10 PLANT NAMES 



clever Moors who invaded Southern Europe, 

 especially Spain, after the incursions of the northern 

 barbarians had ceased. But their interest in Botany, 

 too, lay in the medicinal use of plants, and a number 

 of them compiled Herbals treating of " Simple 

 Medicines," afterwards shortened to " Simples." 

 From that time until the invention of printing 

 Botany made no progress. Then came the great 

 revival of learning and interest in all branches of 

 knowledge known as the Renaissance, which owed 

 its rise to three main causes: the invention of 

 printing, the dispersal through Europe of the 

 scholars and books of Constantinople after its 

 capture by the Turks in 1452, and the discovery of 

 the New World. The works of classical authors 

 were printed and eagerly studied. Pliny appeared 

 in book form in 1468, Dioscorides in 1478, and 

 Theophrastus in 1483. With the discovery of 

 America there was a great increase of new plants 

 supplying articles of food or luxury, or prized for 

 their beauty. This greatly stimulated the art of 

 gardening in Europe, and it became a favourite 

 hobby with the wealthy and with patrons of 

 learning to employ those skilled in horticulture 

 to lay out and manage their gardens. Anne of 

 Cleves, one of the wives of Henry the Eighth, 

 was devoted to this pursuit, and helped to make it 

 fashionable. Choice trees, vegetables, and flowers 

 were imported into England; but still the main 

 interest lay in the supposed medicinal virtues 

 of plants. Some of the cures were very quaint. 



