Old 3^(atural History Books, 
AMONG other manuscript books in circulation at the time of 
the invention of printing were some household recipe-books for 
medicines, or Herbals, compiled by unknown persons from the 
works of various old medical writers and other sources. 
Among the earliest of these Herbals were the Herbarius 
of Apuleius, printed at Rome about 1480, or later; and the 
Herbarius^ also known as the Aggregator practkus de SimplicihuSy 
which was issued in 1484 by the Mainz press. Both contain 
crude woodcuts of the plants, and the latter went through 
several editions. 
Another Herbal of note was the Ortus Sanitatis by J. von 
Cube, issued about 1475 at Mainz, in German. Latin editions 
appeared about 1490 and later, but are undated and mostly 
without any indication of the place of imprint. 
Many of these Herbals contained accounts of the Animals 
as well as of the Plants used in medicine, and were illustrated 
by quaint wood-cuts ; some of the subjects depicted are recog¬ 
nizable, while some refer to purely legendary creatures, and 
other figures are creations of the artist, who had only the names 
and vague descriptions to guide him, and who consequently 
produced some truly remarkable illustrations. 
The earliest English Herbal appears to have been The Crete 
Herhaly translated from the French, and printed at “ London 
in Southwark” by Peter Treveris in 1526; while among 
the latest were The Garden of Healthy by Wm. Langham, 
London, 1633 > The English Physiciany by N. Culpeper, London, 
1652 ; and the Botanologia of Wm. Salmon, 2 vols., London, 
1710-11. Culpeper’s was a most popular book, and was re¬ 
issued in various forms down to quite recent times. 
W ITH the close of the fifteenth century the Credulous or 
Legendary period of Natural History study gave place 
to an era of renewed investigation at first hand ; and this 
renaissance was furthered by the discovery of new Animals 
and Plants in distant countries as one of the first results of the 
period of great geographical discovery then initiated. 
FROM the confusion engendered by the Herbals, with their 
more or less mythical Plants and Animals, the study of Botany 
was the first to be rescued and restored to its proper place as a 
No. 10. 
No. 15. 
Nos. II 
& 12. 
No. 16. 
No. 19. 
II 
