TURNER'S HERBAL 95 



Lyte, who was an Oxford man, travelled extensively in his 

 youth and made a collection of rare plants. He contributed 

 nothing original to the literature on herbs, but his translation 

 of the French version of the Cruydtboeck was an inestimable 

 service. His own copy of the French version, which is now 

 in the British Museum, has on the title-page the quaint inscrip- 

 tion " Henry Lyte taught me to speake Englishe." The book 

 is full of MS. notes and references to Turner. 



The full title of Lyte's book is as follows : "A niewe Herball 

 or Historic of Plantes : wherein is contayned the whole discourse 

 and perfect description of all sortes of Herbes and Plantes : 

 their divers and sundry kindes : their straunge Figures, Fashions 

 and Shapes : their Names, Natures, Operations, and Vertues : 

 and that not only of those which are here growyng in this our 

 Countrie of Englande but of all others also of forrayne Realmes, 

 commonly used in Physicke. First set foorth in the Doutche or 

 Almaigne tongue by that learned D. Rembert Dodoens, Physi- 

 tion to the Emperour : And nowe first translated out of French 

 into English by Henry Lyte Esquyer." 



(Colophon.) " Imprinted at Antwerpe by Me Henry Loe 

 Booke printer and are to be solde at London in Paul's church- 

 yarde by Gerard Dewes." * 



The beautiful illustrations in Lyte's Dodoens are to a large 

 extent printed from the same blocks as those in the octavo 

 edition (1545) of Fuchs. In Fuchs there are about 516 illus- 

 trations, and in Lyte's Dodoens about 870. Those which are 

 not copied from Fuchs were probably collected by Dodoens 

 himself, who, according to some verses at the beginning of the 

 herbal, took a practical interest in the publication of the English 

 translation of his book. 



" Till Rembert he did sende additions store, 

 For to augment Lyte's travell past before." 



The original wood-blocks never came to England, and three 

 1 For subsequent editions see Bibliography of Herbals, p. 211. 



