HISTORY OF BOTANY. 



LECTURE XLIV. 



HISTORY OF BOTANY FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY TO 

 THE TIME OF LINN^US. 



We have now traced the progress of botanical knowledge, from 

 the earliest periods of the world, to the discovery of America. 

 About this time, botanic gardens began to be cultivated ; these af- 

 forded new opportunities for investigation, by comprehending the 

 vegetables of all countries within such limits as enabled the botanist 

 to compare them, and to watch their growth and different stages of 

 development. 



From the days of Theophrastus until the beginning of the 16th 

 century, Botany, instead of becoming more perfect, had been ren- 

 dered more obscure. This was not owing to want of attention or 

 labour, but to the false rules of philosophy which had so long pre- 

 vailed. 



At length the cause of the evil seemed to be discovered. Many 

 writers protested against the erroneous opinions of their times ; they 

 said, " our blind respect for the ancients is an insurmountable ob- 

 stacle to the progress of Botany. We expect to find everywhere the 

 plants of Theophrastus, Dioscorides, and Pliny ; whereas they did 

 not know one hundredth part of the plants which cover the globe. 

 The first of them never went out of Greece ; the second left only un- 

 connected notes, treating without order upon the medicinal qualities 

 of plants; and Pliny copied these notes without comment or criti- 

 cism. We cannot apply to the plants of Germany or France, the 

 names under which the ancients described those of Italy, Greece, and 

 Asia ; before studying the plants of foreign countries, we ought to 

 know those of our own. Of what use are disputes about the nature 

 and qualities of species, when we are not able to distinguish one from 

 another 1 The true method of doing this, is to explore the plains, 

 valleys, and mountains, to examine and compare the plants of our 

 own and foreign countries. Libraries alone are insufficient to make 

 botanists." 



These reflections led to a happy revolution, not only in this sci- 

 ence, but in all others ; it may be called the era of true philosophy.* 

 Yet the principles which were now discovered, were not much ap- 

 plied to science until the time of Bacon, Newton, Linnaeus, and 

 Locke ; and it remained for the late Dr. Thomas Brown, of Edin- 

 burgh, to show that the human mind itself is subject to the same 

 general laws of inquiry which now regulate investigations in the 

 physical sciences. 



Up to the period of which we are now speaking, plants had only 

 been described in alphabetical order ; about this time, some German 

 botanists attempted a collection of individual plants into species ; this 

 improvement was received with much approbation. 



* Lord Bacon is generally considered as having first taught the proper method of 

 studying the sciences, viz. : by ascending from facts to principles ; this is called the 

 method of induction. It has recently been asserted by an able writer in one of our 

 first American periodicals, that Bacon was not the author of the inductive philosophy, 

 but that he borrowed his rules of philosophizing from Aristotle, whose real principles 

 had for ages been misunderstood. It is to be hoped that men of talents will not so 

 far depart from the true rules of philosophizing, as to devote that time in conteniiing 

 about their author, which might be profitably apphed in the application of these rules 

 to the investigation of truth and nature. 



Botanic gardens first cultivated— Botanists began to discover the obstacles to the 

 progress of science— Era of true philosophy— Improvements of German botanists. 



