74 THE OLD ENGLISH HERBALS 



The only important books Treveris published besides the 

 Crete Herball were the two English translations of Hieronymus 

 Braunschweig's works (The noble experyence of the virtuous 

 Handy-worke of Surgeri and The vertuouse Book of the 

 Dystillacion of the Waters of all maner of Herbes) and the 

 handsome edition of Trevisa's translation of Higden's Poly- 

 chronicon. The vertuouse Book of the Dystillacion of the Waters 

 of all maner of Herbes is well printed, but the illustrations 

 are from the same inferior German cuts as those in the Crete 

 Herball. The book was translated into English by Laurence 

 Andrew and, though strictly it does not come within the category 

 of herbals, part of the preface is too beautiful to omit. " Lerne 

 the hygh and meruelous vertue of herbes. Knowe how inesti- 

 mable a preservative to the helth of man god hath provyded 

 growying euery daye at our hande, use the effectes with rever- 

 ence, and give thankes to the maker celestyall. Beholde how 

 moch it excedeth to use medecyne of efycacye naturall by God 

 ordeyned then wicked wordes or charmes of efycacye unnaturall 

 by the dyuell enuented, whiche yf thou doste well marke, thou 

 shalt have occasyon to gyue the more louynges and praise to oure 

 sauyour, by redynge this boke and knowlegying his benyfites 

 innumerable. To whose prayse, and helthe of all my crysten 

 bretherne, I have taken upon me this symple translacyon, with 

 all humble reverence ever redy to submit me to the correccion 

 of the lerned reder." 



