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Southwark by Peter Treveris; and this, Sir, I believe, 
is the oldefl Englifh herbal now extant in print. 
To come to later times. The ingenious Mr. 
Gough (in his Britifh Topography, p. 6 j.) informs 
us, “ That, before the year 1597, John Gerrard, 
<c citizen and furgeon of London, feems to be the 
“ firft who cultivated a large phytic garden, which 
<( he had near his houfe in Holborn, where he 
‘ s raifed 1100 different plants and trees.” (He might 
have add, that Gerrard had another phyfic garden in 
Old-flreet, containing a great variety of plants j a 
printed catalogue of which is to be found in the 
libraries of the curious). But Gerrard had a famous 
cotemporary, who greatly advanced that valuable 
fcience, and of whom but little hath hitherto been 
laid by the modern biographers. 
John Tradefcant is the perfon meant. And I 
hope, Sir, that an attempt to revive the memory of 
this once eminent botanift and virtuofo will not be 
difpleafing. 
John Tradefcant was, according to Anthony 
Wood, a Fleming, or a Dutchman. We are informed 
by Parkinfon, that he bad travelled into moil parts 
of Europe, and into Barbary; and, from fome em- 
blems remaining upon his monument in Lambeth 
church-yard, it plainly appears that he had vilited 
Greece, Egypt, and other Eaftern countries. 
In his travels, he is fuppofed to have colledled 
not only plants and feeds, but mod: of thofe curio- 
- faties of every fort, which, after his death, were fold 
by his fon to the famous Elias Afhmole, and depo- 
sed in his Mufeum at Oxford. 
When 
