96 The Botanical Renaissance [ch. 



of this plant in an earlier work, the ' Phytopinax ' of 



1596. 



In 1623, Gaspard Bauhin brought out his most im- 

 portant botanical book, the ' Pinax' theatri botanici.' By 

 this date, owing to the number of different names bestowed 

 upon the same plant by different authors, and the varying 

 identifications of those described by the ancients, the subject 

 of plant nomenclature had been reduced to a condition of 

 woeful confusion. Bauhin's ' Pinax ' converted chaos into 

 order, since it contained the first complete and methodical 

 concordance of the names of plants, and was so authoritative 

 as to earn for the author the title of "l^gislateur en botani- 

 que." The work, which dealt with about 6000 plants, 

 was recognised as pre-eminent for many years. Morison 

 criticised the scheme of arrangement on which it was based, 

 but adopted its nomenclature, as also did Ray. Tournefort 

 also retained, as far as possible, the names of the genera and 

 species used in the ' Pinax.' As Sachs long ago pointed 

 out, this work is " the first and for that time a completely 

 exhaustive book of synonyms, and is still indispensable for 

 the history of individual species — no small praise to be 

 given to a work that is more than 250 years old." 



Gaspard Bauhin deserves great honour as the first who 

 introduced some degree of order into the chaotic muddle of 

 nomenclature and synonymy. The special merits of his 

 work, more especially his power of concise and lucid 

 description, and his faculty for systematic arrangement, 

 may perhaps be attributed to his French blood, since such 

 qualities are markedly characteristic of French scientific 

 writing. 



It is much to be regretted that the two brothers Bauhin 

 should have carried on their work independently and 

 separately, considering that they had in view practically 

 identical objects — objects in which each only achieved 

 a partial success. It seems as if a work of much greater 

 value might have resulted if they had joined forces. 



^ 7ri)/a^ = a chart or register. 



