Hunt Institute Archives Text Discovery Platform

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of illustration throughout. However it was scientifically rather thin and had
essentially only one edition. Fuchs and Mattioli on the other hand appeared
almost innumerably many times, from duodecimo to folio and back, the latter
author as late as 1744.

Other herbalists in this group are Bock, the Bauhins, Gerard, Parkinson, etc.
Two or three of them will be mentioned in connection with the slides.

Let us know look at the works of these men in more detail. As remarked
above Dioskorides survives to us in the 6th century Codex Aniciae Julianae in
Vienna. The first slides show how lifelike the plant illustrations could be.
This Rubus ( ) is identifiable essentially to species, namely fruticosus, the
commoner bramble of Europe. Note the text in Greek, in which language Dioskorides
wrote, and the Arabic notations, -- the Codex was purchased in 1570 from a resident
of Constantinople, a Jew who may have bought it from an Arab. A tracing of this
( ) as found in Gunther's edition of Goodyer's translation of Dioskorides,
shows the detail rather better. Of the plant Dioskorides says:

Rubus (some call it Cynosbatos, some Selinorition, some Asyntrophon.
The Magi Sanguis Titani, some Sanguis Ibis, the Tomans Sentis, some
Rubus, some Mora Vaticana, ye Dacians Mantia, ye Egyptians Haemoeos,
some Ametros) which we know, binds and drys: it dyes ye hair. But
the decoction of the tops of it being drank stops ye belly, & restrains
ye flux of women, & is convenient for ye biting of ye Prester. And
the leaves being chewed do strengthen ye gums, and heal ye Apthae.
And ye leaves being applied, do restrain ye Herpetas, & heal ye
running ulcers which are in ye head, & ye falling down of theeeyes, & the
Condylomata and Haemorrhoids, & it is available for ye stomachicall,
and ye Cardiacall, being beaten small, & so laid on. But ye juice of
it got out of ye bruised stalks and leaves, & stirred in ye sun,
doth do better for all ye purpose aforesaid. But ye juice of ye fruit
of it being thoroughly ripe is good to be put into mouth-medicines.
It doth also stop ye belly being eaten when it is but half ripe.
And ye flower also of it being drank with wine doe stop ye belly.