18 A GARDEN OF HERBS 



to profit the Church of God and the commonwealth by their 

 paines or penne, doe as it were send forth a pleasing savour 

 of sweet instructions, not only to that time wherein they 

 live and are fresh, but being drye, withered and dead, cease 

 not in all after ages to doe as much or more. Many herbes 

 and flowers that have small beautie or savour to commend 

 them, have much more good and vertue : So many men of 

 excellent rare parts and good qualities doe lye unknown and 

 not respected, untill time and use of them doe set forth 

 their properties. Againe many flowers have a glorious 

 shew, yet of no other use; So many doe make a glorious 

 ostentation, and flourish in the world . . . yet surely they 

 have no other vertue than their outside to commend them 

 or leave behind them. The fraility also of man's life is 

 learned by the soone fading of them before their flowering, 

 or in their pride or soon after, being either cropt by the 

 hand of the spectator, or by a sudden blast withered and 

 parched, or by the revolution of time decaying of its owne 

 nature : as also that the fairest flowers or fruits first ripe, 

 are soonest and first gathered. The mutability also of 

 States or persons, by this, that as where many goodly 

 flowers and fruits did growe in this yeare and age, in another 

 they are quite pulled or digged up, and eyther weedes and 

 grasse grow in their place, or some building erected thereon, 

 and there place is no more known. The Civill respects to 

 be learned from them are many also ; for the delight of the 

 varieties both of formes, colours and properties of Herbes 

 and Flowers, hath ever been powerfull over dull, unnatured, 

 rusticke and savage people, led only by Natures instinct; 

 how much more powerfull is it, or should be in the mindes 

 of generous persons? for it may well bee said, he is not 

 human that is not allured with this object." 



And finally to quote Gerard : " They (herbs) were such 

 delights as man in the perfect state of his innocence did 

 erst enjoy, and treasures I may well terme them, seeing 

 both Kings and Princes have esteemed them as jewels ; sith 

 wise men have made their whole life as a pilgrimage to 

 attaine to the knowledge of them. The hidden vertue of 



