42 HISTORY OF BOTANY. 



Our author treats of the medicmal uses of plants under two 

 sections in each case : inwardly applied, and outwardly. 



Prospero Alpini, or Prosper Alpinus, a physician of 

 Padua, did good service to Botany by describing several 

 fresh plants that he discovered in his travels. He was born 

 at Marostica, in the north of Italy, 1553. As physician to 

 the Venetian consul, Alpini visited Egypt, where he spent 

 three years. He published works on exotic plants, on the 

 balsam plant, and on rhubarb, and died 1617 at Padua, 

 where he was at that time professor of Botany. Alpini's 

 book on 'Exotic Plants' appeared in 1614, and a second 

 edition by his son Alpini was published 1629.* A number 

 of the plants described are from the island of Candia, and 

 the original author tells us that he had not only collected 

 many plants himself, but had grown m_any from seed that 

 had been supplied to him by friends in different countries, 

 including France and England. The genus Alpinia was 

 named in his honour by Linneus. 



We may now turn to our own country, and consider the 

 work of a very genial and quaint — if not very erudite — 

 Englishman, John Gerard, and I hope to be excused if I 

 dwell rather longer on him than I have on some much more 

 learned men ; not only because he was our countryman, but 

 also because he was an excellent botanist, and wrote the 

 most amusing and popular ' Herbal' that we have. 



John Gerard, or as he is frequently called Gerarde,f was 

 born at Nantwich, in Cheshire, in 1545, and died in London, 



-'' The edition by Alpini Alpini (also a physician) has the date 1627 

 appended to his " Address to tlie kind reader," but on the title page we 

 find " MDCXXVIIII." 



i I know not why this essentially English writer should have a 

 foreign ajDX^earance, and a false accent, given to his name by the addi- 

 tion of a final e. It is spelt so in Johnson's edition (1633), on the title 

 page, but in the original (or Gerard's own) he subscribes himself plain 

 "John Gerard" to his dedication to his patron, Lord Burleigh, and 

 this is correctly adhered to in Johnson's edition. 



