VI 



PREFA CE. 



The Appendix contains the glosses of Petrus de Abano which were 

 carefully gone through before deahng with the Glossary itself. 



It would be interesting if the source could be discovered of those 

 glosses which are coinmon to the Selden MS., the glosses of Petrus de 

 Abano, the Sinonovia Bartholomcei, and Vincent of Beauvais ^ Examples 

 of this identity will be found in lacia (p. 93), micleits (p. 1 26), iitimalhis 

 (p. 185), and viscns (p. 191). 



The editor finds that in pursuit of plants he has been led to trespass 

 upon the field of medicine. Having no knowledge of its mysteries he 

 must ask for pardon if his attempts at explanation are erroneous or 

 insufficient. For a similar reason he has refrained from attempting to 

 explain names of Semitic origin '^. 



Not the least important result of the investigation of these glosses is 

 the explosion of certain voces nihili, which are mere corruptions of known 

 words and have no claim to an independent existence of their own such 

 are emitrida (p. ^6\ gremiale (p. 129), zirca (p. 171). 



How intricate the subject is, and how corrupt the tradition, will be seen 

 from the notes on such words as carria (p. 29), tecesorite (p. 34), lacia 

 (p. 93), miisedode (p. 190), viscus (p. 192). 



For new matter, if it be really such, the reader is referred to the 

 notes on Snsamis (p. 180), donnhotie (p. 140), clofihomik (p. 189), rascalini 



(P- 154). 



The Addcnda contain such further notes as could not be introduced 

 into the text or Appendix without disturbing the pagination. 



The work abounds in hexameter verses, most of which will be found 

 to come from the disiinciioncs simplicium \\\ the Flos MedicincB of the 

 Schola Salernitana (Renzi, Coll. Salernit. v. '>,'^). Such verses will be 



* Vincent of Beauvais quotes ' ex sinonomis' In ix. 119, 128, 135, 151, 154, 155 ; x. 28, 33, 86 ; 

 xi. 9, 93 ; xiv. 55. Nicolaus Prsepositus (1517, fol. 89 verso) speaks of the ' sinonyma assam vel 

 aaram,' from vvhich he quotes aaroti, amurca, amifruclus, cathariaci, centumnervia, diptatnum, gersa, 

 herba paralysis, spoma solis, tezephie, tribulus marinus, ysculi. If a conjecture may be hazarded, it 

 may be suggested that the Sinonoma Bartholomaei and the bracketed portion of the Selden MS. 

 have been drawn from a common source other than Simon Januensis. 



- For them the reader is referred to Lowe, Ara^miische Pflanzen-namen, and Hyrtl, Bas Arabische 

 iind Hebriiische in der Analomie. 



