( ?l ) 
of the Ancients, who, without any of thofe means made 
ufe of by the Moderns, have handed down to us fucli 
an account of the Virtues of thofe Plants, which by 
the unanimous Confent of all Phyficians and Pharma- 
cians, are more particularly dedicated for ufe in Phy- 
fick, that all the laborious Endeavours of their inquifi- 
tive Succeffors, have never been able to outdo them. 
It muft have been a long Trad of Experience, which 
enabled Diofcorides and Theophraflus to colled: and re- 
ceive from their wife Anceftors, fuch a lading Catalogue 
of the Virtues of Plants, as fcarce any thing has been 
added to even to this day. The Royal Academy at 
P arts, has been at great pains to find out the Vir- 
tues of Plants by the Chymical Analyfis, and feveral 
other Experiments, of which we have the Abftrads in 
T our nt fort's Hijloire des Plantes aux environs de Paris , and 
T iuvry his Traite des Medicaments : But thefe laborious 
Endeavours only ferve to confirm what the Ancients ad- 
vanced, without any new Difcovery. For Tournefort, 
after having made the Experiments with the Tournefol 
and blue Paper, and given an exad Account of the fe* 
veral adive Chymical Principles, which are obferv’d 
in fuch and fuch a Plant, ufually concludes, ainfi 
il nefl pas furpenant s'il a de telle s vertues. Therefore , 
fays he, tis not [urprifing if it is endow d with fuch 
Virtues ; which is nothing but giving a Reafon why 
the Ancients believed they were good for fuch a Di- 
ll em per. 
The Means ufed by our Forefathers to difcover the 
Virtues of Plants, and their Ufe in the feveral Difeafes, 
as they were the mod: fimple 5 fo they are mod afijft- 
ing at this very time. It feems they have narrowly 
confidered their Facies externa t and thus concluded ; If 
fuch a Plant partake of fuch Virtues, fuch another fo 
very like to it, mud be endow’d with the fame, v . g. 
E 2. Apium 
