370 APPENDIX. 



a disease we knew not how so wcU to cure before, 

 is a source of more true honour, than can be de- 

 rived from all the useless knowledge in the 

 world r^ 



If any suppose the trial dangerous^ they mis- 

 lead fhtMTiselves ; and to encourage so laudable an 

 undertaking, I shall observe how little is »tlie 

 hazard, and how considerable the advantages, 

 from what we know already. 



If a man were to be turned loose upon an island 

 where no person had set foot before, he might 

 dread to taste of any plant he saw, because he 



niight not know^ but every one he saw was fiital 



and supposing him to have got over this fear, 

 the ignorance of the virtues of all would keep 

 him backward : but this is not at all the case with 

 him, who shall at this time set about inquiring 

 int5> the virtues of plants in England. The 

 poisonous plants, native of our soil, arc hardly a 

 dozen, and these arc charactered even to the eve, 

 by somethiug singular or dismal in the aspect. 

 They arc well known ; and he has nothing to do 

 but to avoid them* For the rest, he has so many, 

 whose uses and qualities are already perfectly 

 known, that he has a great foundation to go upon 

 in the search, because he can compare those he 

 does not know with them. Their tastes will go 

 a great way toward informing him ; but this is 

 not all, their very outward figures will direct him : 

 for in general those plants which agree in tb? 

 external aspect, agree likewise in their virtues. 



To give an instance in the marshmallow. It is 

 known to work by urine, and to be good against 

 the gravel. We will suppose no more known 

 concerning this kind. A person desirous of ex- 

 tending this useful knowledge, finds tha,t by tl>c 

 taste of the root, which is insipid, and its rati- 



