1923] TUCKER, INCUNABULA IN LIBRARY OP ARNOLD ARBORETUM 57 



fifteenth century." Little is known of the author, who lived in the fourth or 

 fifth century and seems to have been neither Roman nor Greek, hence his 

 epithet Barbarus. "There is not the slightest evidence that he had 

 anything in common with Lucius Apuleius of Madaura in Numidia (born 

 about 125 a.d.) " with whom, however, he is sometimes confused. The 

 Herbarium, based on classical writings, especially those of Dioscorides 

 and Pliny, and of which many manuscripts were in circulation from the 

 sixth or seventh century on, is among the earliest to which the term 

 "Herbal" is generally applied, and is perhaps the first by which any 

 kind of systematic knowledge of medicinal plants was brought into Britain. 

 "Four early printed editions of the Herbal of Apuleius Platonicus are 

 known, all of which appear to have been based on different manuscripts. 

 The earliest was published in Rome late in the fifteenth century from a 

 manuscript discovered by Joh. Philippus de Lignamine, physician to 

 Pope Sixtus IV. The passage of the earliest printed books through the 

 press was naturally extremely slow giving the printer opportunity to make 

 alterations so that books actually belonging to the same edition show 

 variations/* Thus, of the extant edition of Apuleius' Herbarium two 

 variants seem to exist which Dr. Klebs designates as a and b. 



a Dedicatory epistle to F. de Gonzaga Cardina || Mantuanum . . . 



b Dedicatory epistle to D. Iuliano de Ru || vere Ro. Se. Episcopo 

 Cardinali || Sabinensi 

 There is considerable difference in the dates attributed to this latter variant. 

 Banks states "Editio non est posterior anno 1471, quo Cardinalis de 

 Ruvere Pontifex electus fuit Maximus." This is probably due to Banks' 

 confusion of Francesco della Rovere (Pope Sixtus IV) with Julius della 

 Rovere to whom this book is dedicated. Pritzel evidently copied Banks. 

 The British Museum gives 1480 as the date but Dr. Klebs in the following 

 note places it at 1483 or 1484. 



"Lignamine had a press in his house, but probably never printed himself. 

 In his somewhat loquacious dedicatory epistles he usually gives interesting 

 information. Since Cardinal Gonzaga died in October, 1483, it is very 

 likely that the dedication to the nephew of the pope, Cardinal Giulio della 

 Rovere, was substituted during the printing. Therefore variant b is 

 the later and the date of printing 1483 or 1484 can be fixed with fair 

 accuracy. Mrs. Sears' copy must be variant b, because Lignamine's 

 epistle ends on 4a, blank in both Hain's and the British Museum copies." 

 Hain 1322 in his citation of what Dr. Klebs is pleased to call variant a, 

 says, "Impr. est a 1484. Extant exempl. c. dedicatoria ad Julium della 

 Rovere," (a fact which Dr. Klebs seems to have overlooked). In which 

 case variant b, the later variant, could not be 1483. Furthermore Dr. 

 Klebs* conclusion that Mrs. Sears' copy is variant b is not well grounded, 

 since its first leaf is folio 7a, at the head of which within a wreath of leaves 

 is "Incipit || Herbarium Apulei Plato || nici ad Mar || cum Agrip || pam." 

 Three leaves of the dedicatory epistle are altogether wanting, flF. 4a (upon 



