Dr. Pulteney thinks he was not settled in England during the 

 life of Gerarde, though often mentioned in the second edition 

 of that author's Herbal, by its editor Johnson, as well as in 

 Parkinson's works. He is recorded to have been for a con- 

 siderable time in the service of the lord-treasurer Salisbury, 

 and Lord Wooton. He travelled into various parts of Europe, 

 even as far as Russia ; and was on board a fleet sent against 

 the Algerines in 1620. He brought home plants and other 

 curiosities from these various excursions, but it does not 

 appear what was their primary object. About the year 1629 

 he obtained the title of Gardener to King Charles I. and 

 about that time, or before, was settled at Lambeth, where his 

 own garden was situated. Some remains of this were traced 

 out by Sir William Watson 120 years afterwards. Tradescant's 

 Ark, or Museum, became very famous as a collection of 

 natural rarities. It was much visited by the great, and even 

 by the royal family, all of whom took pleasure in enriching 

 it, as in later times their descendants have done to other such 

 collections. A catalogue of the Museum Tradescantianum^ 

 in 12mo., appeared in 1656. with portraits of the owner and 

 his son engraved by Hollar ; of which however most of the 

 copies are plundered by mere print collectors, careless of the 

 value of any thing beyond their own object. By this cata- 

 logue the museum appears to have been furnished, not only 

 with birds, quadrupeds, fish, shells, insects, minerals, fruits, 

 &c. but also with warlike instruments, habits, utensils, coins, 

 and medals. There is annexed a catalogue in English and 

 Latin of the plants cultivated in the author's garden. This 

 portrait represents him as greatly advanced in age at this 

 period, but the time of his death is not known. His son, of 

 the same name, visited Virginia, and returned with several 

 new plants ; amongst others the original Tradescantia. This 

 son inherited his father's collections, and, dying in 1662, be- 

 queathed them to Mr. Elias Ashmole, so that they may be 

 said to have laid the foundation of the Ashmolean Museum at 

 Oxford, in which they, like the name of their original owner, 

 are now sunk. The widow of the younger Tradescant, the 

 mother probably of the grandson mentioned in the epitaph, is 

 said to have erected the curious and rather splendid tomb, 

 remarkable for its allusive decorations, which still exists in 

 Lambeth church-yard. See Dr. Ducarrei's account of this 

 monument, in the 63rd volume of the Philosophical Trans- 

 actions." 



