18 CHAPTERS ON BRITISH BOTANY. [January 



cliiefiy^ and from the works of such of his countrymen as had, 

 prior to his era, devoted some attention to the subject. The only 

 work on botany exclusively, now extant, to which Pliny refers, 

 is the ' History of Plants, by Theophrastus.^ Therefore, we look 

 for the origin of our botany and our botanical literature in Greece. 

 Pliny is not the oldest extant authority. 



There were botanists before Theophrastus, as there were poets 

 anterior to Homer, dramatists before ^schylus, historians be- 

 fore Herodotus, but the sole memorials of these early students of 

 plants are to be found in the works of the father of the science, 

 Theophrastus. The work of this eminent Grecian philosopher is 

 the earliest to which reference can be made. 



The rhizotomists, as the early Greek herbalists were called, had 

 their name from their calling. They were root-diggers, as the 

 word implies ; and like their brethren of a later date, in our own 

 country, they were generally both ignorant and superstitious. 

 They attributed magical virtues to roots and herbs, and practised 

 various superstitious usages when they cut and collected them. 

 Some plants were to be gathered by night, some by day, some 

 with the body anointed, some while fasting, others after eating- 

 garlic and drinking strong wine. Like the disciples of our an- 

 cient Druids, the neophytes were instructed to describe a circle, 

 with the knife or digging implement, thi'ice round the plant to be 

 moved (three was a mystical number both among the ancient 

 Greeks and ancient Gauls or Celts) ; sometimes to dance round 

 it and talk obscenity {7repia<j)po8i(rict)v) ; also to look towards 

 the sun ; or to turn their faces to the wind. Many more absurd 

 and ridiculous practices of the early herbalists are recorded. 



Although the reputation of these primitive collectors was cal- 

 culated to throw general discredit on the whole order of botanists, 

 some of the rhizotomists left behind them works which were 

 thought worthy of being quoted both by Theophrastus and Athe- 

 nseus, — for example, Tharyas, who was a notable pharmacopolist, 

 and knew the nature and properties of herbs, and gave rules 

 whereby the salutary might be known from the noxious plants 

 (see Theoph. ix. 18). 



Aristophilus gave directions for detecting plants possessed of 

 aphrodisiac virtues or qualities. These properties have attracted 

 the notice of all herbalists both ancient and modern. 



The above-named rhizotomists (herbalists), together with Me- 



