INTRODUCTION. iiii. 



teveral kind* of roots here ; they follow in their 

 places . but if the charitable lady would, on first 

 looking over this book to see what are most use- 

 ful, order her gardener to take out of his ground, 

 and to seek in the fields, the several roots there 

 mentioned, and see them dried and preserved ac- 

 cording to these directions, she would be possess- 

 ed of a set of drugs of a new kind indeed ; but 

 they would save the price of many brought from 

 other countries, and might be used with less 

 danger. 



The barks of trees make but a small part of 

 the English drugs, and most of them are best 

 fresh ; but such as will preserve and retain their 

 virtues dried, are very easily prepared that way: 

 nothing more is required, than to cut them into 

 moderate pieces, and string them up in the 

 same manner as the roots. When they are 

 dry, they are to be put up as the others ; and 

 they will keep ever so long ; but in all this 

 time they are for the most part losing of their 

 virtues. 



It may be prudent to preserve drugs brought 

 from abroad a great while because of their 

 price ; but as these cost only the trouble of ga- 

 thering and preserving them, I would, advise, 

 that the whole shop be renewed every year ; 

 what is left of the old parcel of every kind, being 

 thrown away as the fresh one is collected in its 

 season. 



The place for keeping these should be a dry 

 room, neither damp nor hot ; and they should 

 now and then be looked at, to see that they arc 

 in order ; that they do not grow mouldy, or smell 

 musty through damp, or become lighter, and lose 

 their virtue by too much heat. 



It may be proper just to mention, that the 



