STANDLEY TREES Al^JD SHRUBS OF MEXICO. 11 



with the objects of his commission, and refusing to practice his pro- 

 fession for Lack of leisure from his researches, although he states that 

 he thus lost the opportunity of gaining more than 20,000 pesos. 

 Taking advantage of his title of Protomedico, he assembled many of 

 the Mexican physicians and directed them to test the native drugs 

 and to inform him of the results obtained. He himself carried on 

 experiments in the hospitals with drug plants whose properties he 

 wished to determine. 



In September, 1577, Hernandez returned to Spain. He left in 

 Mexico three or four copies of his manuscripts and sketches. Be- 

 sides his manuscripts and herbarium, he carried to Spain many 

 seeds and living plants to adorn the royal gardens. His execution 

 of his Mexican commission must have satisfied the Spanish au- 

 thorities, for he was offered a similar mission to Peru and other 

 parts of the Indies, which he refused because of a desire to attend 

 to the printing of his reports. His expectations in this direction, 

 however, .were destined to be sadly disappointed, for instead of 

 being sent to the printer the manuscripts were buried in the library 

 of the Escorial, although, as a Mexican writer remarks, " ivith every 

 honor,'''' for they " were beautifully bound, in blue leather covered 

 and worked with gold, with clasps, corners, and ornaments of silver, 

 all very heavy and of excellent workmanship and design." Not- 

 withstanding this unfortunate and ironical conclusion of Hernandez's 

 expectations, Colmeiro asserts that he had seen " a sample impression 

 of the colored plates which were projected for his natural history, 

 with an estimate of the cost, to judge'^from which the edition would 

 have been of uncommon beauty, and perhaps the first of its kind for 

 that time." 



Wearied by his disappointments, Hernandez survived only a short 

 time, and died January 28, 1578. Neither the exact date of his birth 

 nor his birthplace is known, nor the place where his remains rest. 

 He left 16 folio volumes, six of text, describing the animals, plants, 

 and minerals of Mexico, and 10 of drawings representing these ob- 

 jects; also various miscellaneous manuscripts dealing with medi- 

 cine, Mexican antiquities, and moral and religious philosophy. He 

 had prepared a translation of Pliny's National History, and had 

 written at least two philosophical works in verse. Except for a 

 few fragments, all these works were destroyed by the fire which 

 consumed the Eoyal Monastery of the Escorial in June 1671. Of 

 the manuscripts left in Mexico nothing is known, and it is probable 

 that all were lost within a few years after their preparation. 



Soon after Hernandez's death the King moved to remedy the delay 

 in the publication of his works by commissioning another of his 

 physicians. Dr. Nardo Antonio Recchi, a native of Naples, to take 

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