FLORA OF OXFORDSHIRE. 373 
The next botanical writer to be noticed is John Parkinson, born in 
1567. He was apothecary to James the First, and lived in London, where 
he had an interesting garden in Long Acre. In 1629 he published the 
Paradisus terrestris, which Pulteney says ‘is at this time » valuable 
curiosity, as exhibiting the most complete view of the extent of an English 
garden at the beginning of the seventeenth century.’ This is one of the 
earliest horticultural manuals, In 1640 appeared the Theatrum Botani- 
cum, which, although of later date than Johnson’s Gerurde, was probably 
written before it. It is a much more original work, involving great labour, 
and comprehends ‘ descriptions of all and figures of most of the plants that 
were known in his time,’ Rickardson’s Correspondence, p. 350. He gives 
several records of Northamptonshire plants. These were probably of his 
own discovering, as also were his additions to the Oxford Flora, viz. 
_-Pinguicula vulgaris from Herrington [Headington], Anagallis cerulea 
from Botley, Parnassia from Headington and Botley, and Asarum from 
Eynsham Common. Parkinson was 73 years old when the Theatrum was 
published. He died about 1650. 
In 1632 the Oxford Botanic Garden was founded by Henry, Earl of 
Danby, who gave for this purpose five acres of land, the site of the old 
burying ground of the Jews, and built greenhouses and stoves, and a 
house. He also endowed the establishment and placed it under the care 
of Jacob Bobart. In 1648 Bobart drew up a list of the plants cultivated 
under the title of Catalogus plantarum Horti Medici Oxoniensis, Latino- 
Anglicus et Anglico-Latinus alphabetico ordine. It enumerates 1600 
species, 600 of which were British. In 1658 the catalogue was republished, 
Bobart’s son Jacob, Dr. Stephens, and Mr. Wm. Browne assisting. In this 
enlarged edition the authors have, in every instance where it was possible, 
not only adopted the specific appellation given by Gerarde and Parkinson 
to each plant, but also quoted the page of their works. This is done for 
the first time in England. Not one indigenous plant is mentioned for the 
first time in the list. 
Jacob Bobart was a native of Brunswick. There is a scarce print of 
him by Burghers in the Hope Collection, which represents him standing 
near the Danby Gate of the Botanical Gardens. He is holding a plant in 
his hand. Underneath is written :— 
«Thou Germane Prince of Plants each yeare to thee 
Thousands of subjects grant a subsidie.’ 
His beard, which on rejoicing days he used to wear tagged with silver, is 
depicted in the print as reaching to his waist. Edmund Gayton wrote a 
poem on him in 1662. 
Bobart was buried at St. Peter’s-in-the-East, Oxford, where a monu- 
ment was placed on the wall on the outside near the south-west corner 
with the following inscription :— 
