Aprit 1907.] PATRICK BLAIR, SURGEON APOTHECARY. 275 
in endowing Man with a rational Faculty to discern these 
wonderful Productions of his divine Wisdom, and his provi- 
dential Care over Man; who, as he has since the Fall been 
liable to such Infirmities as the Weakness of his Nature, the 
Mismanagement of himself in this lapsed State, or perhaps 
vicious Inclinations or his immoderate Debaucheries have 
brought upon him, and made him subject to divers Diseases, 
and various Tortures, Torments, and bodily Pains and A filic- 
tions; so he has provided such a vast Variety of Remedies, 
always, almost in his View, which applied in a regular 
Manner, by knowing and well skilled Persons, are capable, if 
not to Cure, at least to lighten a burdensome and heavy Load 
of Sickness, and assuage the Vehemency of his Pains. Nor 
is the Providence of God less observable in providing to 
every Climate the fit Antidotes to remove the Epidemical 
Infections the Inhabitants of such a Soil or Climate are most 
obnoxious to,” a pregnant instance of which, he says, was to 
be seen in his first deecad, where Artemisia is treated. “Such 
a potent Febrifuge as Wormwood abounds in a place where 
Agues and Fevers are so Epidemical.” One may smile at 
some parts of Dr. Blair’s confession of his faith and practice, 
but at least it is a not unworthy one. Neither is his desire 
to advance the knowledge of Botany. “I must adapt my 
Discourse to those of the meanest Capacity, and convert the 
Technical Words or Botanical Terms of Art into such English 
as may be easily understood, otherwise 1 could do no Service, 
because I am sensible the expressing them in the Original 
Greek or Latin is one of the Reasons why Botany has 
hitherto been so long neglected by those whose Business 
it is to know it; and I rather chuse to render so delightful 
a Science so easy, that it may be universally known, than 
that it should remain as a hidden Treasure in the Hands of 
a very few. So that my principal Business must be... . to 
allure the Reader and stir him up into a desire of diving 
more deeply into it.” 
The work did not come out monthly as anticipated. but 
at irregular intervals, and ceased altogether in 1728, when 
the letter H had heen reached. The usually accepted 
explanation was, that the stoppage was due to the author’s 
death. The supposition was correct. A document I had 
the good fortune to come across in the Register House, 
