SEARCH FOR CLASSIC PLANTS 301 
Apuleius, was wholly unknown to him: he describes the MS. as 
“an ancient book from which the title was missing.’’ 
Simon Januensis produced a greater effect upon the history of 
Aster, however, through his Latin translation of Serapion’s Arabic 
De Simplicibus : thus making Serapion’s Aster-chapter the com- 
mon property of Europe. As now known, * and especially as in- 
terpreted by Matteo Silvatico, this Aster-chapter confused Aster 
with Eryngium ; whether any of this blending was due to Simon 
Januensis or was wholly present in Serapion’s original, remains to 
be determined, when, if ever, an Arabic MS. of Serapion can be 
discovered. 
Simon Januensis was indefatigable in his search for the plants 
of the ancients as recorded in their writings. He knew the then 
tare works of Celsus ; he used many ancient MSS. which are now 
lost to us; he knew the now unknown works of the Pseudo- 
Demosthenes and of Cassius Felix ; he made diligent study of a 
Work which he calls Butanicus de simplicibus medicinis, and of an- 
other book without title which he refers to as a work ‘de simplict 
Medicina, copiosus in hoc re”; and he used two Latin translations 
of Dioscorides which science would give much to recover. One 
translation, which Simon considered + the later, was alphabetic, 
as the oldest existing codices are to-day, but contained far fewer 
chapters than the other Latin translation, which Simon deemed the 
original, and which was divided into books, but was at that time 
composed of six books; looking as if to the five universally ac- 
knowledged books of Dioscorides, one (but not both) of the two so- 
called spurious books was added : and Meyer had believed that one 
of these could not be of the same authorship as the other. (See 
P. 140). 
Simon Januensis was equally indefatigable in his endeavor. to 
see the plants of the ancients for himself.t He was the first, aye 
importance, It will be of interest to note how he compares with the other a ge 
oe of the century beginning 1220. (He had been long preceded by the Englis 
‘nical traveller Adelard, of about 1100 A. D. ; see p- 
p- 293, n.). ; ; 
1220, Jacobus de Vitriaco, a French monk, who had been Bishop Jean d’Acre, 
ry ee 
in 1220, dying at Rome in 1224; author of a history of Jerusalem, “ Gesta 
