ilS FAMILY HERBAL. 



same name, but very different qualities, which yet 

 he seems to suppose of the same nature, leaves his 

 reader to suppose, that he meant equally any of the 

 kinds of mercury, for the purposes he names ; and, 

 like his predecessor Gerard, supposed them all to he 

 alike ; those safe, and those poisonous. It is true, 

 Mr. Ray, in his Synopsis of the British plants, 

 gives an account of it as a poison, and must suffici- 

 ently warn all who read him, from the herb : hut 

 who reads him ? His book in which this is mentioned, 

 is written in Latin ; and those who want the infor- 

 mation, cannot read it. 



This is not only the case in one or two particulars, 

 it is so in all. To speak generally, the books which 

 contain real knowledge, are. written in Latin, 

 through an ostentation of their authors, to shew 

 their learning, or a pride in having them read in 

 other nations as well as here ; and those we have 

 in English are ignorant ; despised by the persons of 

 judgment, and fit only to mislead. If they enu- 

 merate virtues, they give them at random, or give 

 too many false among the true, that the reader 

 knows not what to choose ; or their real ignorance 

 mingles poisons with salads, as we see in the present 

 instance : Nor is any more regard to be paid to what 

 thev say of herbs, from certain great names they 

 quote. Dioscorides and Galen were indeed great 

 physicians ; but men like these are not qualified 

 to profit from their labours. The names of plants 

 have been changed so often since their time, that 

 we do not know what they mean b}' several : and it 

 is easy for such sad proficients as these, to record 

 of one plant, what they spoke of another : besides, 

 even in their best writings, there is a great deal of 

 error and folly, as may be seen in a quotation of this 

 Johnson's from them, added to Gerard in this verv 

 chapter. AY here, speaking of one of the kinds of 



