Rembert Dodoens

My excuse must be that many of the best herbals, especially the earlier ones, are not easily accessible, and after experiencing keen delight from them myself, I have felt that some account of these works, in connection with reproductions of typical illustrations, might be of interest to others.

In the words of Henry Light, the translator of Dodoens, "...I think it sufficient for any, whom reason may satisfy, by way of answer, to allege this action and sententious position, bonum quo communius eo mellius et prostantius.

A good thing the more common it is, the better it is." The main object of the present book is to trace in outline the evolution of the printed herbal in Europe between the years 1470 and 1670, primarily from a botanical and secondarily from an artistic standpoint.

the medical aspect which could only be dealt with satisfactorily by a specialist in that science i have practically left untouched as also the gardening literature of the period bibliographical information is not given in detail except in so far as it subserves the main objects of the book Even within these limitations, the present account is far from being an exhaustive monograph.

He compares the dodder, Cuscuta, to, quote, a great red harp string, end quote, and the seed vessels of shepherds pursed to a, quote, boy's satchel or little bag, end quote.

Of the dud nettle, he says, quote, lamium hath leaves like unto a nettle, but less indented about and whiter.

The downy things that are in it like prickles bite not, yet stock is foursquare the flowers are white and have a strong savour and are very like unto little coals or hoods that stand over bare heads the seed is black and groweth about the stalk certain places going between as we see in horehound the The three great botanists of the Low Countries, Dodoens, de l'Ecluse, and de Lobel, were so closely associated that it is hardly necessary to consider their style of plant description individually.

Henry Light's well-known herbal of 1578 was a translation of the Histoire des Plantes, which is itself a version by de l'Ecluse of the Dutch herbal of Dodoens.

My excuse must be that many of the best herbals, especially the earlier ones, are not easily accessible, and after experiencing keen delight from them myself, I have felt that some account of these works, in connection with reproductions of typical illustrations, might be of interest to others.

In the words of Henry Light, the translator of Dodoens, quote, I think it sufficient for any, whom reason may satisfy, by way of answer to allege this action and sententious position, Bonum quo communius eo melius et prostantius.

A good thing the more common it is, the better it is," end quote.

The main object of the present book is to trace in outline the evolution of the printed herbal in Europe between the years 1470 and 1670, primarily from a botanical and secondarily from an artistic standpoint.

The titles of the principal botanical works which were published between 1470 and 1670 are given in Appendix One.

The book is founded mainly upon a study of the herbals themselves.

My attention was first directed to these works by reading a copy of Light's translation of Dodoens' Herbal, which happened to come into my hands in 1894, and at once aroused my interest in the subject.

I have also drawn freely upon the historical and critical literature dealing with the period under consideration, to which full references will be found in Appendix Two.