LATER MANUSCRIPT HERBALS AND THE EARLY PRINTED HERBALS
"Spryngynge tyme is the time of gladnesse and of love; for
in Sprynging time all thynge semeth gladde; for the erthe
wexeth grene, trees burgynne [burgeon] and sprede, medowes
bring forth flowers, heven shyneth, the see resteth and is
quyete, foules synge and make theyr nestes, and al thynge
that semed deed in wynter and widdered, ben renewed, in
Spryngyng time."--BARTHOLOMÆUS ANGLICUS, _circ._ 1260.
Between the Anglo-Saxon herbals and the early printed herbals there is
a great gulf. After the Norman Conquest the old Anglo-Saxon lore
naturally fell into disrepute, although the Normans were inferior to
the Saxons in their knowledge of herbs. The learned books of the
conquerors were written exclusively in Latin, and it is sad to think
of the number of beautiful Saxon books which must have been destroyed,
for when the Saxons were turned out of their own monasteries the
Normans who supplanted them probably regarded books written in a
language they did not understand as mere rubbish. Much of the old
Saxon herb lore is to be found in the leech books of the Middle Ages,
but, with one notable exception, no important original treatise on
herbs by an English writer has come down to us from that period. The
vast majority of the herbal MSS. are merely transcriptions of Macer's
herbal, a mediæval Latin poem on the virtues of seventy-seven plants,
which is believed to have been written in the tenth century. The
popularity of this poem is shown by the number of MSS. still extant.
It was translated into English as early as the twelfth century with
the addition of "A fewe herbes wyche Macer tretyth not."[38] In 1373
it was translated by John Lelamoure, a schoolmaster of Hertford. On
folio 55 of the MS. of this translation is the inscription, "God
gracious of grauntis havythe yyeue and ygrauted vertuys in woodys
stonys and herbes of the whiche erbis Macer the philosofure made a
boke in Latyne the whiche boke Johannes Lelamoure scolemaistre of
Herforde est, they he unworthy was in the yere of oure Lorde a. m.
ccc. lxxiij tournyd in to Ynglis." Macer's herbal is also the basis of
a treatise in rhyme of which there are several copies in England and
one in the Royal Library at Stockholm. This treatise, which deals with
twenty-four herbs, begins thus quaintly--
"Of erbs xxiiij I woll you tell by and by
Als I fond wryten in a boke at I in boroyng toke
Of a gret ladys preste of gret name she barest."
The poem begins with a description of betony, powerful against "wykked
sperytis," and then treats, amongst other herbs, of the virtues of
centaury, marigold, celandine, pimpernel, motherwort, vervain,
periwinkle, rose, lily, henbane, agrimony, sage, rue, fennel and
violet. It is pleasant to find the belief that only to look on
marigolds will draw evil humours out of the head and strengthen the
eyesight.
"Golde [marigold] is bitter in savour
Fayr and [gh]elw [yellow] is his flowur
Ye golde flour is good to sene
It makyth ye syth bryth and clene
Wyscely to lokyn on his flowris
Drawyth owt of ye heed wikked hirores [humours].
. . . . . . .
Loke wyscely on golde erly at morwe [morning]
Yat day fro feueres it schall ye borwe:
Ye odour of ye golde is good to smelle."
The instructions for the picking of this joyous flower are given at
length. It must be taken only when the moon is in the sign of the
Virgin, and not when Jupiter is in the ascendant, for then the herb
loses its virtue. And the gatherer, who must be out of deadly sin,
must say three Pater Nosters and three Aves. Amongst its many virtues
we find that it gives the wearer a vision of anyone who has robbed
him. The virtues of vervain also are many; it must be picked "at
Spring of day" in "ye monyth of May." Periwinkle is given its
beautiful old name "joy of the ground" ("men calle it ye Juy of
Grownde") and the description runs thus:--
"Parwynke is an erbe grene of colour
In tyme of May he beryth blo flour,
His stalkys ain [are] so feynt [weak] and feye
Yet never more growyth he heye [high]."
Under sage we find the old proverb--"How can a man die who has sage in
his garden?"
"Why of seknesse deyeth man
Whill sawge [sage] in gardeyn he may han."
A manuscript of exceptional interest is one describing the virtues of
rosemary which was sent by the Countess of Hainault to her daughter
Philippa, Queen of England, and apart from its intrinsic interest it
is important from the fact that it is obviously the original of the
very poetical discourse on rosemary in the first printed English
herbal, commonly known as Banckes's herbal. Moreover, in this MS.
there is recorded an old tradition which I have not found in any other
herbal, but which is still current amongst old-fashioned country folk,
namely, that rosemary "passeth not commonly in highte the highte of
Criste whill he was man on Erthe," and that when the plant attains the
age of thirty-three years it will increase in breadth but not in
height. It is the oldest MS. in which we find many other beliefs about
rosemary that still survive in England. There is a tradition that
Queen Philippa's mother sent the first plants of rosemary to England,
and in a copy of this MS. in the library of Trinity College,
Cambridge, the translator, "danyel bain," says that rosemary was
unknown in England until the Countess of Hainault sent some to her
daughter.
The only original treatise on herbs written by an Englishman during
the Middle Ages was that by Bartholomæus Anglicus, and on the
plant-lover there are probably few of the mediæval writers who
exercise so potent a spell. Even in the thirteenth century, that age
of great men, Bartholomew the Englishman ranked with thinkers such as
Roger Bacon, Thomas Aquinas and Albertus Magnus. He was accounted one
of the greatest theologians of his day, and if his lectures on
theology were as simple as his writings on herbs, it is easy to
understand why they were thronged and why his writings were so eagerly
studied, not only in his lifetime but for nearly three centuries
afterwards. A child could understand his book on herbs, for, being
great, he was simple. But although his work _De Proprietatibus Rerum_
(which contains nineteen books) was the source of common information
on Natural History throughout the Middle Ages, and was one of the
books hired out at a regulated price by the scholars of Paris, we know
very little of the writer. He spent the greater part of his life in
France and Saxony, but he was English born and was always known as
Bartholomæus Anglicus.[39] We know that he studied in Paris and
entered the French province of the Minorite Order, and later he became
one of the most renowned professors of theology in Paris. In 1230 a
letter was received from the general of the Friars Minor in the new
province of Saxony asking the provincial of France to send Bartholomew
and another Englishman to help in the work of that province, and the
former subsequently went there. We do not know the exact date of _De
Proprietatibus Rerum_, but it must have been written about the middle
of the thirteenth century; for, though it cites Albertus Magnus, who
was teaching in Paris in 1248, there is no mention of any of the later
authorities, such as Thomas Aquinas, Roger Bacon and Vincent de
Beauvais. It was certainly known in England as early as 1296, for
there is a copy of that date at Oxford, and there still exist both in
France and in England a considerable number of other manuscript
copies, most of which date from the latter part of the thirteenth
century and the early part of the fourteenth. The book was translated
into English in 1398 by John de Trevisa,[40] chaplain to Lord Berkeley
and vicar of Berkeley, and Bartholomew could scarcely have been more
fortunate in his translator. At the end of his translation, Trevisa
writes thus:--
"Endlesse grace blysse thankyng and praysyng unto our Lorde
God Omnipotent be gyuen, by whoos ayde and helpe this
translacon was endyd at Berkeleye the syxte daye of Feuerer
the yere of our Lorde MCCCLXXXXVIII the yere of y{e} reyne
of Kynge Rycharde the seconde after the Conqueste of
Englonde XXII. The yere of my lordes aege, syre Thomas,
Lorde of Berkeleye that made me to make this Translac[=o]n
XLVII."
Salimbene shows that the book was known in Italy in 1283, and there
are two MS. copies in the Bibliothèque Nationale of Paris, of which
the earliest is dated 1297. Before Trevisa made his English
translation, it had been translated into French by Jehan Corbichon, in
1372, for Charles V. of France.
The book was first printed at Basle about 1470, and the esteem in
which it was held may be judged from the fact that it went through at
least fourteen editions before 1500, and besides the English and
French translations it was also translated into Spanish and Dutch. The
English translation was first printed by Caxton's famous apprentice,
Wynken de Worde.[41] The translator in a naïve little introductory
poem says that, just as he had looked as a child to God to help him in
his games, so now he prays Him to help him in this book.
"C[?]Rosse was made all of red .
In the begynning of my boke .
That is called, god me sped .
In the fyrste lesson that j toke .
Thenne I learned a and b .
And other letters by her names .
But alway God spede me .
Thought me nedefull in all games .
Yf I played in felde, other medes .
Stylle other wyth noyse .
I prayed help in all my dedes .
Of him that deyed upon the croys .
Now dyuerse playes in his name .
I shall lette passe forth and far .
And aventure to play so long game .
Also I shall spare .
Wodes, medes and feldes .
Place that I have played inne .
And in his name that all th[=i]g weldes .
This game j shall begynne. .
And praye helpe conseyle and rede .
To me that he wolde sende .
And this game rule and lede .
And brynge it to a good ende. ."
And in the preface Trevisa addresses his readers thus: "Merveyle not,
ye witty and eloquent reders, that I th[=y]ne of wytte and voyde of
cunning have translatid this boke from latin to our vulgayre language
as a thynge profitable to me and peradventure to many other, whych
understonde not latyn nor have not the knowledge of the proprytees of
thynges."
The seventeenth book of _De Proprietatibus Rerum_ is on herbs and
their uses, and it is full of allusions to the classical writers on
herbs--Aristotle, Dioscorides and Galen--but the descriptions of the
plants themselves are original and charming.
There is no record to show that Bartholomew the Englishman was a
gardener, but we can hardly doubt that the man who described flowers
with such loving care possessed a garden and worked in it. The
_Herbarius zu Teutsch_ might have been written in a study, but there
is fresh air and the beauty of the living flowers in Bartholomew's
writings. Of the lily he says: "The Lely is an herbe wyth a whyte
floure. And though the levys of the floure be whyte yet wythen shyneth
the lyknesse of golde." Bartholomew may have known nothing of the
modern science of botany, but he knew how to describe not only the
lily, but also the atmosphere of the lily, in a word-picture of
inimitable simplicity and beauty. One feels instinctively that only a
child or a great man could have written those lines. And is there not
something unforgettable in these few words on the unfolding of a
rose--"And wh[=a]ne they [the petals] ben full growen they sprede
theymselues ayenst the sonne rysynge"?
The chapter on the rose is longer than most, and is so delightful that
I quote a considerable part of it. "The rose of gardens is planted and
sette and tylthed as a vyne. And if it is forgendred and not shred and
pared and not clensed of superfluyte: th[=e]ne it gooth out of kynde
and chaungeth in to a wylde rose. And by oft chaunging and tylthing
the wylde rose torneth and cha[=u]gith into a very rose. And the rose
of ye garden and the wylde rose ben dyuers in multitude of floures:
smelle and colour: and also in vertue. For the leves of the wylde rose
ben fewe and brode and whytyssh: meddlyd wyth lytyll rednesse: and
smellyth not so wel as the tame rose, nother is so vertuous in
medicyn. The tame rose hath many leuys sette nye togyder: and ben all
red, other almost white: w{t} wonder good smell.... And the more they
ben brused and broken: the vertuo[=u]ser they ben and the better
smellynge. And springeth out of a thorne that is harde and rough:
netheles the Rose folowyth not the kynde of the thorne: But she
arayeth her thorn wyth fayr colour and good smell. Whan ye rose
begynneth to sprynge it is closed in a knoppe wyth grenes: and that
knoppe is grene. And wha[=n]e it swellyth thenne spryngeth out harde
leuys and sharpe.... And wh[=a]ne they ben full growen they sprede
theymselues ayenst the sonne rysynge. And for they ben tendre and
feble to holde togyder in the begynnynge; theyfore about those smale
grene leuys ben nyghe the red and tendre leuys ... and ben sette all
aboute. And in the mydill thereof is seen the sede small and yellow
wyth full gode smell."
[Illustration: WOODCUT OF TREES AND HERBS FROM THE SEVENTEENTH
BOOK OF "DE PROPRIETATIBUS RERUM"
Printed by Wynkyn de Worde (1495)]
There follows a description, too long to quote here, of the growth of
the rose hip, which ends with the remark: "But they ben not ful good
to ete for roughnesse that is hyd wythin. And greuyth [grieveth]
wythin his throte that ete thereof." ... "Among all floures of the
worlde," he continues, "the floure of the rose is cheyf and beeryth ye
pryse. And by cause of vertues and swete smelle and savour. For by
fayrnesse they fede the syghte: and playseth the smelle by odour, the
touche by softe handlynge. And wythstondeth and socouryth by vertue
ayenst many syknesses and euylles." A delicious recipe is given for
Rose honey. "Rose shreede smalle and sod in hony makyth that hony
medycynable wyth gode smelle: And this comfortyeth and clenseth and
defyeth gleymy humours."
Of the violet we read: "Violet is a lytyll herbe in substaunce and is
better fresshe and newe than whan it is olde. And the floure thereof
smellyth moost.... And the more vertuous the floure thereof is, ye
more it bendyth the heed thereof do[=u]warde. Also floures of
spryngynge tyme spryngeth fyrste and sheweth somer. The lytylnes
thereof in substaunce is nobly rewarded in gretnesse of sauour and of
vertue."
Bartholomew's descriptions of flowers are usually brief, and there is
a clarity and vividness about them which give them a charm peculiarly
their own. How fresh and English, for instance, is his chapter on the
apple. I have never before seen the taste of an apple described as
"merry," but how true the description is! "Malus the Appyll tree is a
tree yt bereth apples and is a grete tree in itself ... it is more
short than other trees of the wood wyth knottes and rinelyd Rynde.
And makyth shadowe wythe thycke bowes and braunches: and fayr with
dyuers blossomes, and floures of swetnesse and lykynge: with goode
fruyte and noble. And is gracious in syght and in taste and vertuous
in medecyne ... some beryth sourysh fruyte and harde and some ryght
soure and some ryght swete, with a good savoure and mery." The
descriptions of celandine and broom are also characteristic.
"Celidonia is an herbe w{t} yelowe floures, the frute smorcheth them
that it towchyth. And hyghte Celidonia for it spryngeth, other
blomyth, in the comynge of swalowes.... It hy[gh]t celidonia for it
helpith swallowes birdes yf their eyen be hurte other (or) blynde."
"Genesta hath that name of bytterness for it is full of bytter to
mannes taste. And is a shrubbe that growyth in a place that is
forsaken, stony and untylthed. Presence thereof is wytnesse that the
grounde is bareyne and drye that it groweth in. And hath many
braunches knotty and hard. Grene in wynter and yelowe floures in somer
thyche [the which] wrapped with heuy smell and bitter sauour. And ben
netheles moost of vertue." Bartholomew gives the old mandrake legend
in full, though he adds, "it is so feynd of churles others of
wytches," and he also writes of its use as an anæsthetic.[42] Further,
he records two other beliefs about the mandrake which I have never
found in any other English herbal--namely, that while uprooting it one
must beware of contrary winds, and that one must go on digging for it
until sunset. "They that dygge mandragora be besy to beware of
contrary wyndes whyle they digge. And maken circles abowte with a
swerder and abyde with the dyggynge unto the sonne goynge downe."
But apart from herbs and their uses, the book _De herbis_ is full of
fleeting yet vigorous pictures of the homely everyday side of mediæval
life. Bartholomew, being one of the greatest men of his century,
writes of matters in which the simplest of us are interested. He
tells us of the feeding of swine with acorns. Of the making and baking
of bread (including the thrifty custom of mixing cooked beans with the
flour "to make the brede the more hevy"). Incidentally, and with all
due respect, it may be remarked that he had no practical knowledge of
this subject, his vivid description being obviously that of an
interested spectator. There is an airy masculine vagueness about the
conclusion of the whole matter of bread-making--"and at last after
many travailes, man's lyfe is fedde and sustained therewith." He tells
us of the use of laurel leaves to heal bee and wasp stings and to keep
books and clothes from "moths and other worms," of the making of
"fayre images" and of boxes wherein to keep "spycery" from the wood of
the box-tree. Of the making of trestle tables "areared and set upon
feet," of playing boards "that men playe on at the dyes [dice] and
other gamys. And this maner of table is double and arrayd wyth dyerse
colours." Of the making of writing tables, of wood used for flooring
that "set in solar floors serue all men and bestys y{t} ben therein,
and ben treden of alle men and beestys that come therein," and so
strong that "they bende not nor croke [crack] whan they ben pressyd
w{t} heuy thynges layd on them." And also of boards used for ships,
bridges, hulks and coffers, and "in shypbreche [shipwreck] men fle to
bordes and ben ofte sauyd in peryll." Of the building of houses with
roofs of "trees stretchyd from the walles up to the toppe of ye
house," with rafters "stronge and square and hewen playne," and of
"the covering of strawe and thetche [thatch]." Of the making of linen
from the soaking of the flax in water till it is dried and turned in
the sun and then bound in "praty bundels" and "afterward knockyd,
beten and brayd and carflyd, rodded and gnodded; ribbyd and heklyd and
at the laste sponne," of the bleaching, and finally of its many uses
for making clothing, and for sails, and fish nets, and thread, and
ropes, and strings ("for bows"), and measuring lines, and sheets ("to
reste in"), and sackes, and bagges, and purses ("to put and to kepe
thynges in"). Of the making of tow "uneven and full of knobs," used
for stuffing into the cracks in ships, and "for bonds and byndynges
and matches for candelles, for it is full drye and takyth sone fyre
and brenneth." "And so," he concludes somewhat breathlessly, "none
herbe is so nedefull to so many dyurrse uses to mankynde as is the
flexe." Of the vineyard "closyd about wyth walles and wyth hegges,
with a wayte [watch] set in an hyghe place to kepe the vynyerde that
the fruyte be not dystroyed." Of the desolation of the vineyard in
winter, "but in harueste tyme many comyth and haunteth the vynyerde."
Of the delicious smell of a vineyard. Of the damage done by foxes and
swine and "tame hounds." "A few hounds," Bartholomew tells us, "wasten
and dystroye moo grapes that cometh and eteth therof theuylly
[thievishly]." "A vineyard," he concludes, "maye not be kepte nother
sauyd but by his socour and helpe that all thynge hath and possesseth
in his power and myghte. And kepyth and sauyth all lordly and
myghtily." And is there any other writer who in so few words tells us
of the woods in those days? Of the "beestis and foulis" therein as
well as the herbs, of the woods in summer-time, of the hunting
therein, of the robbers and the difficulty of finding one's way? Of
the birds and the bees and the wild honey and the delicious coolness
of the deep shade in summer, and the "wery wayfarynge trauelynge men"?
And the final brief suggestion of the time when forests were veritable
boundaries? I believe also that this is the only book in which we are
told of the interesting old custom of tying knots to the trees "in
token and marke of ye highe waye," and of robbers deliberately
removing them. The picture is so perfect that I give it in full:--
"Woods ben wide places wast and desolate y{t} many trees
growe in w{t}oute fruyte and also few hauyinge fruyte. And
those trees whyche ben bareyne and beereth noo manere
fruyte alwaye ben generally more and hygher tha[=n]e y{t}
wyth fruyte, fewe out taken as Oke and Beche. In thyse wodes
ben ofte wylde beestes and foulis. Therein growyth herbes,
grasse, lees and pasture, and namely medycynall herbes in
wodes fo[=u]de. In somer wodes ben bewtyed [beautied] wyth
bowes and braunches, w{t} herbes and grasse. In wode is
place of disceyte [deceit] and of huntynge. For therin wylde
beest ben hunted: and watches and disceytes [deceits] ben
ordenyd and lette of houndes and of hunters. There is place
of hidynge and of lurkyng. For ofte in wodes theuys ben hyd,
and oft in their awaytes and disceytes passyng men cometh
and ben spoylled and robbed and ofte slayne. And soo for
many and dyuerse wayes and uncerten strange men ofte erre
and goo out of the waye. And take uncerten waye and the waye
that is unknowen before the waye that is knowen and come oft
to the place these theues lye in awayte and not wythout
peryll. Therefore ben ofte knottes made on trees and in
busshes in bowes and in braunches of trees; in token and
marke of ye highe waye; to shewe the certen and sure waye to
wayefareynge men. But oft theuys in tornynge and metyng of
wayes chaunge suche knottes and signes and begyle many men
and brynge them out of the ryght waye by false tokens and
sygnes. Byrdes, foules and bein [bees] fleeth to wode,
byrdes to make nestes and bein [bees] to gadre hony. Byrdes
to kepe themself from foulers and bein [bees] to hyde
themself to make honycombes preuely in holowe trees and
stockes. Also wodes for thyknesse of trees ben colde with
shadowe. And in hete of the sonne wery wayfarynge and
trauelynge men haue lykynge to have reste and to hele
themself in the shadow. Many wodes ben betwyne dyuers
co[=u]trees and londes: and departyth theym asondre. And by
weuynge and castyng togyder of trees often men kepeth and
defendyth themself from enymies."[43]
Bartholomew's book on herbs ends thus: "And here we shall fynysshe
and ende in treatyng of the XVII boke whyche hath treated as ye may
openly knowe of suche thynges as the Maker of all thyng hath ordered
and brought forth by his myghty power to embelyssh and araye the erthe
wyth and most specyally for ye fode of man and beast."
At the end of the book is the poem which has caused so much
controversy amongst bibliographers. In this Wynken de Worde definitely
states that Caxton had a share in the first printing of this book at
Cologne:--
"And also of your charyte call to remembraunce
The soule of William Caxton first pr[=y]ter of this boke.
In laten tonge at Coleyn hyself to auauce
That every well disposed man may therein loke."
In spite of this, modern bibliographers are of opinion that Caxton
could not have played even a subordinate part in the printing of this
book at Cologne.
De Worde also refers to the maker of the paper[44]:--
"... John Tate the yonger ...
Which late hathe in England doo make this paper thynne
That now in our Englysh this boke is prynted Inne."
There is charm as well as pathos in the verses on the reproduction of
manuscripts in book form, showing us vividly what the recent discovery
of the art of printing meant to the scholars of that day. The simile
of Ph[oe]bus "repairing" the moon is very apt.
"For yf one thyng myght laste a M yere
Full sone comyth aege that frettyth all away;
But like as Phebus wyth his bemes clere
The mone repeyreth as bryght as ony day
Whan she is wasted ryght; so may we say
Thise bokes old and blynde whan we renewe
By goodly pryntyng they ben bryght of hewe."
The last verse of the poem is as follows:--
"Nowe gloryous god that regnest one in thre
And thre in one graunte vertu myght and grace
Unto the prynter of this werke that he
May be rewarded in thy heuenly place
And whan the worlde shall come before thy face
There to receue accordyng to desert
Of grace and mercy make hym then expert."
The treatise on herbs formed, as we have seen, only a part of
Bartholomew's _De Proprietatibus Rerum_, and, to speak strictly, the
first printed English herbal was the small quarto volume published by
Richard Banckes in 1525. It was the beginning of a series of small
books[45] chiefly in black letter. All of them, though issued from
different presses, have nearly the same title, and they vary only
slightly from the original _Banckes's Herbal_. The title of this
Herbal is--
"Here begynneth a new mater / the whiche sheweth and |
treateth of ye vertues & proprytes of her- | bes / the
whiche is called | an Herball ['.'] | ¶ Cum gratia &
priuilegio | a rege indulto |
"(_Colophon_) ¶ Imprynted by me Rycharde Banckes / dwellynge
in | L[=o]d[=o] / a lytel fro ye Stockes in ye Pultry / ye
XXV day of | Marche. The yere of our Lorde MCCCCC. & XXV."
We do not know who the author of this book was, and it has been
suggested that it is based on some mediæval English manuscript now
lost. Certainly when one reads this anonymous work known as _Banckes's
Herbal_ one is struck not only by its superiority to the later and
more famous _Grete Herball_, but also by its greater charm. It gives
the impression of being a compilation from various sources, the author
having made his own selection from what pleased him most in the older
English manuscript herbals. It seems to have been a labour of love,
whereas the _Grete Herball_ is merely a translation. It is almost
certain that the writer made use of one of the numerous manuscript
versions of Macer's Herbal, which in parts _Banckes's Herbal_
resembles very closely, and the chapter on rosemary shows that he had
access to one of the copies of the manuscript on the virtues of
rosemary which was sent by the Countess of Hainault to Queen Philippa.
He does not give the beautiful old tradition preserved in that
manuscript,[46] but he ascribes wonderful virtues to this herb, with
the same loving enthusiasm and almost in the same words. Of rosemary
in _Banckes's Herbal_ we read:--
"Take the flowers thereof and make powder thereof and binde
it to thy right arme in a linnen cloath and it shale make
thee light and merrie.
"Take the flowers and put them in thy chest among thy
clothes or among thy Bookes and Mothes shall not destroy
them.
"Boyle the leaves in white wine and washe thy face therewith
and thy browes and thou shalt have a faire face.
"Also put the leaves under thy bedde and thou shalt be
delivered of all evill dreames.
"Take the leaves and put them into wine and it shall keep
the wine from all sourness and evill savours and if thou
wilt sell thy wine thou shalt have goode speede.
"Also if thou be feeble boyle the leaves in cleane water and
washe thyself and thou shalt wax shiny.
"Also if thou have lost appetite of eating boyle well these
leaves in cleane water and when the water is colde put
thereunto as much of white wine and then make sops, eat them
thereof wel and thou shalt restore thy appetite againe.
"If thy legges be blowen with gowte boyle the leaves in
water and binde them in a linnen cloath and winde it about
thy legges and it shall do thee much good.
"If thou have a cough drink the water of the leaves boyld in
white wine and ye shall be whole.
[Illustration: INITIAL LETTERS FROM "BANCKES'S HERBAL"]
"Take the Timber thereof and burn it to coales and make
powder thereof and rubbe thy teeth thereof and it shall keep
thy teeth from all evils. Smell it oft and it shall keep
thee youngly.
"Also if a man have lost his smellyng of the ayre that he
may not draw his breath make a fire of the wood and bake his
bread therewith, eate it and it shall keepe him well.
"Make thee a box of the wood of rosemary and smell to it and
it shall preserve thy youth."
That _Banckes's Herbal_ achieved immediate popularity is attested by
the fact that the following year another edition of it was issued, and
during the next thirty years various London printers issued the same
book under different titles.[47] Robert Wyer[48] ascribed the
authorship of those he issued to Macer, and in the edition of 1530 he
added, after "Macer's Herbal," "Practysed by Dr. Lynacro." Whether
this statement is true it is impossible to discover, but we know that
the great doctor died some years before Wyer set up as a printer, and
his name does not appear in any of the subsequent editions of the
herbal issued by other printers. In Wyer's edition there are some good
initial letters very similar to those used by Wynkyn de Worde.
The most interesting edition of the herbal is that printed by William
Copland, in which first appear the additional chapters on "The virtues
of waters stylled," "The tyme of gathering of sedes" and "A general
rule of all maner of herbes." He issued two editions bearing the same
title and differing only in the woodcuts and the colophon. The title
is "A boke of the | propreties of Herbes called an her- | ball,
whereunto is added the tyme y{e} | herbes, floures and Sedes shold |
be gathered to be kept the whole, ye- | re, with the vertue of ye
Herbes wh[=e] | they are stylled. Al- | so a generall rule of all
ma- | ner of Herbes drawen | out of an auncyent | booke of Phisyck |
by W. C." The woodcut in the first edition is three "Tudor" roses in a
double circle with a crown over one of the roses and across the riband
"K[=y]ge of floures." In the second edition the woodcut is a quaint
little representation of a lady seated in a garden. One man standing
behind her is holding her and another is walking towards her. The
three figures are near a wall, on the other side of which several men
are apparently conversing. Who W. C. was is uncertain. In the
_Dictionary of National Biography_ William Copland is said to be both
the author and the printer of the book, but in many catalogues
(notably in that of the British Museum) Walter Cary figures as the
author. In a lengthy account of the Carys in _Notes and Queries_
(March 29, 1913) Mr. A. L. Humphreys disposes conclusively of the
supposition that W. C. can stand for Walter Cary.
"_A Boke of the Properties of Herbes_ bears on the
title-page the initials W. C., which may stand either for
Copland or Cary. This was one of several editions of
_Banckes's Herbal_, then very popular, and although it may
have been edited or promoted in some way by a Walter Cary,
it could not have been by the one who wrote _The Hammer for
the Stone_. The 'Herball' was issued somewhere about 1550
and various editions of it exist, but all these appeared
when the Walter Cary we are considering was a child. There
is, however, a connection between the Carys and herbals,
because it is well known that Henry Lyte (1529-1607) of
Lytes Cary was the famous translator of Dodoens's _Herball_
(1578), and he had a herbal garden at Lytes Cary."
Ames in his _Typographical Antiquities_ describes the two editions,
which are identical, as though they were two different books, and
ascribes one to Walter Cary and the other to William Copland. We have
only Ames's authority for the supposition that Copland was the
compiler as well as the printer. The herbal in question is merely
another edition of _Banckes's Herbal_, but it is quite possible that
the three additional chapters at the end were "drawen out of an
auncyent booke of Physick" by Copland.[49]
Two editions of _Banckes's Herbal_ are ascribed, on account of the
wording of the title, to Antony Askham, and the title is so attractive
that it is a disappointment to find that the astrological additions
"declaryng what herbes hath influence of certain sterres and
constellations," etc., do not appear in any known copy of the herbal.
This astrological lore from the famous man who combined the
professions of priest, physician and astrologer in the reign of Edward
VI. would be of remarkable interest. But it has been pointed out by
Mr. H. M. Barlow[50] that, if the bibliographers who have attributed
the work to Askham had examined the title of the work with greater
care, they would have observed that the phrase "by Anthonye Askham"
refers not to the substance of the book itself (which is merely
another edition of _Banckes's Herbal_) but to the "Almanacke" from
which the additions were intended to be taken, though apparently they
were never printed. The title of "Askham's" Herbal is--
"A lytel | herball of the | properties of her- | bes newely
amended and corrected, | with certayne addicions at the ende
| of the boke, declarying what herbes | hath influence of
certaine Sterres | and constellations, whereby may be |
chosen the beast and most luckye | tymes and dayes of their
mini- | stracion, accordyinge to the | Moone being in the
sig- | nes of heauen, the | which is dayly | appoynted | in
the | Almanacke; made and gathered | in the yere of our
Lorde god | M.D.L. the XII. day of Fe- | bruary by Anthonye
| Askham Phi- | sycyon.
"(_Colophon._) Imprynted at | London in Flete- | strete at
the signe of the George | next to Saynte Dunstones | Churche
by Wylly- | am Powell. | In the yeare of oure Lorde | M.D.L.
the twelfe day of Marche."
There are some charming prescriptions to be found in "Askham's"
Herbal. Under "rose," for instance, we have recipes for "melroset,"
"sugar roset," "syrope of Rooses," "oyle of roses" and "rose water."
"Melrosette is made thus. Take faire purified honye and new
read rooses, the whyte endes of them clypped awaye, th[=a]
chop theym smal and put th[=e] into the Hony and boyl th[=e]
menely together; to know whan it is boyled ynoughe, ye shal
know it by the swete odour and the colour read. Fyve yeares
he may be kept in his vertue; by the Roses he hath vertue of
comfortinge and by the hony he hath vertu of clensinge.
"Syrope of Rooses is made thus. Some do take roses dyght as
it is sayd and boyle them in water and in the water strayned
thei put suger and make a sirope thereof; and some do make
it better, for they put roses in a vessell, hauing a
strayght mouthe, and they put to the roses hote water and
thei let it stande a day and a night and of that water,
putting to it suger, thei do make sirope, and some doe put
more of Roses in the forsaid vessel and more of hote water,
and let it stande as is beforesaide, and so they make a read
water and make the rose syrope. And some do st[=a]pe new
Roses and then strayne out the joyce of it and suger
therwyth, they make sirope: and this is the best making of
sirope. In Wynter and in Somer it maye be geuen competently
to feble sicke mel[=a]coly and colorike people.
"Sugar Roset is made thus--Take newe gathered roses and
st[=a]pe them righte smal with sugar, th[=a] put in a glasse
XXX. dayes, let it stande in ye sunne and stirre it wel, and
medle it well together so it may be kept three yeares in his
vertue. The qu[=a]titie of sugar and roses should be thus.
In IIII. pound of sugar a pounde of roses.
"Oyle of roses is made thus. Some boyle roses in oyle and
kepe it, some do fyll a glasse with roses and oyle and they
boyle it in a caudron full of water and this oyle is good.
Some stampe fresh roses with oyle and they put it in a
vessel of glasse and set it in the s[=u]ne IIII. dais and
this oyle is good.
"Rose water. Some do put rose water in a glass and they put
roses with their dew therto and they make it to boile in
water th[=a] thei set it in the sune tyll it be readde and
this water is beste."
Under the same flower we find this fragrant example of the widespread
mediæval belief in the efficacy of good smells:--
"Also drye roses put to ye nose to smell do c[=o]forte the
braine and the harte and quencheth sprite."
The herbalists were never weary of teaching the value of sweet
scents.[51] "If odours may worke satisfaction," wrote Gerard in his
_Herball_, "they are so soveraigne in plants and so comfortable that
no confection of the apothecaries can equall their excellent vertue."
One of the most delicious "scent" prescriptions in Askham is to be
found under Violet--"For th[=e] that may not slepe for sickness seeth
this herb in water and at euen let him soke well hys feete in the
water to the ancles, wh[=a] he goeth to bed, bind of this herbe to his
temples and he shall slepe wel by the grace of God."
The most curious recipe is that under "woodbinde." "Go to the roote of
woodbinde and make a hole in the middes of the roote, than cover it
well againe y{t} no ayre go out nor that no rayne go in, no water,
nor earth nor the sune come not to much to it, let it stande so a
night and a day, th[=a] after that go to it and thou shalt fynde
therein a certayne lycoure. Take out that lycoure with a spone and put
it into a clean glas and do so every day as long as thou fyndest ought
in the hole, and this must be done in the moneth of April or Maye,
than anoynt the sore therwith against the fyre, th[=a] wete a lynnen
clothe in the same lycoure and lappe it about the sore and it shal be
hole in shorte space on warrantyse by the Grace of God."
Unlike the later _Grete Herball_, Askham gives some descriptions of
the herbs themselves, notably in the case of alleluia (wood-sorrel),
water crowfoot, and asterion.
"This herbe alleluia m[=e] call it Wodsour or Stubwort, this
herbe hath thre leaves ye which be ro[=u]d a litel departed
aboue and it hath a whyte flour, but it hath no l[=o]ge
stalkes and it is Woodsoure and it is like thre leued
grasse. The vertue of this herbe is thus, if it be rosted in
the ashes in red docke leaves or in red wort leaves it
fretteth awai dead flesh of a wounde. This herbe groweth
much in woodes."
Water crowfoot: "This herb that men call water crowfoot hath
yelow floures, as hath crowfoot and of the same shap, but
the leves are more departed as it were Rammes fete, and it
hath a long stalke and out of that one stalke groweth many
stalkes smal by ye sides. This herb groweth in watery
places."
"Asterion or Lunary groweth among stoones and in high
places, this herb shyneth by night and he bringeth forth
purple floures hole and rounde as a knockebell or else lyke
to foxgloves, the leves of this herbe be rounde and blew and
they have the mark of the Moone in the myddes as it were
thre leved grasse, but the leaves therof be more and they be
round as a peny. And the stalk of this herb is red and thyse
herb semeth as it were musk and the joyce therof is yelow
and this groweth in the new Moone without leve and euery day
spryngeth a newe leaue to the ende of fyftene dayes and
after fyftene dayes it looseth euery day a leaue as the
Moone waneth and it springeth and waneth as doth the Moone
and where that it groweth there groweth great quantitie.
"The vertue of this herbe is thus--thei that eat of the
beris or of the herbe in waning of the moone, wh[=a] he is
in signo virginis if he have the falling euell he shal be
hole thereof or if he beare thys about his neck he shal be
holpen without doute. And it hath many more vertues than I
can tell at this tyme."
One of the unidentified herbs is called "sene," and we are given the
somewhat vague geographical information, "It groweth in the other syde
the sea and moste aboute Babilon."
* * * * *
Another small book printed by William Copland must be mentioned, for,
although it is not a herbal, it contains a great deal of curious herb
lore not to be found elsewhere. This is _The boke of secretes of
Albartus Magnus of the vertues of Herbes, Stones, and certaine
beastes_. Who the author was is unknown, but he was certainly not
Albert of Bollstadt (1193-1280), Bishop of Ratisbon, the scholastic
philosopher to whom it was ascribed, probably in order to increase its
sale. There is one philosophical remark which is not unworthy of the
famous Bishop: "Every man despiseth ye thyng whereof he knoweth
nothynge and that hath done no pleasure to him." But for the most part
it deals with the popular beliefs concerning the mystical properties
of herbs, stones and animals.
Of celandine the writer tells us: "This hearbe springeth in the time
in ye which the swallowes and also ye Eagles maketh theyr nestes. If
any man shal have this herbe with ye harte of a Molle (mole) he shall
overcome all his enemies.... And if the before named hearbe be put
upon the headde of a sycke man if he should dye he shal syng anone
with a loud voyce, if not he shall weep."
"Perwynke when it is beat[=e] unto pouder with wormes of ye earth
wrapped aboute it and with an herbe called houslyke it induceth love
between man and wyfe if it bee used in their meales ... if the sayde
confection be put in the fyre it shall be turned anone unto blue
coloure."
Of the herb which, he tells us, "the men of Chaldea called roybra," he
says: "He that holdeth this herbe in hys h[=a]de with an herbe called
Mylfoyle or yarowe or noseblede is sure from all feare and fantasye or
vysion. And yf it be put with the juyce of houselyke and the bearers
hands be anoynted with it and the residue be put in water if he entre
in ye water where fyshes be they wil gather together to hys handes ...
and if hys hande be draw[=e] forth they will leape agayne to theyre
owne places where they were before."
Of hound's tongue: "If ye shall have the aforenamed herbe under thy
formost toe al the dogges shall kepe silence and shall not have power
to bark. And if thou shalt put the aforesayde thinge in the necke of
any dogge so y{t} he maye not touche it with his mouthe he shalbe
turned always round about lyke a turning whele untill he fall unto the
grounde as dead and this hath bene proved in our tyme."
Of centaury: "If it be joyned with the bloude of a female lapwing or
black plover and be put with oyle in a lampe, all they that compasse
it aboute shal beleue themselves to be witches so that one shall
beleve of an other that his head is in heaven and his fete in the
earth. And if the aforesaid thynge be put in the fire whan the starres
shine it shall appeare y{t} the sterres runne one agaynste another and
fyght."
Of vervain: "This herbe (as witches say) gathered, the sunne beyng in
the signe of the Ram, and put with grayne or corne of pyonie of one
yeare olde healeth them y{t} be sicke of ye falling sykenes."
Of powder of roses: "If the aforesayde poulder be put in a lampe and
after be kindled all men shall appeare blacke as the deuell. And if
the aforesaid poulder be mixed with oyle of the olyue tree and with
quycke brymstone and the house anointed wyth it, the Sunne shyning, it
shall appeare all inflamed."
[Illustration: WOODCUT FROM THE TITLE-PAGE OF THE "GRETE HERBALL"
(1526)]
Of verbena: "Infants bearing it shalbe very apte to learne and louing
learnynge and they shalbe glad and joyous."
It is the only book on the virtues of herbs in which I have found a
recipe to revive drowning flies and bees! This is to be done by
placing them in warm ashes of pennyroyal, and then "they shall recover
their lyfe after a little tyme as by ye space of one houre." The book
ends with a curious philosophical dissertation, "Of the mervels of the
worlde," which is followed by a series of charms--to stop a cock
crowing, to make men look as though they had no heads, to obtain rule
over all birds, to keep flies away from a house, to write letters
which can only be read at night, to make men look as though they had
"the countenance of a dog," to make men seem as though they had three
heads, to understand the language of birds, to make men seem like
angels, and to put things in the fire without their being consumed.
* * * * *
Though lacking in the charm of the quaint and typically English
_Banckes's Herbal_, the most famous of the early printed herbals was
the _Grete Herball_ printed by Peter Treveris in 1526.[52]
"The grete herball | whiche geueth parfyt knowlege and
under- | standyng of all maner of herbes & there gracyous
vertues whiche god hath | ordeyned for our prosperous
welfare and helth, for they hele & cure all maner | of
dyseases and sekenesses that fall or mysfortune to all maner
of creatoures | of god created, practysed by many expert and
wyse maysters, as Auicenna and | other &c. Also it geueth
full parfyte understandynge of the booke lately pryn | ted
by me (Peter treveris) named the noble experiens of the
vertuous hand | warke of surgery."
(_Colophon._) "Imprentyd at London in South- | warke by me
peter Treueris, dwel- | lynge in the sygne of the wodows |
In the yere of our Lorde god M.D. | XXVI the XXVII day of
July."
According to the introduction it was compiled from the works of "many
noble doctoures and experte maysters in medecines, as Auicenna,
Pandecta, Constantinus, Wilhelmus, Platearius, Rabbi Moyses, Johannes
Mesue, Haly, Albertus, Bartholomeus and more other." But with the
exception of the preface the _Grete Herball_ is a translation of the
well-known French herbal, _Le Grant Herbier_. Until about 1886 _Le
Grant Herbier_ was supposed to be a translation of the _Herbarius zu
Teutsch_, published at Mainz in 1485, or of the _Ortus Sanitatis_,
printed also at Mainz in 1491.[53] The _Herbarius zu Teutsch_, which
was probably compiled by a Frankfort physician, is a fine herbal
beautifully illustrated, and the later _Ortus Sanitatis_ is by some
authorities supposed to be a Latin translation of it. To judge from
the preface to the German Herbarius it was a labour of love,
undertaken by a man who apparently was possessed of ample wealth and
leisure; for in his preface he tells us that he "caused this
praiseworthy work to be begun by a Master learned in physic," and
then, finding that as many of the herbs did not grow in his native
land he could not draw them "with their true colours and form," he
left the work unfinished and journeyed through many lands--Italy,
Croatia, Albania, Dalmatia, Greece, Corfu, Candia, Rhodes, Cyprus, the
Holy Land, Arabia, Babylonia and Egypt. He was accompanied by "a
painter ready of wit and cunning and subtle of hand," and was thus
able to have the herbs "truly drawn." The book he compiled on his
return was long regarded as the original of the French herbal, _Le
Grant Herbier_, but in 1866 Professor Giulio Camus found two
fifteenth-century manuscripts in the Biblioteca Estense at Modena, one
the Latin work commonly known from the opening words as _Circa
Instans_, and the other a French translation of the same manuscript.
It was always supposed by medical historians that the _Circa Instans_
was written by Matthaeus Platearius of Salerno in the twelfth century,
but in Professor Camus's memoir, _L'Opéra Saleritana "Circa Instans"
ed il testo primitivo del "Grand Herbier in Francoys" secundo duo
codici del secolo XV conservati nella Regia Biblioteca Estense_, there
are reproduced the French verses in which occurs the line, "Il a esté
escript Millccc cinquante et huit," and Mr. H. M. Barlow[54] supports
the deduction that _Circa Instans_ was not written by a Salernitan
physician, but by a writer described in the verses as "Bartholomaeus
minid' senis" in 1458. _Le Grant Herbier_, of which the English _Grete
Herball_ is a translation, is a version of the French manuscript
translation of _Circa Instans_, and therefore, as _Circa Instans_ is
older than either the _Herbarius zu Teutsch_ or the Latin _Ortus
Sanitatis_, it would seem that it is the real original of our _Grete
Herball_. The preface to the _Grete Herball_, however, bears a strong
resemblance to that of the German Herbarius, of which I quote a part
from Dr. Arber's translation, made from the second (Augsburg) edition
of 1485. They have been placed in parallel columns to show how closely
the English preface follows that of the German Herbarius.
Preface to the _Herbarius zu Teutsch_.
"Many a time and oft have I contemplated
inwardly the wondrous
works of the creator of the universe:
how in the beginning He formed
the heavens and adorned them with
goodly shining stars, to which he
gave power and might to influence
everything under heaven. Also how
he afterwards formed the four elements:
fire, hot and dry--air, hot
and moist--water, cold and moist--earth,
dry and cold--and gave to
each a nature of its own; and how
after this the same Great Master of
Nature made and formed herbs of
many sorts and animals of all kinds
and last of all Man, the noblest of
all created things. Thereupon I
thought on the wondrous order which
the Creator gave these same creatures
of His, so that everything which
has its being under heaven receives
it from the stars and keeps it by
their help. I considered further how
that in everything which arises, grows,
lives or soars in the four elements
named, be it metal, stone, herb or
animal, the four natures of the elements,
heat, cold, moistness and
dryness, are mingled. It is also to
be noted that the four natures in
question are also mixed and blended
in the human body in a measure and
temperament suitable to the life and
nature of man; while man keeps
within this measure ... he is strong
and healthy, but as soon as he steps
or falls beyond ... which happens
when heat takes the upper hand and
strives to stifle cold or on the contrary
when cold begins to suppress
heat ... he falls of necessity into
sickness and draws nigh unto death.
... Of a truth I would as soon count
the leaves on the trees or the grains
of sand in the sea as the things
which are the causes of man's sickness.
It is for this reason that so
many thousands and thousands of
perils and dangers beset man. He is
not fully sure of his health or his
life for one moment. While considering
these matters, I also remembered
how the Creator of Nature,
who has placed us amid such dangers
has mercifully provided us with a
remedy, that is with all kinds of
herbs, animals and other created
things.... By virtue of these herbs
and created things the sick man may
recover the temperament of the four
elements and the health of his body.
Since then man can have no greater
nor nobler treasure on earth than
bodily health, I came to the conclusion
that I could not perform any
more useful and holy work than to
compile a book in which could be
contained the virtue and nature of
many herbs and other created things,
together with their true colours and
for the help of all the world, and the
common good, therefore I caused
this praiseworthy work to be begun
by a Master learned in physic who,
at my request gathered into a book
the nature and virtue of many herbs
out of the acknowledged masters of
physic, Galen, Avicenna, Serapio,
Dioscorides, Pandectarius, Platearius
and others."
Preface to _The Grete Herball_.
"Consyderynge the grete goodnesse
of almyghty God creatour of
heven and erthe, and al thynge
therin comprehended to whom be
eternall laude and prays etc. Consyderynge
the cours and nature of
the foure elementes and qualytees
where to ye nature of man is inclyned,
out of the whiche elementes issueth
dyvers qualytees infyrmytees and
dyseases in the corporate body of
man, but god of his goodnesse that
is creatour of all thynges hath
ordeyned for mankynd (whiche he
hath created to his own lykenesse)
for the grete and tender love, which
he hath unto hym, to whom all
thinges erthely he hath ordeyned to
be obeysant, for the sustentacyon
and helthe of his lovynge creature
mankynde whiche is onely made
egally of the foure elementes and
qualitees of the same, and when
any of these foure habounde or hath
more domynacyon, the one than the
other it constrayneth ye body of
man to grete infyrmytees or dyseases,
for the which ye eternall god hath
gyven of his haboundante Grace,
vertues in all maner of herbes to
cure and heale all maner of sekenesses
or infyrmytees to hym befallying
through the influent course
of the foure elementes beforesayd
and of the corrupcyons and ye
venymous ayres contrarye ye helthe
of man. Also of onholsam meates
or drynkes, or holsam meates or
drynkes taken ontemperatly whiche
be called surfetes that bryngeth a
man sone to grete dyseases or sekenesse,
whiche dyseases ben of nombre
and ompossoyble to be rehersed, and
fortune as well in vilages where as
nother surgeons nor phisicians be
dwellyng nygh by many a myle, as
it dooth in good townes where they
be redy at hande, wherefore brotherly
love compelleth me to wryte thrugh
ye gyftes of the holy ghost shewynge
and enformynge how man may be
holpen with grene herbes of the
gardyn and wedys of ye feldys as
well as by costly receptes of the
potycarys prepayred."
The illustrations in the _Grete Herball_ are poor, being merely
inferior copies of those in the later editions of the _Herbarius zu
Teutsch_.[55] In the majority of cases it is impossible to identify
the plant from the figure, and the same figure is sometimes prefixed
to different plants. But if the illustrations are poor and dull the
frontispiece and the full-page woodcut of the printer's mark are very
much the reverse. The frontispiece is a charming woodcut of a man
holding a spade in his right hand and gathering grapes, and a woman
throwing flowers and herbs out of her apron into a basket. There are
two figures in the lower corners, the one of a male and the other of a
female mandrake. The woodcut of the printer's mark at the end sheds an
interesting ray of light on the Peter Treveris who issued the two
first editions of this Herball.[56] The woodcut represents two
wodows[57] (savages), a man and a woman, on either side of a tree,
from which is suspended a shield with Peter Treveris's initials. Ames
supposes that Treveris was a native of Trèves and took his name from
that city, but it is more likely that he was a member of the Cornish
family of Treffry, which is sometimes spelt Treveris. A Sir John
Treffry, who fought at Poitiers, took as supporters to his arms a wild
man and woman, and one likes to find that one of his descendants
perpetuated the memory of his gallant ancestor by adopting the same
sign for his trade device.
The _Grete Herball_ is alphabetically arranged, for the idea of the
natural relationship of plants was unknown at that time. But we find a
"classification" of fungi. "Fungi ben musherons. There be two maners
of them, one maner is deadly and sleeth them that eateth of them and
the other dooth not"! As in most sixteenth- and seventeenth-century
herbals, there are quaint descriptions of a good many things besides
herbs. The most gruesome of these is a substance briefly described as
"mummy," and the accompanying illustration is of a man digging beside
a tomb. "Mummy," one reads, "is a maner of spyces or confectyons that
is founde in the sepulchres or tombes of dead bodyes that haue be
confyct with spyces. And it is to wyte that in olde tyme men were wont
to confyct the deed corpses and anoynte them with bawme and myre
smellynge swete. And yet ye paynims about babylon kepe that custome
for there is grete quantity of bawme. And this mummye is specially
founde about the brayne and about the maronge in the rydge bone. For
the blode by reason of the bawme draweth to the brayne and thereabout
is chauffed. And lykewise is the brayne brent and parched and is the
quantyte of mommye and so the blode is mroeued in the rydge of the
backe. That mommye is to be chosen that is bryght blacke stynkynge and
styffe. And that y{t} is whyt and draweth to a dymme colour and that
is not stynkynge nor styffe, and that powdreth lightly is naught. It
hath vertue to restrayne or staunche."[58]
[Illustration: WOODCUT OF PETER TREVERIS' SIGN OF THE "WODOWS"
FROM THE "GRETE HERBALL" (1529)]
[Illustration: WOODCUT FROM THE TITLE-PAGE OF THE FOURTH EDITION
OF THE "GRETE HERBALL" (1561)]
Other substances described are salt, cheese, pitch, lead, silver,
gold, amber, water, starch, vinegar, butter, honey and the lodestone.
The dissertation on water shows very clearly that our ancestors
regarded bathing as a fad, and a dangerous fad at that. The writer
gloomily observes, "many folke that hath bathed them in colde water
haue dyed or they came home." And those who are foolish enough to
drink water he warns by quoting the authority of "Mayster Isaac," who
"sayth that it is impossible for them that drynketh overmuche water in
theyr youth to come to ye age that God hath ordeyned them." In the
description of the lodestone we find the well-known popular belief
about ships being drawn to their destruction. "The lodestone, the
adamant stone that draweth yren hath myghte to draw yren as Aristotle
sayth. And is founde in the brymmes of the occyan see. And there be
hillis of it and these hyllis drawe ye shippes that haue nayles of
yren to them and breke the shyppes by drawynge of the nayles out." The
accompanying illustration is of a sinking ship with a man going
towards the hill of adamant with uplifted hands, while another man is
swimming, and a third sits calmly in the ship.
In view of the free use of honey in olden times, the account of honey
in the _Grete Herball_ seems inadequate. "Hony is made by artyfyce and
craft of bees. The whyche bees draweth the thynnest parte of the
floures and partelye of the thickest and moost grosse and thereof
maketh hony and waxe and also they make a substaunce that is called
the honycombe. The tame hony is that that is made in the hous or hyues
that labourers ordeyneth for the sayd bees to lodge and worke in. Hony
is whyte in cold places and browne in warm place. And hony ought to be
put in medicyne and may be kept C yeeres. There is an other that is
called wylde hony and is found in woodes and is not so good as the
other and is more bytter. Also there is a honey called castanea
because it is made of chestayne floures that the bees sucketh and is
bytter."
In the _Grete Herball_, as in _Banckes's Herball_, we find numerous
instances of the use of herbs as amulets or for their effect on the
mind, and for the smoking of patients with their fumes. I quote the
following:--
"Betony. For them that be ferfull. For them that ben to
ferfull gyue two dragmes of powdre hereof wt warme water and
as moche wyne at the tyme that the fere cometh."
"Buglos. To preserve the mynde. This herbe often eaten
confermeth and conserueth the mynde as many wyse maysters
sayth."
"To make folke mery. Take the water that buglos hath b[=e]
soden in and sprynkle it about the hous or chambre and all
that be therein shall be mery."
"Vervain. To make folke mery at ye table. To make all them
in a hous to be mery take foure leaves and foure rotes of
vervayn in wyne, than spryncle the wine all about the hous
where the eatynge is and they shall be all mery."
"Musk. Agaynst weyknesse of the brayne smel to musk."
"Struci[=u]n. Against lytargye blowe the powdre of the sede
in to the nose or elles sethe the sede thereof and juice of
rue in stronge vyneygre and rubbe the hynder parte of ye
head therwith."
"Artemisia. To make a child mery hange a bondell of mugwort
or make smoke thereof under the chylde's bedde for it taketh
away annoy for hem."
"Rosemary. For weyknesse of ye brayne. Agaynst weyknesse of
the brayne and coldenesse thereof, sethe rosmarin in wyne
and lete the pacyent receye the smoke at his nose and kepe
his heed warme."
"Southernwood. The fume of it expelleth all serpents out of
the house and what so ever there abydeth dyeth."
There are two delicious violet recipes for "Syrope of Vyolettes" and
"oyle of vyolettes."
"Syrope of vyolettes [=i] made in this maner--Sethe
vyolettes in water and lete it lye all nyght in ye same
water. Than poure and streyne out the water, and in the same
put sugre and make your syrope.
"Oyle of vyolettes is made thus. Sethe vyolettes in oyle and
streyne it. It will be oyle of vyolettes."
It is in this herbal that we find the first avowal of disbelief in the
supposed powers of the mandrake.
"There be two maners the male and the female, the female
hath sharpe leves. Some say that it is better for medycyne
than the male but we use of bothe. Some say that the male
hath figure of shape of a man. And the female of a woman but
that is fals. For Nature never gaue forme or shape of
m[=a]kynde to an herbe. But it is of troughe that some hath
shaped suche fygures by craft as we have fortyme herde say
of labourers in the feldes."
The _Grete Herball_ ends thus--
"O ye worthy reders or practicyens to whome this noble
volume is pres[=e]t. I beseche you take intellygence and
beholde ye workes and operacy[=o]s of almighty god which
hath endewed his symple creature mankynde with the graces of
ye holy goost to have parfyte knowlege and understandynge of
the vertue of all manner of herbes and trees in this booke
comprehendyed and everyche of them chaptred by hymselfe and
in every chaptre dyuers clauses where is shewed dyuers maner
of medycunes in one herbe comprehended whiche ought to be
notyfyed and marked for the helth of man in whom is repended
ye hevenly gyftes by the eternall Kynge to whom be laude and
prayse everlastynge. Amen."
The only important books Treveris published besides the _Grete
Herball_ were the two English translations of Hieronymus
Braunschweig's works (_The noble experyence of the virtuous
Handy-worke of Surgeri_ and _The vertuouse Book of the Dystillacion of
the Waters of all maner of Herbes_) and the handsome edition of
Trevisa's translation of Higden's _Polychronicon_. _The vertuouse Book
of the Dystillacion of the Waters of all maner of Herbes_ is well
printed, but the illustrations are from the same inferior German cuts
as those in the _Grete Herball_. The book was translated into English
by Laurence Andrew and, though strictly it does not come within the
category of herbals, part of the preface is too beautiful to omit.
"Lerne the hygh and meruelous vertue of herbes. Knowe how inestimable
a preservative to the helth of man god hath provyded growying euery
daye at our hande, use the effectes with reverence, and give thankes
to the maker celestyall. Beholde how moch it excedeth to use medecyne
of efycacye naturall by God ordeyned then wicked wordes or charmes of
efycacye unnaturall by the dyuell enuented, whiche yf thou doste well
marke, thou shalt have occasyon to gyue the more louynges and praise
to oure sauyour, by redynge this boke and knowlegying his benyfites
innumerable. To whose prayse, and helthe of all my crysten bretherne,
I have taken upon me this symple translacyon, with all humble
reverence ever redy to submit me to the correccion of the lerned
reder."
FOOTNOTES:
[38] See Bibliography of English MS. Herbals.
[39] He is sometimes erroneously called Bartholomew de Glanville.
Leland, without citing any authority, called him de Glanville. Bale
copied Leland in 1557 and added a list of writings wrongly attributed
to Bartholomew. Quétif and Echard give detailed reasons in pointing
out Leland's error. The Parmese chronicler, Salimbene, writing in
1283, refers to him as Bartholomæus Anglicus, and John de Trittenheim,
Abbot of Sparheim (end of fifteenth century), speaks of him as
"Bartholomeus natione Anglicus." M. Leopold Delisle endeavoured to
claim him as a Frenchman, but although he spent the greater part of
his life abroad, he was always distinguished as "Bartholomæus
Anglicus." That he was a Minorite "de provincia Francia" is no proof
that he was a Frenchman. Batman (1582), on the authority of Bale,
describes Bartholomæus as being "of the noble familie of the Earles of
Suffolk."
[40] John de Trevisa, a Cornishman, was a Fellow of Exeter College,
Oxford, and subsequently of Queen's College. He afterwards became
chaplain to Lord Berkeley and vicar of Berkeley.
[41] Wynkyn de Worde's real name was Jan van Wynkyn (de Worde being
merely a place-name), and in the sacrist's rolls of Westminster Abbey,
1491-1500, he figures as Johannes Wynkyn.
[42] "The rind thereof medled with wine ... gene to them to drink that
shall be cut in their body for they should slepe and not fele the sore
knitting."
[43] Under "Birch" there is another touch of life in the woods in the
Middle Ages. "Wylde men of wodes and forestes useth that sede instede
of breede [bread]. And this tree hath moche soure juys and somwhat
bytynge. And men useth therfore in spryngynge tyme and in haruest to
slyt the ryndes and to gader ye humour that comyth oute therof and
drynkyth in stede of wyn. And such drynke quencheth thurste. But it
fedyth not nother nourryssheth not, nother makyth men dronke."
[44] In regard to this paper (probably the first made in England for
printing) see Bibliography, p. 204.
[45] For dates, full titles, etc., of all the editions of _Banckes's
Herbal_ see Bibliography of English Herbals.
[46] See p. 44.
[47] See Bibliography of English Herbals.
[48] Robert Wyer was one of the most famous printers of the early
sixteenth century. He came of a Buckinghamshire family and was
probably a near relation of John Wyer, also a printer who lived in
Fleet Street, for both of them used the device of St. John the
Evangelist. He served his apprenticeship to Richard Pynson, whose
printing press was in the rentals of Norwich House near the site of
the present Villiers Street, and on Pynson's death succeeded to the
business. In both his editions of the herbal there is his well-known
device of St. John the Evangelist bareheaded and dressed in a flowing
robe, sitting under a tree on an island and writing on a scroll spread
over his right knee. At his right hand is an eagle with outstretched
wings holding an inkwell in its beak, and in the background are the
towers and spires of a great city.
[49] Ames catalogues two other editions of the herbal by "W. C.," one
published by Anthony Kitson and the other by Richard Kele, but no
known copies of these exist.
[50] Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine, 1913.
[51] The popular belief in the power of sweet-smelling herbs to ward
off infection of the much-dreaded plague rose to its height in Charles
II.'s reign, when bunches of rosemary were sold for six and
eightpence. Till recently there were at least two survivals of this
belief in herbal scents--the doctor's gold-headed cane (formerly a
pomander carried at the end of a cane) and the little bouquets carried
by the clergy at the distribution of the Maundy Money in Westminster
Abbey.
[52] For dates of later editions see Bibliography of English Herbals.
[53] For fuller bibliographical details of the _Herbarius zu Teutsch_
and the _Ortus Sanitatis_ see Bibliography of Foreign Herbals.
[54] Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine.
[55] The illustrations in the second and later editions of the
_Herbarius zu Teutsch_ are very inferior to those in the first, which
are beautiful. _The vertuose boke of Distillacyon of the waters of all
maner of Herbes_ (1527), translated by Laurence Andrew from the _Liber
de arte distillandi_ by Hieronymus Braunschweig, is illustrated with
cuts from the same wood-blocks as the _Grete Herball_.
[56] Titles and dates of the subsequent editions issued by Thomas
Gibson (1539) and Jhon Kynge (1561) will be found in the Bibliography
of English Herbals.
[57] Treveris had his printing office in Southwark, at the sign of the
"Wodows."
[58] The use of "mummy" is not only mentioned by all the later
herbalists up to the end of the seventeenth century, but is even to be
found in MS. still-room books. In the Fairfax still-room book a recipe
for wounds said to have been procured from "Rodolphus Goclerius,
professor of Phisicke in Wittenburghe," begins thus: "Take of the moss
of a strangled man 2 ounces, of the mumia of man's blood, one ounce
and a halfe of earth-worms washed in water or wine and dyed," etc.