University of Virginia Library

THE
Author's Preface
To his Two first BOOKS of
PLANTS,
Published before the rest.

COnsidering the incredible Veneration which the best Poets always had for Gardens, Fields, and Woods, insomuch that in all other Subjects they seem'd to be banished from the Muses Territories, I wondered what evil Planet was so malicious to the Breed of Plants, as to permit none of the inspired Tribe to celebrate their Beauty and admirable Virtues. Certainly a copious Field of Matter, and what would yield them a plentiful return of Fruit; where each particular, besides its pleasant History (the extent whereof every body, or to speak more truly, no body, can sufficiently understand) which contains the whole Fabrick of humane Frame,

and a complete Body of Physick: From whence I am induced to believe, that those great Men did not so much think them improper Subjects of Poetry, as discouraged by the greatness and almost inexplicable Variety of the Matter, and that they were unwilling to begin a Work which they despaired of finishing. I therefore who am but a Pigmy in Learning, and scarce sufficient to express the Virtues of the vile Sea Weed, attempt that Work which those Giants declin'd: Yet wherefore should I not attempt? Forasmuch as they disdained to take up with less than comprehending the whole, and I am proud of conquering some part. I shall think it Reputation enough for me to have my Name carved on the Barks of some Trees, or (what is reckon'd a Royal Prerogative) inscribed upon a few Flowers. You must not therefore expect to find so many Herbs collected for this Fardle, as sometimes go to the compounding of one single Medicine. These Two little Books are therefore offer'd as small Pills made up of sundry Herbs, and gilt with a certain brightness of Stile; in the choice whereof I have not much labour'd, but took them as they came to Hand, there being none amongst them which contain'd not plenty of Juice, if it were drawn out according to Art, none so insipid that would not afford Matter for a whole Book, if well extracted. The Method which I judged most genuine and proper for this Work, was not to press out their Liquor crude in a simple enumeration, but as it were in a Lymbeck, by the gentle Heat of Poetry, to distil and extract their Spirits. Nor

have I chosen to put them together which had affinity in Nature, that might create a disgust for want of Variety; I rather connected those of the most different Qualities, that their contrary Colours, being mixt, might the better set off each other.

I have added short Notes, not for ostentation of Learning (whereof there is no occasion here offered; for what is more easie than to turn over one or two Herbalists?) but because that beside Physicians (whom I pretend not to instruct, but divert) there are few so well vers'd in the History of Plants,

as to be acquainted with the Names of them all. It is a part of Philosophy that lies out of the common Road of Learning; to such Persons I was to supply the place of a Lexicon. But for the sake of the very Plants themselves, lest the treating of them in a Poetical way might derogate from their real Merit, and that should seem not to attribute to them those Faculties wherewith Nature has indued them, (who studies what is best to be done, not what is most capable of verbal Ornaments) but to have feigned those Qualities which would afford the greatest Matter for Pomp and empty Pleasure. For, because Poets are sometimes allowed to make fictions, and some have too excessively abused that Liberty, Trust is so wholly denied to us, that we may not without hesitation be believed when we say,

I was therefore willing to cite proper Witnesses, that is, such as writ in loose and free Prose, which compared with Verse, bears the Authority of an Oath. I have yet contented my self with Two of those, (which is the Number required by Law) Pliny and Fernelius I have chiefly made choice of, the first being an Author of unquestion'd Latin, and the latter amongst the Moderns of the truest Sentiments, and no ill Master of Expression. If any except against the former, as too credulous of the Greekish idle Tales, that he may not safely be credited, he will find nothing in this Subject mention'd by him, which is not represented by all that write of Herbs. Nor would I have the Reader, because I have made my Plants to discourse,

forthwith (as if he were in Dodona's Grove) to expect Oracles, which, I fear, my Verses will only resemble in this, that they are as bad Metre as what the Gods of old delivered from their Temples to those that consulted them.

Having given you this Account, if any shall light upon this Book who have read my former, published not long since by me in English, I fear they may take occasion from thence, of reprehending some things, concerning which it will not be impertinent briefly to clear my self before I proceed. In the first place, I foresee that I shall be accused by some of too much Delicacy and Levity, in that having undertaken great Subjects, and after a day or two's journey, I have stopt through Lazyness and Despondency, of reaching home, or possess'd with some new frenzy, have started into some other Road, insomuch, that not only the half (as they say) but the third part of the Task has been greater than my whole performance: Away (they cry) with this Desultory Writer. Yet with what Spirit, what Voice threatning mighty Matters; he begins

Thou sing of Wars, thou Dastard, who throwest away thy Arms so soon, or betakest thy self to the Enemy's Camp, a Renegade, before the first Charge is sounded? or if at any time thou adventurest to engage, it is like the Ancient Gauls, making the Onset with more than the Courage of a Man, and presently retreating with more than that of the Coward: Whereas, he that has once applyed himself to a Poem, as if he had married a Wife, should stick to it for better for worse, whether the Matter be grateful and easie, or hard and almost intractable, ought neither to quit it for tiresomeness, nor be diverted by new Loves, nor think of a Divorce, or at any time relinquish, till he has brought it to a conclusion, as Wedlock terminates with Life. This is imputed to me as a Fault; and since I cannot deny the Charge, whether I am therein to be blamed or not, let us examine.

In the first place therefore, that which is most truly asserted of Human Life, is too applicable to my Poetry; that it is best never to have been born, or being born, forthwith to die; And if my Essays should be carried on to their Omega (to which the Works of Homer by a peculiar Felicity were continu'd vigorous) there would be great danger of their falling into Dotage before that time. The only thing that can recommend Trifles, or make them tolerable is, that they give off seasonably, that is suddenly; for that Author goes very much too far, who leaves his Reader tired behind him. These Considerations, if I write ill, will excuse my brevity, though not so easily excuse the Undertaking; nor shall my Inconstancy in not finishing what I have begun, be so much blamed as my Constancy in ceasing not continually to begin, and being like Fortune, constant in Levity. But if Reader (as is my desire) we have furnished you with what is agreeable to your Appetite, you ought to take it in good part, that we have used such moderation, as neither to send you away hungry, nor cloy your Stomach with too much satiety: To this you must add, that our Attempts, such as they are, may excite the Industry of others who are enabled by a greater genius and strength to undertake the very same or more noble Subjects. As Agesilaus of old, who though he made no great progress into Asia, yet being the first in that Adventure, he opened the way to Alexander for a glorious and entire Conquest.

Lastly (to confess to thee as a Friend, for such I will presume thee) I thus employed my self, not so much out of Counsel as the Fury of my Mind; for I am not able to do nothing, and had no other diversion of my Troubles; therefore through a wearisomeness of humane Affairs to these more pleasing Solaces of Literature (made agreeable to me by Custom and Nature) my sick Mind betakes itself; and not long after from an irksomeness of the self same things, it changes its course and turns off to some other Theme. But they press more dangerously upon, and as it were stab me with my own Weapon, who bring those things to my mind, which I have declaimed so vehemently against, the use of exolete and interpolated repetitions of old Fables in Poetry, when Truth it self in the sacred Books of God and awful Registers of the Church has laid open a new more rich and ample World of Poetry, for the Wits of Men to be exercised upon.

When thou thy self (say they) hast thus declared with the Approbation of all good Men, and given an Example in thy Davideis for others to imitate; dost thou, like an Apostate Jew loathing Manna, return to the Leeks and Garlick of Egypt? After the appearance of Christ himself in thy Verse, and imposing silence on the Oracles of Demons, shall we again hear the voice of Apollo from thy profane Tripod? After the Restauration of Sion, and the Purgation of it from Monsters, shall it be again possessed by the drery Ghosts of antiquated Deities.

And what the Prophet threatned as the extremity of Evils; Your Muse is in this no less an Object of Shame and Pity, than if Magdalen should backslide again to the Brothel. Behold how the just punishment does not (as in other Offenders) follow your Crime, but even accompanies it: The very lowness of your Subject has retrenched your Wings. You are fastned to the ground with your Herbs, and cannot soar as formerly to the Clouds; nor can we more admire at your halting than at your fabulous Vulcan, when he had fallen from the Skies.

A heavy Charge indeed, and terrible at the first sight; but I esteem that which celebrates the wonderful Works of Providence, not to be far distant from a Sacred Poem.

Nothing can be found more admirable in Nature than the Virtues of several Plants; therefore amongst other things of a more noble strain, the Divine Poet upon that account praises the Deity, Who brings forth grass upon the mountains, and herbs for the use of man. Psal. cxli. 8. Nor do I think the Liberty immodest, where I introduce Plants speaking,

to whom the Sacred Writ it self does speak, as to intelligent Beings: Bless the Lord, all ye green things upon the earth, praise and exalt him for ever. Dan. iii.53. Apocr. Those Fictions are not to be accounted for Lies, which cannot be believed, nor desire to be so. But that the Names of Heathen Deities and fabulous Transformations are sometimes intermixt, the Matter it self compell'd me against my Will, being no other way capable of embellishment, and it is well if by that means they are so. No painted Garb is to be preferred to the native Dress and living Colours of Truth; yet in some Persons, and on some Occasions it is more agreeable. There was a time when it did not misbecome a King, to dance, yet it had certainly been indecent for him to have danced in his Coronation Robes. You are not therefore to expect in a Work of this nature the Majesty of an Heroick Style (which I never found any Plant to speak in) for, I propose not here to fly, but only to make some Walks in my Garden, partly for Health's sake, and partly for Recreation.

There remains a third Difficulty which will not perhaps so easily be solved. I had some time since been resolved in my self to write no more Verses, and made thereof such publick and solemn protestation, as almost amounts to an Oath:

When behold I have set in anew. Concerning which matter, because I remember my self to have formerly given an account in Metre: I am willing (and Martial affirms it to be a Poets Right) to close my Epistle therewith; they were written to a learned and most ingenious Friend who laboured under the very same Distemper, though not with the same dangerous Symptoms.