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When he firfl: fettled in this kingdom, cannot, at 
this diftance of time, be afcertained ; perhaps it was 
towards the latter end of the reign of Queen Eliza- 
beth, or the beginning of that of King James the 
Firft. Hfs print, engraven by Hollar before the 
year 1656, which reprefents him as a perfon very far 
advanced in years, feems to countenance this opi- 
nion. 
He lived in a great houfe at South Lambeth, 
where there is reafon to think his mufeum was fre- 
quently vifited by perfons of rank, who became be- 
nefa&ors thereto : among thefe were King Charles 
the Firft (to whom he was gardener), . Henrietta 
Maria his Queen, Archbifthop Laud, George Duke 
of Buckingham, Robert and William Cecil, Farls 
of Salilbury, and many other perfons of diflinc- 
tion (/). 
John Tradefcant may therefore be juftly confidered 
as the earlieft collector (in this kingdom) of every 
thing that was curious in Natural Hiftory, viz. mi- 
nerals, birds, fifties, infeCts, &c. &c. He had alfo a 
good collection of coins and medals of all forts, be- 
fides a great variety of uncommon rarities, (g) A 
catalogue of thefe, publiftied by his fon, contains 
an enumeration of the many plants, flirubs, trees, 
&c. growing in his garden, which was pretty exten- 
five. Some of thefe plants are (as I am informed), if 
not totally extinCt, at leaf!: become very uncommon, 
even at this time. A lift: of fome remarkable ones 
(f) See a lift of them at the end of Mufeum 'Tradefcantianum 3 
j2 mo , London, 1656 — where are Hollar’s two prints of John 
Tradefcant, the father and fon. 
(f) Lid. 
M 2 introduced 
