iv] The Herbal in England 101 



The Bishop of Bath and Wells wrote on one occasion that 

 he was "much encombred w th m r Doctor Turner Deane of 

 Welles, for his undiscrete behavior in the pulpitt : where 

 he medleth w th all matters, and unsemelie speaketh of all 

 estates, more than ys standinge withe discressyon." 



Christian doctrine was by no means the only subject 

 that occupied Turner's attention. He had taken a medical 

 degree either at Ferrara or Bologna, and, in the reign of 

 Edward VI, he was physician to the Duke of Somerset, the 

 Protector. He had travelled much in Italy, Switzerland, 

 Holland and Germany, at the periods when his religious 

 opinions excluded him from England. One of the great 

 advantages, which he reaped from his wanderings, was the 

 opportunity of studying botany at Bologna under Luca 

 Ghini, who was also the teacher of Cesalpino. Another 

 savant, with whom he became acquainted on the Continent, 

 was Konrad Gesner, whom he visited at Zurich, and with 

 whom he maintained a warm friendship. He also corre- 

 sponded with Leonhard Fuchs. \ 



Turner's earliest botanical work was the ' Libellus de 

 re herbaria novus' (1538), which is the first book in which 

 localities for many of our native British plants are placed on 

 record. In 1548 this was followed by another little work, 

 1 The names of herbes in Greke, Latin, Englishe Duche 

 and Frenche wyth the commune names that Herbaries and 

 Apotecaries use.' In the preface to this book, Turner tells us 

 that he had projected a Latin herbal, and had indeed written 

 it, but refrained from publishing it because, when he "axed 

 the advise of Phisicianes in thys matter, their advise was 

 that I shoulde cease from settynge out of this boke in latin 

 tyll I had sene those places of Englande, wherein is moste 

 plentie of herbes, that I might in my herbal declare to the 

 greate honoure 1 of our countre what numbre of sovereine 

 and Strang herbes were in Englande that were not in other 

 nations, whose counsell I have folowed deferryng to set out 

 my herbal in latin, tyl that I have sene the west countrey, 

 which I never sawe yet in al my lyfe, which countrey of all 

 places of England, as I heare say is moste richely replenished 

 wyth all kyndes of straunge and wonderfull workes and 

 giftes of nature, as are stones, herbes, fishes and metalles." 



1 The n is inverted in the original, no doubt a misprint. 



