiéted euen from his childe-hood, which made him trauell much ground, and leadea militarie life, the better toaccomplithhis ends:and in this he attained to that perfection, that few or none {ince his time haue attained to, of the excellencie of his worke,whichis as it were the foundation and ground-worke ofall that hath beenfince deliuered inthis De fmpt.mied; nature, Heare what Galen one oftheexcellenteft of Phy fitions,and one who {pent no {mal ee ee time in this ftudy,affirmes : Burt, faith he,the Anazarbean Dio/corides in fiue bookes hath written of the neceffarie matter of medicine, not onely making mentionof herbes, but alfo oftrees; fruits, “* liquours andiuices, as alfo of all mineralls,andof the parts of li- emwimis uing creatures : and. in mine opinion he hath with the greateft perfe &ion performedthis worke ofthe matter of Medicine: for although many before himhaue written well vponthis fubieG,yet none haue writ fo well ofall. Now Dzofcorides followes not the method of Theophraftus but treats of each kinde ofherbe in particular,firt giuing the rames,then the defeription,and then the place where they vfually grow, and Jaftly their vertues. Yet of fome,which thenwere as frequently knownewith them,as Sage, Rofemary, an Afh of Oketree are withvs,he hath omitted the defcriptions,as not neceffarie, as indeed at that time whenthey were fovulgarly knowne, they might feeme foto be: but nowwee know the leaft of thefé,and hauenocertaintie,but fome probable conieGures do direévs to the knowledge of them. He was nor curious about his words nor method, but plainely and truly deliucred that whereof he had: certaine and experimentall knowledge, concerning the defcription and nature ofPlants. But the general] method he obferued you may finde fer forth by Baw/ine inhis Edition of matthiolvs immediatlyafter the preface of the firft booke,whereto I referthe curious,being too long for me in this place toinfift vpon. 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