J*_ 



H 



i 













11} 





To the courteous and toe limiting c S^adet 



t # ■ 



•f * r 





which 



* ■ 



Lt bough mypaines hau not beene fteni (courteous Reader) in the gracious difcouerie 

 cf golden Mines, nor in the tracing after filuer veines, whereby my natiue country 

 might be inriched with fuch merchandise as it hath mofi in requefi and admirati- 

 on h yet hath my labour (Itruft) been otherwise profitably imploied,in defcrying of 

 fuch a harmeleffe treafureofberbcsjrces, andpUnts, as the earth frankely without 

 violence offer eth vnto our mofi necejfary vfes . Harmelejfe lead them, Pec auk 

 fuch delights as man in theperfecleftftate of his innocencie did e'rfi inioy i and treafurel 

 terme them feeing both Kings and Princes haue efieemed them as Jewels $ fit fi wife men 

 fe their whole life as a pilgrimage to attaine to the knowledge oft hem : by the which they 



f 'alcana opened the mouthes of manyJn commendation of tf>efe rare vertues 



hefe terrcftrlall 



feffeb 



1 • 



after than quicke fight ed Phoebus : audyet this dufty mettaH]pr excrement of the. earth (wtsichwas 

 firft deepely buried leaf itfiwuldbe an eie-fore togrieue the corrupt heart of man) by forcible entry 

 made into the bowels of the earth, is rather fnatched at of man to his owne deftrttcJion, than direffly 

 fem ofGodjo the comfort of this life. ^Andyet behold in the comparing of this worjly droffe, what 

 carcjvhat cofi y what aduentures, what myjlicallproofts, and chymicall trials arefet abroach • when 

 asnotwithjiandingthe chiefefi end is tutvneertaine wealth. Centrariwifejntbt •expert knowledge 

 of herbes, what pleafure fill renewed with variety t what fmall expence i what fecurity ? andyet 

 what an apt and ordinary mcancs to conduct man to that mofi de fired bene ft of health f which as I 

 deuoutly wifh vnto my natiue countrey y and to the car full nurfing mother of the fame ,fi bamm 

 bent my labours to the benefit of fuch as are fiudtoufiy praclifed in the confet u at ion thereof ', / 

 thought it a chief e point of my dutiejhus out of my poor efi ore to offer vpthefe my far fetched expe- 

 riment sjogct her with mine owne countries vnknowne treafure .combined in this compendious ffer- 

 ball (not vnpro fit able though vnpolifhed) vnto your wife con fir unions and courteous con ft derations 

 The drift whereof {is a ready introduction to that excellent art of Simpling, which is neither h bafe 

 nor contemptible as perhaps the Snglifi, name may feeme to intimate i but fuch it is, as altogether 

 hath beene ajludy for the wifefi y an exercifefor the nobleft, apafiime for the bell. From whence 

 there (prmgfioures not onely to adtrne the garlands of the Mufes, to decke the bofomes of the beatttl- 

 fulljo paint the gardens of the curious, to garni ft the glorious crownes of Kings . but alfofuch fruit 

 as learned Diokwidcs long tr one lied for-, and princely Mithridates referued as precious in his 

 owne clofct : Mithridates / meane, better knowne by hu foueraigne CMithridateJhan by his feme- 



long 



thisj,. 



of the Arabians did deliuer in a difcoarfe written of the vertues of herbes^nd dedicated it vutt 

 the Emperor Nero. Every greeneHerbariJl can make mention of the herbeLyfiixuchia whofi 

 vertues were foundout by King LyCimichus, and his vertues noleffeeternifedin the fe lie fame 

 flantjhan the name of&hy fas, qucintly beateninto thejhields tf/Pallas,*; the frji } letters of A 



fia,firjt 



pleafe) regifiredinthat beloued floure of Apollo, x^is ft. . 

 - the title thereof ft rang frrm*nve, Diana herfelfe,or jr 



'd J^teene of Car/a, which difclofed the vfe thereof vnto pofierity, it ft 

 monument to reuiuethe memories of them both for euer. What Jhould we ft take \f Gentiana bea- 

 nngftiUthe cognifance o/Gentius?w ofdiuers other herbes taking the>r denominations of their 

 princely innertorsj What ^ fhouldl fay ofthoferoyaUperfonages, Iuba, Attalus, Climerius, A- 

 chilles, Cyrus, Mafyiufla, Semyramis, Dioclefian ? but onely thus.to fbeake their Princely 

 hues to Herbarifme^ndtheir euerlafiing honors ( which neither old Plinius dtadjtor W L ipfi- 

 us Itutng will permit to dies? ) Crefcent herb*,crefcetis amores : crefcent herbi,crefcetis 



fionorcs. But had this wonted faculty wanted the aut horifement of fuch a roy all company , Kinr 

 Solomon, excelling all the re ft for wifdomerf greater royalty than they all (thouMe LiUiesof 

 ff^-^him)heonel^ 



dattenjn that his lofty wtfedome thought nofcorne tofioufe vnto the lowly plants. I lift notfeek the 



common 



