Gerard's Herbal Vol. 1
George Baker, one of her Majesty's chief Surgeons in ordinary, and M. of the Surgeons of the City of London, to the Reader.
Aristotle, a Prince amongst the Philosophers, writing in his Metaphysics of the nature of mankind, saith, that man is naturally inclined and desirous of science. The which sentence doth teach us, that all creatures (being virtuously given) do strive to attain to perfection, and draw near in what they can to the Creator; and this knowledge is one of the principal parts which doth concern the perfection of understanding: for of the same doth follow, that all such are generally inclined to know the means by the which they may conserve their life, health, and reputation. And although it be necessary for man to learn and know all sciences, yet nevertheless the knowledge of natural philosophy ought to be preferred, as being the most necessary; and moreover it doth bring with it a singular pleasure and contentment. The first inventor of this knowledge was Chiron the Centaur, of great renown, son to Saturn and Philyra and others say that it was invented of Apollo: & others of Æsculapius his son; esteeming that so excellent a science could never proceed but from the gods immortal, and that it was impossible for man to find out the nature of plants, if the great worker, which is God, had not first instructed and taught him. For, as Pliny saith, if any think that these things have invented by man, he is ungrateful for the works of God. The first that we can learn of among the Greeks that have diligently written of herbs, have been Orpheus, Musæus, and Hesiod, having been taught by the Egyptians: then Pythagoras of great renown for his wisdom, which did write books of the nature of plants, and did acknowledge to learn the same from Apollo and Æsculapius. Democritus also did compose books of plants, having first travelled over all Persia, Arabia, Ethiopia, and Egypt. Many other excellent spirits have taken great pleasure in this science, which to accomplish have hazarded their lives in passing many unknown regions, to learn the true knowledge of Helleborus, and other medicaments: of which number were Hippocrates, Crateuas, Aristotle, Theophrastus, Diocles Caristius, Pamphylus, Montius, Hierophilus, Dioscorides, Galen, Pliny, and many others, which I leave to name, fearing to be too long. And if I may speak without partiality of the author of this book, his great pains, his no less expenses in travelling far and near for the attaining of his skill have been extraordinary. For he was never content with the knowledge of those simples which grow in those parts, but upon his proper cost and charges hath had out of all parts of the world all the rare simples which by any means he could attain unto, not only to have them brought, but hath procured by his excellent knowledge to have them growing in his garden, which as the time of the year doth serve may be seen: for there shall you see all manner of strange trees, herbs, roots, plants, flowers, and other such rare things, that it would make a man wonder, how one of his degree, not having the purse of a number, could ever accomplish the same. I protest upon my conscience, I do not think for the knowledge of plants, that he is inferior to any: for I did once see him tried with one of the best strangers that ever came into England, and was accounted in Paris the only man, being recommended unto me by that famous man Master Amb. Pareus; and he being here was desirous to go abroad with some of our herbarists, for the which I was the mean to bring them together, and one whole day we spent therein, searching the rarest simples: but when it came to the trial, my French man did not know one to his four. What doth this man deserve that hath taken so much pains for his country, in setting out a book, that to this day never any in what language soever did the like? First for correcting their faults in so many hundred places, being falsely named, mistaken the one for the other; and then the pictures of a great number of plants now newly cut. If this man had taken this pains in Italy and Germany, where Matthiolus did write, he should have sped as well as he did: For (saith he) I had so great a desire ever to finish my Book, that I never regarded anything in respect of the public good, not so much as to think how I should finish so great a charge, which I had never carried out, but that by God's stirring up of the renowned Emperor Ferdinand of famous memory, and the excellent princes had not helped me with great sums of money, so that the Commonwealth may say, That this blessing doth rather proceed of them than from me. There have been also other princes of Almaine which have been liberal in the preferring of this book, and the most excellent Elector of the Empire the Duke of Saxony, which sent me by his post much money toward my charges: the liberality of the which and the magnificence toward me I cannot commend sufficiently. They which followed in their liberality were the excellent Frederick Count Palatine of the Rhine, and the excellent Joachim Marquess of Brandenburg, which much supplied my wants: and the like did the reverend Cardinal and Prince of Trent, and the Excellent Archbishop of Salzburg, the Excellent Dukes of Bavaria and Cleeves, the duke of Megapolensis Prince of Vandalis, the State Republic of Nuremberg, the liberality of whom ought to be celebrated for ever: and it doth much rejoice me that I had the help and reward of Emperors, Kings, Electors of the Roman Empire, Arch-dukes, Cardinals, Bishops, Dukes and Princes, for it giveth more credit to our labours than anything that can be said. Thus far Matthiolus his own writing of the liberality of Princes towards him. What age do we live in here that will suffer all virtue to go unrewarded? Master Gerard hath taken more pains than ever Matthiolus did in his Commentaries, and hath corrected a number of faults that he passed over; and I dare affirm (in reverence be it spoken to that excellent man) that Master Gerard doth know a great number of simples that were not known in his time: and yet I doubt whether he shall taste of the liberality of either Prince, Duke, Earl, Bishop, or public estate. Let a man excel never so much in any excellent knowledge, nevertheless many times he is not so much regarded as a jester, a boaster, a quacksalver or mountebank; for such kind of men can flatter, dissemble, make of trifles great matters, in praising of this rare secret, or that excellent spirit, or this elixir or quintessence; which when it shall come to the trial, nothing shall be found but boasting words.
VALE.
