The Epiftie to the Reader. 
© ut per/ wading my f dfe there is no fhowre that produceth not fome fruit or no 
"Word but Worketh fome effect, eyther of good to per/wade, or of repreofe to entree. 
1 could not but declare my minde herein , let others iudge or jay what they bleafe. 
For lhaue alwaies held it a thing <vn ft , toconceale or bury that knowledge God 
hath giuen, and not to impart it, and further others therewith as much as is conue- 
niefit, yet without orientation, which l haue euer hated, jfiow further to informe 
the courteous fieader, both of the occafion that led me on to this Wor ke, and the 
other occurrences to it. Fir/1, hauing peru/ed many Herbals in Latine, lobjerued 
thatmofiof them haue eyther neglected or not knowne the many diuerjities of the 
flower "Plants, and rare fruits are known to vs at this time, and (except Ciufius) 
haue made mention but of a Very few. In Engli/h likewife We haue fome extant as 
Turner and Dodormis translated, Tfbo haue haue (aid little of Flowers, Go rard 
who is laft, hath no doubt giuen Vs the knowledge of as many as he attained nmto 
in his time, but flnee his dates We haue had many more Varieties, then he or they euer 
heard of, as may be perceiued by t before l haue here produced, y. Ind none of them 
haue particularly feuered tbofe that are beautifull flower plants, ft to flore a gar- 
den of delight and plcafure, from the wilde and nVnflt but haue enterlaced many , 
one among another, whereby many that haue dc fired to haue faire flowers, haue not 
known either what tochoo/e,or what to defire. Diuers Fookes of blowers a If o haue 
been Jet forth, fome in our ownc (juntrey, and more in others , all which are as it 
toere but handfuls fnatched from the plentiful Treafury of Nature, none of them 
being willing or able to open all forts, and declare them fully ■ but the greatejt 
htnderance of all mens delight Was, that none of them had giuen any deferipttonof 
them, but the bare name only. To fatis fie theref ore their de fires that are louers 
of fuch Delights , I took Vpon me this labour and charge, and haue here /defied and 
fet forth a Garden of all the chief efl for choyce,and faireft for few, from among 
all the [euer all Tribes and Kftndreds of Natures beauty, and haue ranked them as 
neere as I could,or as the Tborke Would permit, in affinity one vnto another. Second- 
ly, and for their fakes that are fludious in Authors, l haue fet down the names haue 
bin formerly giuen Vnto them, with fome of their errours, not intending to cumber 
this ivorke with all that might beejatd of them, becaufe the deciding of tbemany 
controuerfies, doubts, and quefiions that concerne them , pertaine more fitly to a ge- 
nerali Hiflory : yet I haue beene in fome places more copious and ample then at the 
frfl I had intended, the occafion drawing on my defire to in forme others with what 
1 thought teas fit to be known, referuing Vphat dfe might be [aid to another time isr 
Work?-, wherein ( God willing) I will inlarge my f dfe, the [ubiecl matter requiring 
it at my hands, in what my /mall ability can eff eel. Thirdly ,1 kaue aljo to embellijb 
this Workefet forth the pgures of all f uch plants and flowers as are materiali and 
different one from another : but not as fome others haue done, that is, a number of 
the figures of one fort of plant that hauenothing to difiinguifh them but the co- 
lour, for that I hold to be fuperfluous and wafte. Fourthly, I haue alfofet down the 
Venues and Properties of them in a brief e manner, rather defiring to giue you the 
knowledge of a few certaine and true, then to relate, as others haue done, a needle fi 
andfalfe multiplicity, thatfo there might as Well profit as pleafure be taken from 
them, and that nothing might be Wanting to accompli (h it fully. And fomuch for 
this fir ft part, my Garden of pleafiant and delight full Flowers. My next Garden 
con fiftieth of Herbes and fiootes fit to be eaten of the rich and poor as nourifhment 
and food, as fawce or condiment, as fallet or refrefhingfior pleafure or profit where 
1 doe as well play t he Gardiner, to /hew you (in brief e, but not at large ) the times 
