164 THE OLD ENGLISH HERBALS 



before 1698, and it was reissued even as late as 1802 and again 

 in 1809. There is a vivid description of Culpeper in The 

 Gentleman's Magazine for May 1797 : 



" He was of a middle stature, of a spare lean body, dark 

 complexion, brown hair, rather long visage, piercing quick 

 eyes, very active and nimble. Though of an excellent wit, 

 sharp fancy, admirable conception and of an active understand- 

 ing, yet occasionally inclined to melancholy, which was such an 

 extraordinary enemy to him that sometimes wanting company 

 he would seem like a dead man. He was very eloquent, a good 

 orator though very conceited and full of jest, which was so 

 inseparable to him that in his most serious writings, he would 

 mingle matters of levity and extremely please himself in so doing. 

 Though his family possessed considerable property it appears 

 he was exceedingly restricted in his pecuniary concerns, which 

 probably was the cause of his early leaving the University, as 

 he observes; though his mother lived till he was twenty-three 

 years of age and left him well provided, yet he was cheated or 

 nearly spent all his fortune in the outset of life. Another author 

 observes it is most true that he was always subject to a consump- 

 tion of the purse, notwithstanding the many ways he had to 

 assist him. His patrimony was also chiefly consumed at the 

 University. Indeed he had a spirit so far above the vulgar, 

 that he condemned and scorned riches any other way than to 

 make them serviceable to him. He was as free of his purse as 

 of his pen. ... He acknowledged he had many pretended 

 friends, but he was rather prejudiced than bettered by them, 

 for, when he most stood in need of their friendship and assistance 

 they most of all deceived him." 



Culpeper wrote a number of medical works which do not 

 concern us here, but his name will always be associated with 

 his Herbal. His reason for having written it he affirms to be 

 that, of the operation of herbs by the stars he found few authors 

 had written, " and those as full of nonsense and contradiction 



