Vlll PREFACE. 



The immediate design of this work is, to furnish an accurate 

 description of all the medicinal plants indigenous to Britain, 

 which appear entitled to that character, from the estimation 

 in which they were held by the greatest and most skilful of the 

 old physicians. That they were generally correct in their 

 judgement is apparent from the fact, that several of the plants 

 which they recommended have been allowed to sink in oblivion, 

 and after many years' neglect, have again been successfully 

 used by modern practitioners. This is well exemplified in the 

 history of Foxglove, the more prominent effects of which were 

 fully understood in the sixteenth century ; it was admitted into 

 the London Pharmacopoeia in 1725, discarded in 1746, and has 

 lately been restored with more than its pristine honours. 

 How many more " blest secrets of the earth " remain yet to be 

 discovered, it is impossible to predict ; but if these pages 

 should succeed in calling attention to one such plant, the labours 

 of the Authors will be abundantly recompensed. 



We must not omit to state, that the idea of this Flora was 

 suggested by Mr. Waller's "British Domestic Herbal," a 

 good practical work, containing a judicious selection of in- 

 digenous medical plants, illustrated by figures of the less 

 famihar species : the best of these plates have been chosen 

 to illustrate the present work, considerable additions and 

 improvements being made, and new figures of at least an 

 equal number being expressly engraved. To the letter-press 

 of the above-mentioned volume, we are merely indebted for 

 some extracts interspersed through the following pages. When 

 we add that the synonymes of each plant have been carefully 

 arranged,— its botanical character, its utility in the arts, or in 

 rural and domestic economy, copiously described,— and its 

 medicinal properties adduced from the best authorities,— we 

 may fairly assert, that this work has a legitimate claim to 

 originality, at least, as far as the term will apply to publications 

 whose chief value consists in the ability they discover in af- 

 fording a record of the exjicrience of the past. 



Tliroughout these pages popular utility has been kept in. 

 view, and an attempt has been made to render them available 



