68 The Botanical Renaissance [ch. 



Like the majority of the herbalists, Theodor was a 

 medical man, and his study of botany was a hobby which 

 extended over many years. He projected a herbal, but 

 was unable for a long time to carry the idea into effect, 

 being deterred by the cost of the illustrations. This 

 difficulty was eventually overcome, chiefly through the 

 generosity of Count Palatine Frederick III, and of the 

 Frankfort publisher, Nicolaus Bassseus. The herbal first 

 appeared in 1588, under the title 'Neuw Kreuterbuch,' and 

 in 1590 the illustrations were published without any text 

 as the 'Eicones plantarum.' The herbal is a large and very 

 finely illustrated work. The figures, however, are for the 

 most part not original, but are reproduced from Bock, 

 Fuchs, Dodoens, Mattioli, de l'Ecluse and de l'Obel. This 

 collection of wood-blocks became familiar in England a few 

 years later, when they were acquired by the printer John 

 Norton, and used to illustrate Gerard's ' Herball ' which 

 appeared in 1597. 



There is still another German herbalist of the sixteenth 

 century whose work must not be overlooked. This is 

 Joachim Camerarius 1 the younger (Plate VI). His father 

 was a celebrated philologist, and a friend of Melanchthon. 

 The son, who was born in 1534, was attracted to botany 

 in his early youth. He studied at Wittenberg and other 

 universities, and travelled in Hungary and Italy. He spent 

 some time in the latter country, and took a doctor's degree 

 in medicine at Bologna. At Pisa, he became acquainted 

 with Andrea Cesalpino. Finally he returned to Germany, 

 and settled down at Nuremberg. Here he cultivated a 

 garden which was kept supplied with rare plants by his 

 friends, and the Nuremberg merchants. 



Camerarius brought out an edition of Mattioli (' De plantis 

 Epitome'), but his chief work was the ' Hortus medicus et 

 philosophicus,' which appeared in 1588. The illustrations 

 to this book consist partly of drawings by Gesner, which 

 the author had bought a few years previously, and partly 

 of original figures. It is impossible to discriminate with 

 any exactness between the work of the two men. These 

 wood-cuts, of which Text-figs. 34, 35, 71 and 100 are 



1 The name Kammermeister or Camerarius was adopted by Joachim Came- 

 rarius the elder, in place of the family name of Liebhard. 



