■"^ 



To the friendly and indifferent 



Reader, 



F thou he ignorant (gentle %eader) anddefi- 

 rom to k^owe, either how profitable this Hi' 

 ftorie of Tlants is, or how woorthie to be flu- 

 died, either how hard and how highly in times 

 pafi eHeemedfWhat be the canfes of the hard-* 

 nes there of i how they may be remedied, and 

 why the Author heerof ( after fo ma?ty lear" 

 dboth ancient and late writers ) tooke vp 



him the fettingfoorth of the fame : or why in his Annotations and lufi 



edition he hath remked certaine things which in thefirH ejcaped him 

 for thy inUruBionandrefolution in thefe matters, Ire^erre thee to the 

 fame Authors two Prefaces , wherein he learnedly, and as briefly as the 

 nature of the matters will permit, difc our feth thereof fufficiently. But 

 if thou wouldeBknow of me, why Ihaue taken vpon me the tranflation 

 and publication of the fame in this our natiue toong, as I might without 

 any great labor ye Id thee many iuFl and reafonable caufes of rny fodo- 

 ing,if I thought it greatly expedient or necejfariefo to do : fol thinke it 

 fiifjicient for any, whom reajon may fatisfie ,by way ofanfwere to alledg 



this aHion and fententioM pofition : Bonum, quo communius, eo 

 melius &prajn:antius: ayi good thing the more common it is, the 



better it is. Seeingthenthatmy tranflation Jhall make this good and 

 profitable hiftorie (which hitherto hath lien hidfiom many of my coun-* 

 trimen, vhderthe vaile of an vnknowen language ) familiar and know- 

 en vnto them: andifitbegood( as nogoodmanwill denie) toinlarg 

 a good thing, and to make manie partaksrs thereof: then can there 



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e 



lacks iuFt caufe to be afledged of this 



'•'JO 



tng 



'ther thinkt 



J, that any will mifltke or repine thereat, except fuch, as either enuie 

 the we ale of others whom they account fimpler than themfelues, and 

 therefore reckon vnwoorthie to be in their owne language made parta- 

 kers ther of : or elfe arefofludious of their owne priuategaine,that they 

 feare,leaflky this me ^ncs fame part thereof may be lefined : whiles o^ 

 thers vnderflanding the nature andvertue< ofFlants ^ herbs, fhalb ' 



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