To the Reader. 
He difafrous times, lut much more wretched anJ pernverfe men haVe fo 
fane prevailed againjl my intended purpofe,and promije, in exhibiting this 
IVor he to the publicke View of all ; that their extreame covet oufmfje had 
Taell nigh deprivedmy Country of the fruition: ‘But having at lajl, though 
long and with much adoe, broken through all ob/lacles oppofing tandem 
prodiit in lucem. And although by the revolution of time it hath chaib 
ged the note (that is from a Phyficall Garden of Simples to a Thea¬ 
ter of Plantsjjirf not the nature,yea rather it hath gained the more matter by the oVerure, that 
intending to exclude many of thofe things that were not proper for it, this including a tot quot 
did poterint. For finding in my P rofejsion many flips and errors crept therein and incident 
thereto, it firredup a defre in me, having rightly weighed them, ferioufy to confider how fuch 
a cufomary cufome euill be left off and amended 5 yet not doubting of the- effett, by the religi¬ 
ous inclination of my Qountry when jufl reafonsfall he fewed therefore, (although fame 
delight to be obflinate, and becaufe they were bred up in errors, they will not be Wifer then their 
Fathers, but together live and dye in them, yea and condemns that light that others haVefccauje 
they thinke their darkenejje better ) bothtoaVoyd and amend them: hut to accomplif this, 
hie labor hoc opus erat, this was a tasks lay fomewhat hca^y on me to undergoe, and tooke 
up nofmall time to finifb, howfueVer Mafer Iohnfons agility could eafily wade through with it, 
and his younger yeares carry away greater burdens, for faith he,heavy taskes are Worfl borne by 
them that are leaf able, but his quickefpeed may conclude with this adage Canis feftinans 
ccecos paritcatullos : but how and inwhatjort it is done f league to judicious cenftre, not to 
farpe toothed and tongue dfelfegn awing envy, that will traduce all others workes to magnife 
their oWne; for mine owne part, although I boaf not of great learning, fuch as might better have 
illufrated this Works, yetfeeing my genius bathe<ver driven me to thefefudies, and my many 
yeares f thinke hath given me a little more experience, being fo long verf thereabout, f hope 
my time hath not btene ill fpent if Well taken both in the deteSlionand direction, as alfo that it 
will prove more ufefull and certaine in rem publicam Botanicam/iwi fame others have gone 
before me, yet if any after me can Without etvvy, havingyounger and clearer eyes and more Jet- 
led judgement with all, amend ought that f barve fet amijfe, or not fully declared, per me licet, 
J know that whofoever (hall runne through fo many Fields, Woods, Hils,zrc. as this Worke in < 
cludetb, andfiall trip at no time, hiceritmihi magnus Apollo, f will crowns him with 
fuch a Garland as neither his antecejfors or fucceffonrs e r uer did or fall wean ■ yet let not anyes 
prefumptuousfpirit malice or menace the Authour, ifbehave laid open fame of their errors, as if 
they onely were free, or thinke themflmcs better then Theophraftus, Diofcorides, Galen, 
Pliny,&c. of the Ancients; or, T ragus,Matthiolus,Clufius ,Lobel,Bauhinus,o/' t he Mo¬ 
dems, wbofe fips and errors 1 unfold hkewife, who no doubt if now aliaie, being rightly infor¬ 
med,would rather embrace thenfpurne thef one thatfrokethem . One bout more With Momus 
in a Bookefellers fop, for more mine f mufi not o-ver(lip,that would teare this Worke in pieces 
becaufe I haue not (followed Gerards method, in Jetting Letters to the faierall Vertues of the 
Plants, ana muf therefore be villifyed as if no other method were comparable thereto, f aierily 
fay 
