148 A HISTORY OF GARDENING IN ENGLAND 



eleven hundred kinds, both native and foreign. For twenty 

 years he superintended the gardens of Lord Burghley, and dedi- 

 cated his great work to this patron. Although the Herbal can- 

 not lay claim to originality, yet Gerard, translator and adapter 

 as he was, has left an indelible mark of individuality on his work. 

 His notes on the localities of flowers are specially characteristic, 

 as also the way in which he mentions his friends from whom 

 he received presents of plants, or information about them. 

 Instances such as the following occur on almost every page : 

 " Ciprepedium Ladies' Slipper. I have a plant thereof in my 

 garden which I received from Mr. Garret, Apothecary, my 

 very good friend." " The golden Mothwort or Cudweed 

 {Helichrysum) . . . being gathered before they be ripe or 

 withered remaine beautiful long time after, as my selfe did 

 see in the hands of Mr. Wade one of the Clerks of her Maiesties 

 Counsell which were sent him . . . from Padua." " The 

 linger Hart's tongue ... I found in the garden of Master 

 Cranwick dwelling at Much-dunmow, in Essex, who gave me 

 a plant for my garden." The friends, such as these, who 

 assisted Gerard are very numerous, and of most of them 

 nothing further is known than the few words in which Gerard 

 introduces them, such as " a Learned Merchant of London, 

 Mr. James Cole, a louer of plants and ver}^ skillful in the 

 knowledge of them." " Mr. Garth, a worshipfull gentleman, 

 and one that greatly dilighteth in strange plants, who very 

 louingly imparted to me " a Solomon's seal received from 

 Clusius. The names of some people, however, occur so fre- 

 quently that more particulars about them can be gathered. 

 Thomas Hesketh is constantly referred to as collecting certain 

 plants, chiefly in Lancashire and the North of England, and 

 sending specimens to Gerard to grow in his garden. Thomas 

 Edwards, of Exeter, was also a botanist, and collector of 

 English wild-flowers. Master Nicholas Lete, Merchant, of 

 London, not only himself searched for flowers, both in England 

 and France, but was so " greatly in loue with rare and faire 

 floures and plants . . . he doth carefully send into Syria hauing 

 a servant there at Aleppo, and in many other countries, for 

 the which, my selfe and likewise the whole land are much bound 

 unto him." One of the plants he brought to this country 



