Preface of Mr. Hieronymus Bock

to the Reader.

Since the highly praiseworthy and not easily fathomed art of medicine had its first beginning in simple things—which are called Simplicia Latin: "Simples," referring to individual medicinal herbs used on their own rather than in complex compounds.—I have likewise undertaken to describe anew in this book the simple Simplicia; that is, the growths of the earth, such as herbs, roots, flowers, seeds, juices, fruits, both domestic and wild, as well as hedges, shrubs, and trees. Namely: how and where each one grows according to its nature within the German Nation, how it blooms and seeds itself, at what time of year, and in what kind of soil each plant is best planted and raised. Furthermore, I have recorded what each plant is named among us Germans (for whom this book is especially written to serve), and alongside these, I have placed the Latin, Greek, Arabic, and other unknown names of the ancients as much as possible. These names were not invented by me, but for the most part brought forth from Dioscorides, Theophrastus, Pliny, and others.

Finally, I have described in the shortest and most orderly fashion the nature and properties of every plant: how the same is to be used in medicine internally for the body, or otherwise externally, and for other utilities. This was drawn primarily from the highly renowned Galen, and further, not only from the very best books of the ancients and moderns, but also what I myself have learned and discovered through manifold daily experience.

What labor, toil, and occasionally even danger I encountered in the countryside, in dark valleys, high mountains, and many great wildernesses by day and night—alongside the constant reading of many books by the ancients and moderns—I will not recount at this time. For there would be few who might believe me, except perhaps for the highly learned man Johannes Ruellius Jean Ruel (1474–1537), a French physician and botanist famous for his Latin translations of Dioscorides., who labored in the same case, suffered much, and faithfully stood by the common good with his work and writings.

Now, if his and my—that is, both of our—diligence bestowed upon the growths of the earth should please the Latin and German readers, I ask them all (not only for our sake, but for the sake of all those who have applied themselves to such heavy and arduous labor regarding the plants of the earth and continue therein for the welfare of the common good) that they would kindly and favorably accept our and others' work performed with diligence. May they use the same for their necessities, willingly share it with others who desire it, and where they perceive a deficiency, make amends; may they correct human errors out of Christian love and interpret all things for the best. In doing so, consider how very difficult it is to [bring] so many and rare plants into a...