194 



Mr. Jolinfon ft? Mr. Ray. 



I Did indeed once imagine a Poflibility of knowing 

 the Medicinal Virtiies of Plants by their Signa- < 

 item: Which Proje£l", if it could have been brought 

 to Perfe£lion, might have been of great Ufe to Phy«- 

 ficians, who know nothing of them but by quack 

 and fecond Qualities. I was hereunto encouraged by 

 the unaccountable Variety of Colours, Forms of 

 Seeds, and Seed Velfels, efpecially Number, which 

 I found the Conjugate religioufly to obferve in fomc 

 Plants to the very Divifion of the PointelL Bpfides 

 the Gakatte of fweet Smell being mpft what cardiac, 

 the Scandentes often cathartick, thofe of a lucid 

 Flower, poifonous, &c. Farther, I did confider, 

 that the j^vtm p or general Terms of Virtues, were 

 not well ordered, but often did interfere one with 

 another ; and that if they were reduced to a Method 

 truly natural. Plants might be accommodated to 

 them more eafily. Theie Confiderations did fome 

 time encourage me to obferve the Analogy of Plants 

 of the fame Kind, and their minute Differences, not 

 without great Pleafure and Delight. But when I 

 found Dr. Gr ew had hit upon the fame Notion, and 

 laid his Enquiries much deeper than mine, viewing 

 the internal as well as external Parts of Plants, and yep 

 could conclude nothing, I quite defifted from farther 

 Search, defpairing to meet with what others with 

 inore Diligence had not found. 



