Mr. Waller to Mr. Ray 



SIR, 



Since one of the chief Ends of an Herhal is there- 

 by to attain to a true Knowledge of Plants* I 

 have adventured to propofe my Thoughts to you, 

 how by a few Tables, with Icmifms, one wholly ig- 

 norant in Plants may know how to find any unknown 

 Plant, together with the Help of your Method and 

 Tables, in yourmoft exa£fc and elaborate Treatife of 

 Plants, lately publifli'd. IVIy Thoughts in fhort are 

 thefe. 



I would, according to your general Table of Herbs, 

 (inferted at Page f 8.) take the two firft Divifions, fm- 

 perfeff and P erf eft % giving the Figure of any one irn- 

 perfeft Plant, as of a Fmgus, or the like. Of a per- 

 fect one, I would do the famey under the perfe£fc 

 another Figure of the minute feeded, viz. a Capillary, 

 with a larger feeded Plant. This ftiould be my firft 

 Table. In the fecond, coming to the larger feeded, 

 I would give the Figure of a Seed coming out of the 

 Ground with two Lobes or Seed-Leaves, befide the 

 Plant-Leaves j -(referring t^he Unifolia to another Ta- 

 ble, as alfo all larger Plants or Trees >) under this I 

 would reprefent an imperfect, or ftaminous Flower, 

 and againft it a perfect or leafy Flower, both com- 

 pound and fimple : And fo on throughout all the Ge~ 

 nerick and Specifick Divifions in feveral Tables j 

 which I fuppofe need not be many, with References 

 to the Books, and Chapters of your Treatife. The 

 Ufe of them will be this : Taking any unknown 

 Plant, my firft Enquiry muft be whether it has a 

 Seed o* no-: If a Seed, whether fmall qx large ? If 



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