H 



Fifteenth-Century Herbals 



[CH. 



' Hortus Sanitatis' (1491). The Latin and the German 

 Herbarius, together with the Herbarium of Apuleius 

 Platonicus, may be regarded as the doyens amongst printed 

 herbals. All three seem to have been largely based upon 

 pre-existing manuscripts, representing a tradition of great 

 antiquity. 



Text-fig. 3. "Lilium" [Herbarius Moguntinus, 1484]. 



The various forms of the Latin and German Herbarius, 

 and of the Hortus Sanitatis are described under many 

 titles, and the unravelling of the various editions is a matter 

 of great difficulty. In the fifteenth century, before copy- 

 right existed, as soon as a popular work was published, 

 pirated editions and translations sprang into existence. In 

 the case of the German Herbarius, a new edition was printed 

 at Augsburg only a few months after the appearance of the 

 original at Mainz. Some such editions were dated, and 



