To the %eader. 
times with their Etymologies, as alfo the German and French names, then the kinds.after 
that the forme, the place, time, temperature, then the vermes : firft out of the Ancients, as 
Dio fcorides, Galen, Pliny, &c. and fometimes from the late Writers, whom he doth not par- 
ticularize, but exprefles in general exrecenttoribus. His worke was fet forth at Bafil, 1542, 
in ^/.containing, 5 i 6 figuresjalfo they were fet forth in Octavo, the hiftorie firft: .with all 
the figures by themfelues togetherat the end with the Latine and high Dutch names. 
About this time, and a little after, flourifhed Conrade Gefncr alfo a^German Phyfition, Crim aic Gt ^ 
who fet forth diners things of this nature,but yet lined not to finilh the greatand general 
worke of Plants, which he for many yeres intended, and about which he had taken a <rreat 
deale of paines, as may be gathered by his Epiffiles. He was a very learned, painfull, honed: 
and iud iciotis writer, as may appeare by his many & great workes-wherofthofe of Plants 
were firft a briefe Alphabetical! Hiftorie of plants without figures, gathered out of Diof- 
coridcsgT hcopbrafius , Pliny, &c with the vermes briefely,and for the moft part taken our o f 
Paul™ <Atgineta, with theirnames in Greek and French putin the margentithis was prin- 
ted at Venice,i 54 1, in a fmall forme. He fet forth a catalogue of Plants, in Latin, Greeke, 
high-Dutchand French, printed at Zurich, 15-42. Alfo another traft De Lunar'qs &wciu 
tuemibus cum montis ftaffiftve Ftlati Lucernatum defer if done, An. 1 5 5 2 . in quarto . He al fo fet 
forth the foure Books of Valerius Corner (who died in his time)and his Sylna obfernationum 
atStrausburgh,tj6i.iny»/.and to thefe he added a Catalogue of the Germane Gardens 
with an Appendix and CoroUarium to Cordns his Hiftorie. Alioanother treatife of his De 
ftirpium colletiionejivas fet forth at Zurich by Wotyhius, An. t 5 87, in Octavo. 
At the fame time lined Adam Loniccrus a Phyfition of Frankeford, whofe naturall hi- U ’ ,,ct,us - 
ftoric was there printed,^. 155 1, and the firft part thereofis of Plants ; and foure yeres af. 
ter he added another part thereto, treating alfo of Plants. I finde no genera 11 method ob- 
ferued by him, but his particular method vfually is this: firft he giues the figure, then the 
names in Latine and Dutch, then the temperature, &c. as in Tragus from whom & Cordtts 
he borrows the moft part of his firft tome, as he doth the 2. from Mattb.&c A'mat Lufit arms’. 
In his time the Italian Phyfition Petrus Andreas Matlhiclus fet forth his Commenta- M,r ’ 
iiesvponD/oftoridesfrtlm Italian with^yy large andvery faire figures, and then after- 
wards in Latine at Venice, with the fame figures, ^.1568. After this he fet forth his Epi- 
tome in Quarto, with 9 2 1 (mailer figures. Now thefe his Commentaries are very lame • 
and he hath in them deliuered the hiftorie of many Plants not mentioned by DioCcorides- 
but he is iuftly reprehended by fomc, for that he euery where taxes and notes other Wri- 
ters, when as he himfelfe runs into many errours.and fome of them wilfull ones, as when 
he giues figures framed by his owne fancie,as that of Dracontium maius,Rhabtirbarum,§cc. 
and falfified otherfome in part , the better to make them agree with Diofcori. his deferip- 
tion,as when he pictures Arbor Iud* with prickles, and giues it for the true Acatia: and he 
oft-times giues bare figures without defeription of his owne,but faith, it is that deferibed 
by Diofcvrtdes^Nullis reclamanttbus not is , for which the Authors of the Aduerfaria much de- 
claimeagainfthim.lt had bin fit for him, or any one that rakes fuch a worke in hand, to 
haue (hewed by deferibing the plant he giues, and conferring it with the defeription'of 
his Author.that there is not any one note wanting in the defeription, vertues, or other par- 
ticulars which his Author fets downe; and if hee can (hew that his is fuch, then will the 
contrary opinions of all others fall of themfelues, and need no confutation . 
, fdwatus Lufitavus alfo about the fame time fet forth Commentaries vpon Dioftorides, Ammutu fiu 
.wding the names in diners Languages but without figures, at Strausbourgb, An. 1 5 5 -pin *"*• 
fFtarto :hediftented from Matthiolus in many thingS;whereuponJtfatf/jitf/»r writ an Apo- 
logieagainft hirtwHehath performed no great matter in his Enarrations vpon Diofcondes, 
out was an Author of the honeftieof A/a«^/0/«r,foras theone deceiutd the world with 
counterfeit figures, fo the other by feined cures to ftrengthen his opinion, as Cratoi\.\A- 
of his Cur attorns Medicinales (anoihet worke ofhis) which hee thidkes, fotius ftdhe, quant 
Rcmbertns Dodon&us a Phyfition borne at Mechlin in Brabant, about this time begun to ;■ 
write of Plants. Hee firftfet foorth a Hiftorie in Dutch, which by Clufius was turned 
into French, with fome additions ,^AnnoT)omini, is6o. Andthiswastranfiatedoutof 
s tench into Englifh by Matter Henry Litcpund fet forth with figures, Anno Ttom. 1 578. and 
diners times fince printed, but without Figures. In the yeare 1552, Dodenants fet forth 
1.1 Latine his h ttgam ffi/?m,i,and within a while after his F lorum,purgantium , dcleterio- 
Hiftoria. Afterwards hee put them all together , his former, and thofe his later 
,, . or ^' es i ar, d diuided them into thirtie Bookes, and fet them forthwith 1305 figures, in 
jo-.Ai., 1583. This edition was alfo tranflated into Englifli^which became the foundation 
of 
