Saxon Botany^ 
quent, and learning was then firft intro- 
duced into thefe realms. 
The golden age, if I may be allowed 
that expreffion, of the Anglo-Saxon learn- 
ing, was the reign of Alfred the Great. 
That munificent prince not only himfelf 
tranflated Latin authors, but, as hiftorians in- 
form us, encouraged in every way, the tranf- 
fufion of all the knowledf^e of the times into 
the common language of the kingdom, Ta 
this ^ra, therefore^ may reafonably be refer- 
red the Saxon verfion of Apuleius; whofe 
book feems to have preferved popularity 
through all the middle ages, and was found 
in common ufe at the i^ra of printing. 
As no publication of any Saxo72 herba! 
has ever taken place, v/e are unable to de- 
fine the extent of the knowledge of that 
time: at prefent, therefore, as in the in- 
fiance of antient BritiJJj Botany, v/e can 
only recur to the nomenclature of the in- 
digenous names, by which fome of them 
are yet known > although many others have 
given way to Greek and Latin terms, and 
fome to other revolutions,, occafioncd by the 
gradual 
