LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON. 1 9 



intermediate between the genera Glossodia and Caladenia, was 

 shown and its characters explained. 



Dr. A. B. Uendle, F.li.S., Sec.L.S., and Prof. F. A\^. Oliver, 

 E.R.S., contributed further remarks, and Mr. Aslibv replied. 



The General Hecretary read '' A Relic of Henry Lyre's Library," 

 a statement by Mr. llAiiOLn Downes, M.B., F.L.S., who presented 

 an association volume from the library of Henry Lytb (152;J- 

 1G07) of Lytes Gary, Somerset. 



" The volume whicli I have the honour of offering to the Society 

 was discovered by myself in 1916 in a general dealer's shop in 

 Taunton. It consists of two works of Aiitoiiie Mizauld, the 

 French Pliysifian (1520-1578), ' Alexikerus ' and ' ]Nro\ a et Mira 

 Artificia,' bound togetlier (Paris, 1564). 



" The interest for us lies in the fact that the vohime in (juestion 

 formed an item in the Library of Henry Lyte, and contains his 

 autograph and various notes in his handwriting. At the top of 

 the title-page of 'Alexikerus,' in red ink, is the signature ''Heiuy 

 Lyte," and across the printer's device (a nnilberry tn e) is "Llenry 

 Lyte, 1565." The signature is repeated on th(^ title-page of the 

 second work. A few trifling marginal notes are scattered through 

 the volume, and many passages are underlined, the notes and 

 uiider-scorings, as well as the signatures, being in red ink. At 

 the end of the volume are two pages of MS. notes, mostly medical 

 definitions or short descriptions of diseases. A list of Mizauld's 

 works is printed at the end of the volume, and several of these are 

 marked " H," which I assume to stand for " Llabeo," and to 

 indicate that Lyte possessed them. All tlie above are in Lyte's neat 

 handwriting, as may easily be proved by comparison with specimens 

 of his handwriting in the British Museum and elsewhere. 



'• As is well known, llenry Lyte was the translator of Hodoens's 

 Herbal, the first edition of tiie translation being dated 1578. 

 The French copv of " Dodoens " whi(,'h Lyte used for this trans- 

 lation is in tlie British Museum, and contains copious notes in his 

 handwriting. Henry Lvte was a member of the ancient family of 

 Lyte of Lytes Gary, in Soinersetsliire. Accrording to Pulteney he 

 became a student of Oxford in 1546. He afterward^* travelled, 

 and at length retired to Iiis estate, where he devoted his time to 

 study, publishing several works of a historical character. He 

 possessed a botanical garden, of which no trace remains. Contem- 

 porary with Turner, the latter was considerably his senior, and 

 though they were near neighbours there seems no evidence that 

 tliey held any communication, on botanical or other siibjecrs. 

 Ejyte was twice married, and died in 1607 at the age of 78, being 

 buried at Charlton Mackerel in his native county. 



"The MS. notes in the volume under consideration were trans- 

 cribed by me in ' Somerset anil Dorset Notes and Queries,' 1917, 

 of which a reprint will be found in the Society's Library." 



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