INTRODUCTION. 9 



reader's service, I neither question nor care how far the emen- 

 dations I propose may be now or hereafter adopted. I shall 

 not even name the cases in which they have been made for the 

 serious reason above specified ; but even shall mask those 

 which there was real occasion to alter, by sometimes giving 

 new names in cases where there was no necessity of such kind. 

 Doubtless I shall be accused of doing myself what I violently 

 blame in others. I do so ; but with a different motive of 

 which let the reader judge as he is disposed. The practical 

 result will be that the children who learn botany on the sys- 

 tem adopted in this book will know the useful and beautiful 

 names of plants hitherto given, in all languages ; the useless 

 and ugly ones they will not know. And they will have to 

 learn one Latin name for each plant, which, when differing 

 from the common one, I trust may yet by some scientific per- 

 sons be accepted, and with ultimate advantage. 



The learning of the one Latin name as, for instance, Gra- 

 in en striatum I hope will be accurately enforced always ; 

 but not less carefully the learning of the pretty English one 

 "Ladielace Grass" with due observance that "Ladies' 

 laces hath leaves like unto Millet in fashion with many white 

 vaines or ribs, and silver strakes running along through the 

 middest of the leaves, fashioning the same like to laces of 

 white and green silk, very beautiful and faire to behold." 



I have said elsewhere, and can scarcely repeat too often, 

 that a day will come when men of science will think their 

 names disgraced, instead of honoured, by being used to bar- 

 barise nomenclature ; I hope therefore that my own name 

 may be kept well out of the way ; but, having been privileged 

 to found the School of Art in the University of Oxford, I think 

 that I am justified in requesting any scientific writers who 

 may look kindly upon this book, to add such of the names 

 suggested in it as they think deserving of acceptance, to their 

 own lists of synonyms, under the head of "Schol. Art 

 Oxon." 



The difficulties thrown in the way of any quiet private 

 student by existing nomenclature may be best illustrated by 

 my simply stating what happens to myself in endeavouring 



