Dedication

...very many errors, both grave and detestable, are committed to the hazard of human life, and often to its destruction; so that their errors might be removed—taking into account our apothecaries, of whom few know enough Latin—I undertook to translate Dioscorides of Anazarbus, a Greek and most ancient writer, and easily the prince in the history and rendering of the powers of simple medicines, into the Italian tongue, and likewise to illustrate him with Italian commentaries as best I could. To these indeed, I have applied as much of my talent, labor, and care, and finally as much judgment as I could attain, so that I might bring forth what I consider the legitimate plants, and similarly proffer my opinion concerning other simple medicines. In this matter, I was compelled not only to explode the errors scattered everywhere by the druggists and physicians of a former age, who seem to have neglected this part of medicine, but also frequently to refute the opinions of more recent authors, who nonetheless treated this matter most diligently. Nor is it indeed surprising that men otherwise most learned and worthy of the highest praise have stumbled and fallen, either wavering in such a critical matter or sometimes blinded by human darkness; which we do not doubt has also occasionally happened to us in this work.

Furthermore, I have embraced the history of plants and animals as extensively as the matter seemed to require. In recounting their powers, I have rendered them for each plant from Galen at the end, and was almost always content with him, except when he himself omitted something. Moreover, since there are many kinds of plants, spices, and other simple medicines which obtain frequent use in medicine—discovered partly by the Moors and partly by others who flourished through individual ages, of which Dioscorides, Galen, and other authors of the ancient Greeks made no mention anywhere that survives—we have inserted all these into our commentaries, and described their history and powers with what diligence we could.

When I had brought this work to its conclusion, I published it at the urging of friends, primarily with the intention that by my industry I might in some part be of service to human life and be thought to have deserved well of it. Whether I have attained this or not is not for me to judge. Unless it should perhaps seem rashly said by me, I could certainly testify that I gathered from it that the work was not ungrateful to the Italians, nor was it useless, because within a few years it was printed and sold for a third, fourth, and fifth time (if I am not mistaken). I might add the far from common judgment of learned men concerning it, from which I also learned that I have clearly not lost both my oil and my labor.

This indeed ought to have moved me to try if I could deserve anything from foreign nations as well, lest I should seem to have been born in this for the Italians alone. But this was added besides: that I understood even some of them were delighted by our commentaries, although written in Italian, and had gathered some fruit from them. Of which thing this was a sufficiently manifest indication to me: that I have found among more recent writers, both German and French, those who were pleased to interpret our opinions, such as they were, and to interweave them with their own writings; and not only did they ingenuously credit us for them, but even (such was their kindness) spoke of us in a most honorable manner. Whose goodwill toward us...