32 
The history of BOTANY. 
wanted longer life, to have demanded by his vi’rltings immortality; affidu- 
ous himfelf, and urging others to affiduity. What he has written of Plants, 
flievvs a difcerning Ipirit, and an enterprizing genius. 
In 1573, Rawwolf travelled the Eaft, in fearch of knowledge; and 
tho’ his obfervations were diftradted by many other objedts, he yet brought 
in great additions to the flore of Botany. Guilandinus and Prosper Al- 
piNus followed, profeflbrs in the Patavian Garden ; they added to the 
increafe, as well as amended the flate of Botany of their time : the latter 
vifited Egypt in 1580, and brought home many new Plants. The love of 
the ftudy now grew univerfal : and the immediately fucceeding time give 
birth to fyftem, in the bread of C^esalpinus ; from whom we are to date 
a new iEra in the Botanic Hiftory. 
PERIOD THE SIXTH. 
The REVIVAL of the SCIENCE. 
CHAP. VIII. 
Of the Origin of System atick Botany. 
r-r-^ H E term BOTANY, has been underllood as exprefiing the Doc- 
J trine of Plants at large, and in all its various lights ; but tracing the 
origin and progrefs of the dudy, we fee it at the feveral periods under dlf- 
tindi appearances : thefe, however, are all reducible to thofe general heads, 
which we may didinguifh by the terms Philosophick, Historical, and 
Systematick Botany. Of thefe, the fird and nobled has been the lead 
cultivated: it began, and in a manner ended, with Theophrastus: its 
objedt is the nature of Vegetables as Vegetables, independent of all other 
confiderations. To this fucceeded the Historical Branch ; gathering 
the Names and Numbers of Plants, their Place of Growth, their Virtues, 
and their economic ufes. This was the objedl of thofe who dudied 
Herbs from Theophrastus, to the latter end of the fixteenth century ; 
when CiESALPiNUS gave origin to the Systematick Botany. Till his 
time Plants weie arranged, even in thofe who wrote bed of them, accord - 
2 ing 
