Book I.

Htrfc change both their force 4ind form.
Firgil.Georg.
changed fomething, and are not fo hot, yet. let no man fay they are other plants. For it is the faint heat of the Sun, and the diftem- per of the climate that makes them weaker, and that they grow not fo great, and come not to fo much maturity. Wherefore it is clear that plants have a double change. For fometimes they change their native forces, and keep the fame formj fometimes their form is changed, and their native qualities remain.
That comes to pafle partly by the influence of the Stars, and partly by the natureof the ground, and the ambient Ayre.' For fince the earth is of divers qualities* it happens by reafon of the Ayre, and the nutriment of the earth that plants are changed, and receive other qualities. So Hafel- Nut-Trees, Cherry Trees, Wild-Cherry Trees, if they grow near banks, that {linking Wa- tersrun by, or Salt waters wet, their fruit will taft fait. So men as their food is, and the Ayre they live in, obtain another tempe¬ rament of their body, other manners and qualities. So Danes by longvconilance and comerce, change into Spaniards ^Germans, into French-Men, or Italians 5 fo you fhall fee a pleafant and delight. fome,tree fee on fait ground, to degenerate by reafon of the nutri- ment it fucks in.
j For S alt and bitter ground is ill for Trees .
Fruit will grow worf ? on them , and by degrees ,
Dec ay , though dr eft, for Fines and A pples change Their former goodnefle, caufe the ground is ft range.
Old age maizes all things worfe.
De fmp.Med'ic. (-S-
An elegant empadf on ta¬ ken from Cri¬ ers.
De orator .
If you add to this that there is a fatall change, and viciflitudc of things 5 you (hall find that plants though you do manure them, will grow old and feeble, or barren, and will onely live, unlefle you graft and inoculate them, or pull of their flips and branches, and let them again. Which variety of Plants and vicillitude makes many think that this part of Phyfick is unfruitfull, and that *Di f coride's, and many more Herbarifts have loft their labour, who have ftudied to write the descriptions of Plants. Truly I think that no man hath adorned this art yet, as it ought to be, and the largenefle of it deferves, who hath not known the Plants them- fclves frcfli as they grow, and feen with his eyes their native de¬ lineations. For there are fome men amongft us, that having fcarce feen the hearbs, will pronounce at randome ftrange things of them ; As Pawphilut Galen fpake of, who never fo much as dreamt of fuch Plants as he undertook to write of, and to deferibe their venues. Which kind of men, HeraclidesTerentinus likened to Criers, who for reward cry all things in the Market places, and fpeak of fuch things elegantly, which they never faw nor knew, and fometimes commend fome flave or foolifti fellow ignorantly. Tully reports the fame of one Phormio a Philofophcr, who fpake fome hou rs largely be fore Hannibal of the duty of a General, and ©f alkm ilicary bufinefle $ and when all the ftanders by much ad¬ mired him> they asked Hannibal what his opinion was of him $ > Vi '■ he
Ch.i7* and will lofe their forces & form$unlej? they be drejsed continually. 75
he faid that this man fpakc not the be ft Greek, but he fpakc free- ly. I have fecn (faith lie) many old men dote, but none that t v C r H(on Phomiie. doted more than Fhormio. And he faid true. For what could be done more vainly and idly, than that a foolith Greek who never knew what wars meant* nor ever bore any publick office, fhould preferibe military precepts to Hannibal-, who had (trove lo many years with the Romans that Conqucrd all nations l Who will not reckon thefc men aiuongft thofc, who boaft that they know the vertuesof Comfrey, Licoris, Horc-hound, favoury, Pennyroyal, and that onely from books, and yet cannot tell if the plant be brought to them, what that is that hath fuch vertucs, they fo much fpcak of ? For (incc wc cure difeafes by medicaments and effectual herbs, who is fo mad to endure a Phyfttian that is igno¬ rant of thefe things ? Who will not condemn fuch a Mans igno¬ rance and negleft, that is fo dangerous for the Patient ? For in my Judgment, no man is a perfeft Artift that wants this knowledg.
For as in the Marriner’s Art* there is not onely required the ufeof a fimiU from the oars to drive forward the veflel, but the Seaman muft know the farmers all the tackling, leaft he (hould miftake a (hove for an oar. So a Phyfttian muft be principally well verfed in the knowledg of Plants. For they, when you know the nature of the difeafe are like an Inftrumenc to go readily, and knowingly about yotir work.
Who would not be ridiculous that (hould go about a bufinefte and knows not the inftruments he muft ufe ? 1 cannot but admire partly their idlenefte, partly their neglcft, who defpife this part of Phyfick, fo that they have turned off this office to moft illiterate Mountebanks.- When as it is apparent that of old time not onely Phyfitians, but alfo Kings and great men were verfed in this part Kjnfrofott of Phyfick. And they deftred nothing more, and thought nothing more Kingly , ; . * ants'
i- u« 1 i T A * 1 ’r» f • • •
. J * ' : v i ^ J ...» « Ut • ' h 1 ' v /■ 7 1 *
Than for to know the force and ufe of plants yir^
! ■ • : ' * id.
And the beft recrcatidn they colild ufe. Indeed the fame and Namesof the greateft kings had been loft, and forgot, and no me¬ morial of them had remaind, unlcffe fome herbs growing up new every year, that bear their names, fhould rub up their memorial, and keep them from being forgotten. A Lover of Phyfick muft go in the fame way, and not onely try the dubious forms of Plants, but examine the forces of them a lib, and ufe them to drive out di¬ feafes, and preferve the health of mankind. Hippocrates and Galen the beft Phyfitians did fo with great diligence, who by experience in Phyfick came to knowledg, and have laid down certain rules approved fromrealon and experience, 2ndfctan exadt method to pradtife by. For rhefe things being amplified with large deferip- tions, and (olid traditions, will make men Artifts, and fo furnifh t them with remedies, that they may cafily cure the greateft difeafes. men Forfo we (hall find great fruit of our ftudies, and others (hall reap confidcrablc profit by us. But rhey that run another courfe in r N 2 their
N
7 6
Herbs are [ubjeft to changt