| CHAPTER I |
| | PAGE |
| The Anglo-Saxon Herbals | [1] |
| Evidence of the existence of books on herbs in the eighth century—Tenth-centurymanuscripts—Their importance as the first records ofAnglo-Saxon plant lore and of folk medicine of a still earlier age—Preliminarysurvey of the more important manuscripts—Leech Book ofBald—Authorship and origin—Oldest Leech Book written in thevernacular in Europe—Saxon translation of the Herbarium ApuleiiPlatonici—Illustrations—Saxon translation of theΠερὶ Διδαξέων—TheLacnunga—Importance of these manuscripts to the student of folk lore—Folklore of the origin of disease—Doctrine of the “elf-shot”—“Flyingvenom”—Doctrine of the worm as the ultimate source of disease—Demoniacpossession—Herbal remedies—Picturesqueness of Saxonmethods of treating diseases—Smoking patient with fumes of herbs—Cattlesimilarly treated—Use of herbs as amulets—Binding on with redwool—Specially sacred herbs—Charms and incantations to be used inpicking and administering herbs—Transference of disease—Predominanceof the number nine—Ceremonies to be observed in the pickingof herbs—Nature-worship in these ceremonies—Eostra—Prayer to Earth. | |
| CHAPTER II |
| Later Manuscript Herbals and the Early Printed Herbals | [42] |
| Later manuscript herbals—Copies of Macer’s herbal—Treatise on thevirtues of rosemary sent by the Countess of Hainault to Queen Philippaof England—Bartholomæus Anglicus, De Proprietatibus rerum—Popularityof his writings—Characteristics of De herbis—Trevisa’s translation—Bartholomæuson the rose, the violet, etc.—Fleeting pictures ofmediæval life in De herbis—Feeding swine, making bread, buildinghouses, making linen, life in the vineyards, woods, etc.—Wynken deWorde’s poem at the end of his edition of De Proprietatibus rerum—Banckes’sHerbal—Possible sources—Later editions—Rose recipes—Mediævalbelief in wholesomeness of fragrant herbs—Descriptions ofherbs in Banckes’s Herbal—“The boke of secretes of Albartus Magnus”—Herblore and magic—The Grete Herball—Its origin—Peter Treveris—Characteristicsof this herbal—The vertuose book of the Dystillacion ofthe Waters of all maner of Herbes. | |
| CHAPTER III |
| Turner’s Herbal and the Influence of the Foreign Herbalists | [75] |
| William Turner—Cambridge with Nicholas Ridley—Travels abroad—Bologna—LucaGhini—Conrad Gesner—Cologne—Appointed chaplainand physician to the Duke of Somerset—His early writings on herbs—Turner’sHerbal—Illustrations—Characteristics of the book—Descriptionsof herbs—North-country lore—Old country customs—Influenceof the foreign herbalists on the later English herbals—Leonhard Fuchs—RembertDodoens—Charles de l’Escluse—Matthias de l’Obel—Lyte’stranslation of Dodoens’ Cruÿdtboeck—Illustrations—Ram’s little Dodoen. | |
| CHAPTER IV |
| Gerard’s Herbal | [98] |
| Popularity of Gerard’s Herbal—Its charm—Gerard’s boyhood—Laterlife—His garden in Holborn—Friendship with Jean Robin, keeper of theroyal gardens in Paris—Origin of Gerard’s Herbal—Illustrations—Oldbeliefs in the effects of herbs on the heart and mind—Use of herbs asamulets—Other folk lore—Myth of the barnacle geese—Origin andhistory of the myth—Old English names of plants—Wild flower life ofLondon in Elizabeth’s day—“Master Tuggie’s” garden in Westminster—Shakespeareand Gerard. | |
| CHAPTER V |
| Herbals of the New World | [120] |
| Herbals written in connection with the colonisation of America by theSpaniards and English—Early records of the plant lore of the RedIndians—English weeds introduced into America and first gardens inNew England—Joyfull Newes from out of the newe founde worlde—Gumsused by the Red Indians—“Mechoacan”—“The hearbe tabaco”—Firstaccount and illustration of this plant—Its uses by the RedIndians in their religious ceremonies and as a wound-herb—Origin of thename “Nicotiana”—Sassafras—Use by the Spanish soldiers—Rootused as a pomander in Europe in time of plague—New England’sRarities discovered—Weeds introduced into America with the firstColonists—First list of English plants grown in New England gardens—TheAmerican Physitian—The “Maucaw” tree—Use of the seedby the Red Indians—Cacao and the making of chocolate—Cacaokernels used as tokens—James Petiver—The South-Sea Herbal. | |
| CHAPTER VI |
| John Parkinson, the Last of the Great English Herbalists | [142] |
| John Parkinson—The Paradisus—Myth of the vegetable lamb—Originof the myth—Characteristics of the book—An Elizabethanflower-garden—Lilies, anemones, gilliflowers, cucko-flowers, etc.—Sweetherbs: rosemary, lavender, basil, thyme, hyssop—The kitchengarden—The orchard—Theatrum Botanicum—Its importance—Oldbelief in the power of herbs against evil spirits—Folk lore in thisHerbal—Bee lore—Beauty recipes—Country customs and beliefs. | |
| CHAPTER VII |
| Later Seventeenth-century Herbals and Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-century Still-room Books | [163] |
| Later seventeenth-century Herbals—Revival of belief in astrologicallore—Nicholas Culpeper—His character—Popularity in the East Endof London—His Herbal—Coles’s Art of Simpling—Doctrine of Signatures—Herbsused by animals—Plants used in and against witchcraft—Coles’sastrological beliefs—On the pleasures of gardening—Still-roombooks—Their relation to herbals—The Fairfax still-room book—An oldlove-letter—Recipes: “To make a bath for melancholy,” “Balles forthe face,” “For them theyr speech faileth”—Lady Sedley herreceipt book—Noted contributors to this book—Mary Doggett HerBook of Receipts, 1682—Recipes: “A pomander for balme water,”“To dry roses for sweet powder,” “A perfume for a sweet bagg”—TheCountess of Kent’s still-room book—“A comfortable cordial tocheer the heart”—Tryon’s still-room book—Sir Kenelm Digby—Charmof his books—Recipes: “Sweet meat of apples,” “WheatenFlommery,” “A Flomery Caudle,” “Conserve of Red Roses”—Theold herb-gardens—Fairies and herb-gardens—Revival of the old beliefin the communion between stars and flowers. | |
| BIBLIOGRAPHIES |
| English Herbals | [189] |
| I. Manuscript herbals, treatises on the virtues of herbs, etc. Manuscriptswritten in Latin after 1400 are not included in this list. | |
| II. Printed books. The herbals are listed according to authors, or, inthe case of anonymous works, according to the names by which theyare usually known, and full titles, etc., of all known editions are given.In cases where only one copy of an edition is known the librarywhere it is to be found is indicated. Editions mentioned in Ames,Hazlitt, etc., but of which no copies are now known, are listed, butin each case the fact that the only mention of them is to be found inone of the above is stated. | |
| Foreign Herbals | [225] |
| This list includes only the chief works and those which have someconnection with the history of the herbal in England. | |
| Index | [237] |