^ 



u* 



■■ * 



/. ■« 



126 The tffeful Family Herhal. _ 



■ 



mentioned, is written in Latin \ and thofe who 

 want the Informarion cannot read it. 



This is nor only the Caie in one or two Parti- 

 culars, it is fo in alL To fpeak generally, the^ 

 Books which contain real Knowledge, are written 

 in Lathy through an Oftentation of their Authors 

 to Ihew their Learning, or a Pride in having them 

 read in ether Nations as well as here ; and thofe 

 we have in Englijfj are ignorant ; defpifed by the 

 Perfons of Judgment, and fit only to miflead. If 

 they enumerate Virtues, they give them at ran- 

 dom, or give too many falfe among the true, that 

 ihe Reader knows" not what to choofe *, or their real 



- » 



Icrnorance min^l^s Poifons with Sallets, as we fee 



in the prefent Inftance ; Nor is any more Regard 

 to be paid to what they fay of Herbs, from cer- 

 tain great Names they qu^tc. Diojcori^es and Ga-^ 

 ten were indeed great Phyiicians ; but Men like 

 ihcfe are not qualified to profit from their Labours. 

 The Names of Vlzxit^ have been changed fo often 

 i\v\ct their Time, that we do not knov/ what they 

 mean by feveral: And it is eafyfor fuch fad Pro- 

 ficients as tliefe, to record of one Plant, what 

 they fpokeof another: Befides, even in their belt 



Writings, there is a ^reat deal of Error and Fol- 



i? ' ----*- *- " o 



ly, as may be ^^zn in a Quotation of this Johifon^^ 

 from them, added to Gerard in this very Chapter. 

 Where fpeaking of one of the kinds of Mercury, 

 diflinguifhed like this poifonous Kind, into Male 

 and Female, he fiys, * that the Male Kind conduces 



* to the Generation of Boys, and the Fem.ale of 



* Girls/- Such is the Matter, that a Saperiority in 

 one of thefc Authors over the other, qualified iiim 

 to add to his Book : Such are the Englijh Books, 



that are extant upon this Subjeft ; and fuch the 

 Direftion offered to the Charitable, epnfounding 

 etsrabk Herbs with Poifons, This has been one 



great 



•-> 





'^ 



