PANDECTARIUS’ Botanic GARDEN 803 
the world, through men who went there or who came thence, he 
pursued his inquiries, yea, to such an extent that he roamed 
through mountains and woods and fields and coasts in the com- 
panionship of an old Cretan, to search out the plants, to learn to 
know their Greek names, and to obtain knowledge of their med- 
ical properties.” 
In short, the conclusion of Sprengel was that Simon Januensis 
and Matthaeus Sylvaticus were, ‘‘ without doubt, the most cele- 
brated writers of their age.”’ 
LIV. Panpecrarius oR MAaTreo SILvaTICco 
Next among authors mentioning the Aster is Matteo Silvatico, 
commonly cited as Matthaeus Sylvaticus or as Pandectarius,* of 
about 1313, a Mantuan physician, resident at Salerno, where he 
continued the traditions of that center of mediaeval plant-study, 
and maintained its ancient botanic garden, in which he cultivated 
such plants as Colocasia + and experimented with seeds ¢ brought 
from the Aegean. During previous centuries the School of Salerno 
had already produced its long line of botanico-medical celebrities ; 
in him it now reached its best known botanical outcome, and for 200 
Shey more his Lzber Fandectarum § was eo all over Europe 
* Matt hes: Seleniiees: guienilly cited as  Bendedertes or Pandecta or Autor Pan- 
dectarum or Td by his great work as ‘* Pandecta Medicinae’’ ; born perhaps as 
carly as 1270; wa making botanical Seiecioas in 1297 (as he says when describing 
the plant he ates Bruculus—z. ¢., broccoli?) and is claimed to be mentioned in a 
Salernitan document of 1 337 as ** Matthaeus Silvaticus Salernitanus, Doctor in ic neve't 
and again in 1342 as ‘* Matthaeus ghana de Salerno Miles et Regis physicus’’; but 
Perhaps these last two references belong to a son. He dedicated his Pandects, per- 
haps in 1313, to King Robert of Sicily, who Sica 1309-1316 ; they were quoted by 
Petrus de Abano, who died 1 316. He has been said to be the Matthaeus ee 
“ho is mentioned as physician and professor of medicine at Milan in 1367 and 1 388 ; 
me Physician of Milan may more likely have been son or itt Ve know itl 
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“oem €. 197. Colocasia was perhaps first introduced to Silerne by him ; 
appear to have been cultivated by the Plateario oe and was not mention 
f 1458. 
‘i stad ‘ig plant he calls, c. 134, Cantalidis ; pane says Sprengel, Atha- 
anta . 
<snerg "OF us Pandectarum, often printed before 1500; the first edition, per- 
ably ey se 1470, is without date, place or title page, has 724 chapters, was pro 
" i ceaeg Stra tasburg, was edited by Matheus Moretus Brixiensis, who refers 
- /onainty as to the author, whose name he is informed by one worthy of cre- 
to 
