148 A HISTORY OF GARDENING IN ENGLAND 
eleven hundred kinds, both native and foreign. For twenty 
years he superintended the gardens of Lord Burghley, and dedi¬ 
cated his great work to this patron. Although the Herbal can¬ 
not lay claim to originality, yet Gerard, translator and adapter 
as he was, has left an indelible mark of individuality on his work. 
His notes on the localities of flowers are specially characteristic, 
as also the way in which he mentions his friends from whom 
he received presents of plants, or information about them. 
Instances such as the following occur on almost every page : 
“ Ciprepedium Ladies’ Slipper. I have a plant thereof in my 
garden which I received from Mr. Garret, Apothecary, my 
very good friend.” “ The golden Mothwort or Cudweed 
(Helichrysum) . . . being gathered before they be ripe or 
withered remaine beautiful long time after, as my selfe did 
see in the hands of Mr. Wade one of the Clerks of her Maiesties 
Counsell which were sent him . . . from Padua.” “ The 
finger Hart’s tongue ... I found in the garden of Master 
Cr an wick dwelling at Much-dunmow, in Essex, who gave me 
a plant for my garden.” The friends, such as these, who 
assisted Gerard are very numerous, and of most of them 
nothing further is known than the few words in which Gerard 
introduces them, such as “ a Learned Merchant of London, 
Mr. James Cole, a louer of plants and very skillful in the 
knowledge of them.” “ Mr. Garth, a worshipfull gentleman, 
and one that greatly dilighteth in strange plants, who very 
louingly imparted to me ” a Solomon’s seal received from 
Clusius. The names of some people, however, occur so fre¬ 
quently that more particulars about them can be gathered. 
Thomas Hesketh is constantly referred to as collecting certain 
plants, chiefly in Lancashire and the North of England, and 
sending specimens to Gerard to grow in his garden. Thomas 
Edwards, of Exeter, was also a botanist, and collector of 
English wild-flowers. Master Nicholas Lete, Merchant, of 
London, not only himself searched for flowers, both in England 
and France, but was so “ greatly in loue with rare and faire 
floures and plants . . . he doth carefully send into Syria hauing 
a servant there at Aleppo, and in many other countries, for 
the which, my selfe and likewise the whole land are much bound 
unto him.” One of the plants he brought to this country 
