CONTENTS 



CHAPTER I 



PAGE 



THE ANGLO-SAXON HERBALS i 



Evidence of the existence of books on herbs in the eighth century 

 Tenth-century manuscripts Their importance as the first records of 

 Anglo-Saxon plant lore and of folk medicine of a still earlier age Pre- 

 liminary survey of the more important manuscripts Leech Book of 

 Bald Authorship and origin Oldest Leech Book written in the 

 vernacular in Europe Saxon translation of the Herbarium Apuleii 

 Platonici Illustrations Saxon translation of the nepl AiSa^4a>v The 

 Lacnunga Importance of these manuscripts to the student of folk lore 

 Folk lore of the origin of disease Doctrine of the " elf -shot " " Flying 

 venom " Doctrine of the worm as the ultimate source of disease 

 Demoniac possession Herbal remedies Picturesqueness of Saxon 

 methods of treating diseases Smoking patient with fumes of herbs 

 Cattle similarly treated Use of herbs as amulets Binding on with red 

 wool Specially sacred herbs Charms and incantations to be used in 

 picking and administering herbs Transference of disease Predomi- 

 nance of the number nine Ceremonies to be observed in the picking 

 of herbs Nature-worship in these ceremonies Eostra Prayer to 

 Earth. 



CHAPTER II 



LATER MANUSCRIPT HERBALS AND THE EARLY PRINTED HERBALS . 42 



Later manuscript herbals Copies of Macer's herbal Treatise on the 

 virtues of rosemary sent by the Countess of Hainault to Queen Philippa 

 cf England Bartholomaeus Anglicus, De Proprietaiibus rerum Popu- 

 larity of his writings Characteristics of De herbis Trevisa's translation 

 Bartholomaeus on the rose, the violet, etc. Fleeting pictures of 

 mediaeval life in De herbis Feeding swine, making bread, building 

 houses, making linen, life in the vineyards, woods, etc. Wynken de 

 Worde's poem at the end of his edition of De Proprietatibus rerum 

 Banckes's Herbal Possible sources Later editions Rose recipes 

 Mediaeval belief in wholesomeness of fragrant herbs Descriptions of 

 herbs in Banckes's Herbal " The boke of secretes of Albartus Magnus " 

 Herb lore and magic The Crete Herball Its origin Peter Treveris 

 Characteristics of this herbal The vertuose book of the Dystillacion of 

 the Waters of all maner of Herbes. 



ix 



