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Page 87 · DO #1810 · 142_Payne_Schreiber_Vol.1_r
- Collection
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Payne, Joseph Frank (1840–1910 and Schreiber) manuscript of speech "On the 'Herbarius' and 'Hortus Sanitatis'" (Payne) and "The Herbals of the XVth and XVIth Centuries"
- Item/Folder
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Manuscript, 1901, 21 January 1901
- Digital Object
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DO #1810,
page 87
- Collection-level dates
- 21 January 1901
Page transcription
The preceding paragraphs give proof of the extraordinary interest,
with which this sort of herbal was met by wide circles of the population.
Particularly in the beginning the book seems to have been sold very rapidly,
considering that Schoeffler was encouraged to venture, already in the beginning of next year's spring (March 28th, 1485), on the publication of a similar, but more extensive book, the "Hortus sanitatis" of Johann von Gube". As this book is an exact facsimile of it, the work, usually called "Kleiner Hortus sanitatis", (Small Hortus sanitatis) needs no detailed description. Comparison with the "Herbarius" and the reprints still to be mentioned ought to be sufficient.
To begin with: at that time the terms "Herbarius" and "Hortus sanitatis" had the same meaning. The preface says:" We call this book in Latin Ortus sanitatis, in German a Garden of Health" ("Und nennen diss buch su latin Ortus sanitatis uff teutsch ein gart der gesuntheit"), whilst the final paragraph mentions:"This Herbarius has been printed at Mainz etc." ("Disser Herbarius ist ozu menoz gedruckt etc.")
While the earlier Herbarius had been limited to 246 remedies, the work we are considering now contains in 435 chapters almost the complete arsenal of medicines known at that time. 382 chapters deal with plants, and of these only 14 are not illustrated; the remaining 53 chapters, in which animal and mineral remedies are treated, only show 11 illustrations.
It is noteworthy, that none of the wood-blocks have been taken over from the Herbarius, but they have all been produced anew. Whereas the earlier pictures had an average height of 95 mm, the new ones were cut 155 - 170 mm high (in some cases only 130 mm) and between 70 and 115 mm broad. Apart from a few exotic herbs, which seem to have been pictured according to descriptions, the plant illustrations were drawn true to
