Middle Ages 6 1 9 
it IS not eafy, however, to judge, with 
precifion, of the extent of Arabian know- 
ledge on the fubjefl: of our work ; fince^ 
probably, the beft book of the Arabian 
fchool has yet remained unpubliflied, that 
of Ebn Beithar. It is extant in the Pa- 
rifian, the Efcurial, and other libraries. 
This learned Arab was particularly attached 
to the botanical branch of phyfic. He 
was born in Spain', and after vifiting Africa^ 
travelled into the Levant, Afia^ and even as 
far as the Indies, to improve his know- 
ledge. In his return he was patronifed by 
Saladiuy at Cairo ^ and died in 1248, 
Herbelot informs us, that from the 
fuperiority of his learning in this branch, 
he was ftyled Afchardy or The Botanift. 
He wrote A General Hiftory of Simples, 
or of Plants, ranged in alphabetical order 
in which he gives the Greek, Arabic, and 
vernacular names ; v/ich the dtfcriptions of 
each I and particularly, in a more detailed 
manner, thofe not defcribed by Dioscori- 
DEs and Pliny. 
There is, notwithftandinp-, but little room 
to believe, that more original knowledge 
C 2 could 
